Before you commence drain set up do this
Before you commence drain set up do this
Before starting any plumbing and sewage work yourself you should find out about any Local Authority regulations that relate to your area.
Detailed plans of any changing or installing of drainage in your home will have to be submitted, and expect ongoing inspections until its completion to ensure that the work abides by the regulations. However you do not require authority approval for replacement of failed joints or cracked plumbing and drains pipes.
If you hear the term ‘surface water’ in any drainage documents this basically means rain. This can discharged into a soakaway, watercourse, surface water sewer or, particularly in older properties, into the foul water sewage system. If gully traps are fixed at the junction of the rainwater pipe and the waste water drain, foul odour can be controlled. However with the new sewage systems, the foul and the surface water can be kept apart. If you have a modern system it is very essential that you make sure that you do not accidentally integrate the foul water to a surface water sewage system. The Building Regulation Department will be able to guide you on any details or procedures you may require for repairs or replacement of your drainage.
Before starting your work, finalise the routes the waste pipes would take. The main things to consider when planning the route of a waste or soil pipe are to keep the route as straight and short as you can. If the pipe slope is excessive, your joint alignment may fail. You can calculate the fall of a drain over a distance using a surveyors site level. Or just fill a transparent hosepipe with water and use the water level at the two ends to mark the required fall from the starting point.
You will need to guarantee that you do not impact on the stability of the home whilst installing your drain ditch. The substructure of the building should not be undermined by your digging if the waste pipe runs parallel to it.
If you try to dig all the trenches before you start pipe fixing, there is a chance of some trenches collapsing. Excavate a part of the sewage system, install and test the pipework, and then back fill and compact the earth before moving on to the next part.
Because of different depth and soil conditions the ditch will probably need to be supported. It is advisable to take proper precautions. Be on the safe side and secure the sides of such risky trenches by propping with sheets or boards. The trench should be narrow, but spacious enough for people to work with any required tools. Be sure to remove any stones or bricks from the ditch bed and make it as even as possible. If the existing soil is too weak or clayey, you should place and compact a layer of firmer soil at the base of the trench to prevent later sinking.
You should definitely not use hard materials such as bricks to support the pipe in the ditch. In fact they should be never used as support as they can damage the pipe as they will focus pressure into a small area. Consolidate the bottom with a small roller or rammer and provide grooves in the bed to support the joints properly. You will need to provide a continuous and uniform support for the complete length of the pipe.
An important criteria for pipe layout is that you should be able to access any point with a drain rod to clear blockages. The drains should therefore run straight between two points to ease the passage of the drain rods. Inspection chambers have to be provided at any sudden changes of direction or level, so that drain rods can be inserted easily.
Keeping these points in mind, you can carry out your own sewage and plumbing work smoothly and almost professionally.