Do you acknowledge the first footsteps in drains fitting
Do you acknowledge the first footsteps in drains fitting
Before starting any plumbing and drainage work yourself you should find out about any Local Authority rules that relate to your area.
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. However you don’t need to inform them if you are just replacing some broken parts.
Surface water is basically water from rain and is handled differently from dark waste water in a modern sewage development. This can discharged into a soakaway, watercourse, surface water sewer or, particularly in older properties, into the foul water sewage system. Air escape from the drains is stopped when rainwater pipes are discharged into the foul water drains through gully traps in an older combined system. But modern systems are especially created so that dirty water and surface water remain separate. 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. You should get advice from the local authority Building Department before you start any work in a situation when you are not sure about the drainage system around your house.
The first thing to do in a DIY sewage replacement job is to decide the position and level of the waste pipework. Have an eye to future maintenance when you design the sewage system and always try to keep the waste or soil pipe as straight and short as you can when you are devising the layout. You should not make your pipe runs very steep although some slope is necessary. Using surveyor’s site level you can calculate the fall of a drain over a distance to check the values. A hosepipe filled with water from an established datum point can be used if you don’t have a surveyor’s site level.
You will need to guarantee that you do not impact on the stability of the home whilst installing your drain ditch. If you are laying a drain run parallel to the house, you must ensure that any foundations are not undermined.
The pipes should be laid before too long a trench is dug as a new ditch can be unstable. 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 trench will probably need to be supported. Do not take any risks. If you have any worries, you should support to the trench to reduce any risk of collapsing side walls during the building phase. Make sure that you leave enough room in the trench for you to work but try to keep it as small as possible. Ensure that the trench bottom is flat and free of stones, tree roots and soft spots. 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.
The pipe present in the trench should not be supported using bricks or other such materials. In fact they should be never used as support as they can damage the pipe as they will focus pressure into a small area. The material used for bedding should be firmly compacted down with a depression created to allow the joints in the pipes to fit easily. For the complete pipe length you have to provide a continuous and uniform support.
It is important that all parts of your sewage system are designed so that all parts of the pipework are accessible to a set of drain rods. Therefore, a run of drains should be as straight as possible between two points. As a general rule, any change in direction of the pipework should be provided with an inspection chamber to allow rodding access.
If you follow this guidance, drainage and DIY plumbing can be within the range of the most DIY enthusiasts.