Pumping and sewerage in Grīziņkalns - courtyard networks in historic tenement buildings

Where the city network ends and your responsibility begins

Under Riga's rules, the city sewer network and connection end at the control manhole, which sits 1.5–2 m from the street's red line (the official street boundary), or at the boundary of the plot. Everything beyond it, namely the courtyard pipes, inspection chambers and the connections to the courtyard block, is part of the property. It is maintained by the owner of the building, the association of apartment owners or the property manager it has authorised.

In Grīziņkalns this matters in practice, because the blocks have courtyard buildings standing behind the street frontage, and the pipe from the furthest building to the street can be long and have several bends. If a blockage has formed in the courtyard, it is cleared by a contractor hired by the owner, and Rīgas ūdens is not responsible for this stretch.

Courtyard manholes: pumping, cleaning and replacement

Inspection chambers in the courtyard give access to the pipe at bends and junctions. If the water in a manhole stands and does not drain away, the chamber has filled with sediment or the pipe beyond it is blocked. First we pump out the contents with a vacuum tanker, and then it becomes clear whether the fault is in the manhole itself or further along the pipe.

If a manhole has collapsed, is missing its lid or its concrete rings have shifted, it is replaced with a new plastic or concrete one. If the pipe itself is damaged, we lay a new pipe in a trench across the courtyard with an even fall. More: inspection chamber installation and courtyard sewer installation in Grīziņkalns, from €25/m.

Replacing a courtyard pipe step by step

1. Pumping out and inspection We empty the manholes and find out on which stretch the water stops and what the existing fall is.
2. Route Together with the owner or the property manager, we choose where the trench runs so that entrances stay accessible and tree roots are not damaged.
3. Pipes and manholes We lay new pipes with an even fall and inspection chambers at the bends and where the courtyard buildings join.
4. Testing Before backfilling, we test the flow with water from each connection.
5. Reinstating the surface We backfill the trench and reinstate the paving, asphalt or lawn.

If the courtyard is shared by several plots or the pipe crosses a neighbour's property, work can start only once all the owners have agreed. It is worth settling this before you send a request, so the trench does not stand open while signatures are awaited.

Rainwater in renovated blocks

When a building is renovated, the roof gutters and the courtyard surface are usually replaced, and then you have to decide where the rainwater goes. Riga's rules do not allow groundwater, surface water or underground water to be discharged into the mains sewer without the agreement of Rīgas ūdens. So a new rainwater connection to the foul sewer is not made without that approval.

The solution is a separate rainwater system: gutters, gullies and pipes leading to a storm sewer, or to infiltration if there is enough room in the courtyard. Separated rainwater also puts less load on the old courtyard pipe in heavy rain. How it is built: rainwater drainage.

Basement premises and catering in the block

The basements and semi-basements of Grīziņkalns buildings often house workshops, studios or flats. If their plumbing is lower than the courtyard pipe, the water has to be lifted by a pump. We install compact lifting units and sewage pump stations in Grīziņkalns with a non-return valve that stops wastewater flowing back when the street network is overloaded.

For a catering business in the block, a regularly cleaned grease separator is a practical necessity: fat that gets past it sets hard right in the courtyard pipe that the whole building uses. Cleaning costs from €90; more: grease trap cleaning.

Access and planning the work

Dense courtyards and limited parking mean the tanker cannot always stand right next to the manhole. For the gateways of historic buildings and narrow courtyards, we choose a smaller tanker or a longer hose. A photo or sketch of the courtyard marking the manholes and the distance to the street is useful with your request, including on the Pērnavas iela or Aleksandra Čaka iela side.

If the pipe has to be replaced, we agree the trench route with the owner and the property manager, so that the courtyard stays usable and the entrances accessible for the whole time the work is under way.

Riga rules that apply to Grīziņkalns buildings

The main document here is Riga's Binding Regulations No. 17 on mains water supply and sewerage. They set the network boundary at the control manhole, prohibit discharging fats and food waste into the network and require the discharge of rainwater and groundwater to be agreed. If a property still has a septic tank or holding tank, the decentralised sewage Regulations No. 66 apply to it: registration with the department and a minimum emptying frequency.

Neighbouring Avoti and Riga city centre have similar issues. In Teika a separate co-financing programme runs for connections to the new network, while in Dārzciems the housing is more mixed. Other places: where we work.