Summary of drain pipes installation
Summary of drain pipes installation
Before starting any plumbing and drainage work yourself you should find out about any Local Authority rules that relate to your area concerning the laying of new drain pipes.
You need to explain your work plan in detail to the authority if you wish to install a new drainage system or alter an existing one, the officials will then go through the plan to check if it is in accordance with the rules. In many situations when you are simply replacing broken parts, there is no need for the local authority to be advised.
The water which you see on the surface is basically rain. An earlier method was to directly discharge this surface water into the sewage drains through drain pipes, but modern homes use a surface water sewer or watercourse or soakaway to drain or absorb rainwater. Air escape from the drains is stopped when rainwater drain pipes are discharged into the foul water drains through gully traps in an older combined system. However, modern systems are designed to keep the foul water and the surface water apart. It is extremely important to ensure that you do not connect foul water to a surface water drainage system. When in doubt about the how the modern drainage system works, consult the Building Control Department.
Before starting your work, finalise the routes the waste drain pipes would take. Sewage pipes must be aligned as straight as possible, with inspection chambers at short intervals. Steep pipes should be averted during the path design. 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.
Don’t compromise the stability of the house when putting in the drainage ditch. Keep the drain excavation at a uniformly safe distance from the house face to avoid damage to the foundation.
If you try to dig all the trenches before you start drain pipes fixing, there is a chance of some trenches collapsing. Make certain that the drain pipes are laid as soon as possible and then bury them immediately after the testing and inspection are completed.
You may need to provide some support to the trench depending on the soil in that area and the depth of the ditch. You should avoid any risks with this project. It is better to provide support to the ditch walls than allowing the ditch to collapse. The excavation should be only as wide as required, but should also permit the fitter to work conveniently. Protruding stones or bricks should not be left in the base and it should be cleaned to provide a smooth, regular surface. If the material at the base of the trench is not appropriate then you might have to bring in new material.
The drain pipes present in the ditch should not be supported using bricks or other such materials. Even if used for just a temporary support this can damage the pipe. For accommodation of the joints in the pipes,the bedding should be compacted in a regular way with hollows made a appropriate points. For the complete pipe length you have to provide a continuous and uniform support.
When designing your sewage system, it is important to make all parts of the pipework reachable via a set of drain rods should a blockage occur. This need for drain rod access can be easily achieved by keeping the drain pipes pipeline straight and in short sections. In case of any change in the direction of the pipework it should be provided with an inspection chamber for allowing drains rod access.
If you follow this guidance, drainage and DIY plumbing can be within the range of the most DIY enthusiasts.