Fitting of sewers, this is the task list plan
Fitting of sewers, this is the task list plan
The first thing that you will need to think about when undertaking any DIY plumbing and sewage are the rules issued by your Local Authority.
You will have to present detailed plans for the proposed sewage work when you are changing existing sewage system or installing a new drainage system, and also need regular inspections to be undertaken to ensure that the plans are following the local building rules during progressing each phase of the work. However you don’t need to inform them if you are just replacing some broken parts.
The water which you see on the surface is basically rainwater. In older properties this can discharged into a foul water sewage system whereas in other properties this can discharged into a soakaway, watercourse or a surface water sewer. 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. However with the new drainage systems, the foul and the surface water can be kept apart. It’s absolutely crucial that you keep the dirty water drainage system apart from the one for surface water. If you have doubts about your house’s drainage system, you can get help from the Building Control Department before you begin any work.
Of course, the first thing you should do is plan the layout of the waste pipes. The route should be as short and straight as possible, this will help to reduce future maintenance problems and costs. Steep pipes should be avoided during the path design. 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.
The stability of the existing house is of prime importance it should be not compromised while the drainage ditch is being installed so check you are not impacting on the existing structure. Similarly, take care of the foundations when laying a drain that runs alongside the house.
Do not dig the ditch too long before laying the pipe when installing a new sewage system. You should attempt to get the pipes laid as soon as possible and, after inspection and checking, you should back fill the ditch.
You may need to provide some support to the trench depending on the soil in that area and the depth of the ditch. It is no advisable to not take any risks. It is better to provide support to the ditch walls than allowing the trench to collapse. Make sure that you leave enough room in the ditch for you to work but try to keep it as small as possible. Ensure that the ditch bottom is flat and free of stones, tree roots and soft spots. If the material at the base of the trench is not appropriate then you might have to bring in new material.
The pipe present in the trench should not be supported using bricks or other such materials. Such hard objects will cause the poorly supported pipe to bend or break and the joints will eventually fail. 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.
An important criteria for pipe layout is that you should be able to access any point with a drain rod to clear blockages. The drains should therefore run straight between two points to ease the passage of the drain rods. Inspection chambers have to be provided at any abrupt changes of direction or level, so that drain rods can be inserted easily.
Keeping these points in mind, you can carry out your own sewage and plumbing work smoothly and almost professionally.