Before you start drain pipes set up do this
Before you start drain pipes set up do this
Before you undertake DIY plumbing and drains work it is essential to understand the national rules and rules formulated by the local authority.
If you are changing your current sewage, or installing a new system, you will most definitely be asked to show detailed designs of the implementation that you have in mind and it will need to be overseen as the work moves forward to ensure that it is compliant with local building rules. In many situations when you are simply replacing broken parts, there is no need for the local authority to be advised.
Whatever water we see on the surface around your home is usually rainwater. An earlier method was to directly discharge this surface water into the sewage drains, but modern homes use a surface water sewer or watercourse or soakaway to drain or absorb rainwater. If gully traps are fixed at the junction of the rainwater pipe and the waste water drain, foul odour can be controlled. However, the latest systems are designed in a way which separates the foul water and the surface water. It is extremely important to ensure that you do not connect foul water to a surface water drainage system. The Building Control Department is your first point of contact before you start any work if you are not familiar with your home’s sewage system.
Before you begin, you will need to plan the route of the waste pipes. The route should be as short and straight as possible, this will help to reduce future maintenance problems and costs. Also, make sure none of the pipes are laid at too steep an angle. Use the surveyor’s site level to calculate the drain fall over the complete system. In case you don’t have a surveyors site level, choose a datum point and then a water filled hosepipe can be used to calculate the fall from there.
You will need to see to it that you do not impact on the stability of the home whilst installing your drain ditch. Similarly, take care of the foundations when laying a waste pipe that runs alongside the building.
Do not dig the trench too long before laying the pipe when installing a new drainage system. 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.
You may need to provide some support to the ditch depending on the soil in that area and the depth of the ditch. It is advisable to take proper precautions. If in doubt add support to the ditch to prevent it from collapsing. You must make the ditch as narrow as possible while leaving enough room to work inside it. Be sure to remove any stones or bricks from the trench bed and make it as even as possible. The base should be good so you may need to import material if the existing soil structuire is not up to the mark.
For pipe support do not use bricks or other hard materials in the ditch. This should not be used as support for the short or the long run because it will damage the pipe, the pipe needs to be fully supported over its full lenght. The base should be tightly packed in the appropriate manner with holes carved out to fit in the protruding pipe connections. You will need to provide a continuous and uniform support for the complete length of the pipe.
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 pipeline straight and in short sections. An inspection chamber should be present at places where the pipework changes its direction, this is important so that it remains accessible to drain rods and they do not need to go around corners.
Keeping these points in mind, you can carry out your own sewage and plumbing work smoothly and almost professionally.