Before beginning any do-it-yourself plumbing or drainage project, you should familiarize yourself with the regulations published by your local authority or state department.
You must always notify the Building Control Department at your city hall before changing your existing drainage or installing a new drainage system. Providing precise drawings for the work you intend to do and having it examined at various stages to ensure compliance with local building codes is almost a given. In most cases, they do not need to be notified if you are merely repairing damaged pieces. However, if you are unsure, you should look into it. It should be sufficient to call simply.
Drainage systems will be the first topic of examination.
We can categorize these as either “Foul Water” or “Surface Water” systems. Wastewater includes liquids from lavatories, dishwashers, washing machines, and garages. All of this garbage should go straight into the sewer.
Rainfall is the primary source of surface water. This may be released into a surface water sewer, stream, or, most commonly in older buildings, a soakaway. The gully traps in a combined system prevent toxic gases from escaping through the drains so that rainwater can be safely discharged into them. However, today’s systems are made to separate sewage from clean water. You mustn’t join the sewer system for unclean water with the one for clean water. Before beginning any work on your home’s drainage system, consult the Building Control Department for guidance.
When in doubt, do some investigating.
Planning
The best way to get started is to map out where the drain pipes will go. Keeping the path of a waste or soil pipe as straight and brief as possible is paramount. It’s essential to keep pipe runs from becoming overly steep. The standard fall for laying soil pipe is 1:40. Despite appearances, this is more than enough. ‘A touch on the bubble’ is the rule of thumb for pipe laying. This indicates that the spirit level’s bubble has risen to its upper end, albeit partially contained within the level borders. Keep in mind that this is just a general rule of thumb. A surveyor’s site level can be used to determine the drain’s gradient over a given distance. If you don’t have access to one, you can figure out the height difference between two points by filling a hosepipe and using it as a datum point. (Since water in a hosepipe will settle to the same level at both ends, you can use this to calculate depths by starting at the end furthest from the datum and working your way backward.)
You can ask your municipality about the ideal pipe drops.
Drainage installation:
Getting the trench ready:
You must ensure the integrity of the building is not compromised when digging the drain trench. Ensure no foundations are damaged when laying a drain line perpendicular to the structure.
When installing a new drainage system, ensure the trench is not dug for too long before placing the pipe. As soon as the system has been inspected and tested, it is imperative that the channel be backfilled and the lines connected.
Depending on the depth and soil conditions, you may need to reinforce the trench. Take no chances. If the track looks like it might collapse, support it. To allow digging and maintenance, the trench width should be no more than the pipe’s diameter + 150 millimeters (6 inches) on each side. Trench bases should be smooth and devoid of protruding stones, bricks, etc. If the present material is unsuitable, you may need to import a suitable material for the trench’s base. Get some advice from your neighborhood inspector.
Bricks or other rigid materials should never support pipes in trenches. Never use this as permanent or temporary support for the line since it will cause irreparable damage. The pipes’ joints need the bedding to be appropriately compacted with hollows formed to accommodate the joints. The pipe’s length will need to be consistently and reliably supported. When the lines have been laid and checked, the space around them must be filled with granular material and compacted to a height of at least 100 mm. As a backfill material, a shingle with a thickness of 10 millimeters (mm) has been widely employed because it provides a uniform medium and an apparent visual warning that drainage pipes lie beneath the surface. Once the trench has been partially backfilled with granular material, the original excavated dirt can be placed on top. Layers of 300 millimeters should be used to condense this. Heavy compactors shouldn’t be used until at least 300mm of cover. Intelligent usage of lightweight vibratory tampers could aid in the compacting process.
You must preserve the drain system if your garden is less than 600 millimeters below the surface. This is because working in the garden and using gardening tools provide a risk of injury. To achieve this, build a layer of thin concrete, say 50 mm in thickness, above the pipe by another 100 mm. Alternatively, precast concrete slabs could be used.
Your drainage system’s design must allow a set of drain rods to reach every component of the pipes. Therefore, drains between two points should be as straight as feasible. Any time the piping makes a sharp turn, an inspection chamber should be installed to facilitate rodding. This will be the case at the beginning of each drain run; whenever the gradient changes, the pipe diameter changes, and drain junctions cannot be reached with a set of drain rods. Access shall be located on the branch drain within 12 meters of the intersection when there is no manhole at the main drain.
Most do-it-yourselfers can handle plumbing and drainage on their own. Remember that it’s always “hard graft” and that you must adhere to local building control laws.
Remember, when in doubt, verify.
Although the author has made every effort to ensure the correctness of the information presented here, readers are cautioned that the following is merely a guide and that they should always check with a local professional before acting on the information presented here.
Phil spent several years in the building trade, but now he’s a professor in the UK. The websites Householders Guide and [http://ukhomeonline.co.uk] feature many of his writings. A well-liked author on drain installation, his expertise spans both the building trade and the housing market.
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