Do you know the first footsteps in drain pipes installing
Do you know the first footsteps in drain pipes installing
Before you undertake DIY plumbing and drains work it is essential to understand the national rules and regulations developed by the local authority.
If you are changing your current drainage, 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 most cases they do not need to be notified for a simple replacement of broken parts.
When rain falls on your house and property, it runs across as surface water and has to be drained properly. This surface water can seep into sewers, watercourse and become a part of the drainage system in older housing developments. The rainwater pipes in combined sewage systems empty their discharge into the foul water drains through gully traps, this prevent foul air from escaping outside creating odours. With more contemporary systems, however the foul water and surface water is kept separate, this is a more recent development. To comply with modern planning regulations you should always make sure that the foul water and surface water sewage system do not connect. If you are unsure about the drainage system around your house get advice from the Building Control Department before you start any work.
To properly prepare the plans and get local authority permission to commence work there is a need for you to plan the route of the waste pipes before you begin. The basic thing which you have to care about is to keep the route as straight and short as you can while designing the route of a waste or soil pipe, this will help to reduce the likelihood of stoppages. Steep pipes should be avoided during the path design. Use a surveyor’s leveling tool to set out the slope of the drain trench. If you do not have one of these available, establish a datum point and use a hose filled with water to establish levels and calculate the fall from the datum this way.
The stability of the existing house is of prime importance it should be not compromised while the drain pipe ditch is being installed so check you are not impacting on the existing structure. You have to make sure that no house foundation is weakened if you are laying a drain running parallel to the building.
The pipes should be laid before too long a ditch is dug as a new trench 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.
Be wary of the depth and soil conditions and if necessary add extra support to the ditch. It is advisable to take proper precautions. If you are not sure prop up the trench anyway to prevent it from falling. Make sure that you leave enough room in the trench for you to work but try to keep it as small as possible. The base of the trench should be clean and even and free from protruding stones or bricks etc. You may need to import a suitable material for the base of the ditch if the existing material is unsuitable.
You should definitely not use hard materials such as bricks to support the pipe in the trench. 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. The entire drain pipe system has to be uniformly supported by the soil bedding.
When designing your drainage 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.
If you follow this guidance, drainage and DIY plumbing can be within the range of the most DIY enthusiasts.