What to execute when performing drainage or pipe remedies and set up by yourself
What to execute when performing drainage or pipe remedies and set up by yourself
Before you undertake DIY plumbing and drains work it is essential to understand the national rules and rules formulated by the local authority.
You need to explain your work plan in detail to the authority if you wish to install a new sewage system or alter an existing one, the officials will then go through the plan to check if it is in accordance with the rules. In most cases they do not need to be notified for a simple replacement of broken parts.
Surface water is basically rain. 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 drainage systems empty their discharge into the foul water drains through gully traps, this prevent foul air from escaping outside creating odours. Nowadays hygiene and recycling considerations have led to a mandatory separation of surface water and sewage water. It’s absolutely crucial that you keep the dirty water drainage system apart from the one for surface water. The Building Control Department is your first point of contact before you start any work if you are not familiar with your home’s drainage system.
The first thing to do in a DIY drainage replacement job is to decide the position and level of the waste pipework. Keeping the path as straight and short as possible will be the main concept behind the design of the waste passageways or pipes. You should not make your pipe runs very steep although some slope is needed. With the help of a surveyor’s site level, you will be able to determine the fall of a drain over a distance. A hosepipe filled with water from an established datum point can be used if you don’t have a surveyor’s site level.
Be very careful not to excavate too close to your house, as you may undermine the foundation and cause a structural collapse. Similarly, take care of the substructures when laying a waste pipe that runs alongside the building.
The pipes should be laid before too long a ditch is dug as a new ditch can be unstable. Make sure that you get the pipes laid as quickly as possible and then backfill the trench as soon as the system has been inspected and tested.
Be wary of the depth and soil conditions and if necessary add extra support to the trench. You should avoid any risks with this project. If you are not sure prop up the ditch anyway to prevent it from falling. 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 ditch bed and make it as even as possible. You may need to import a suitable material for the base of the trench if the existing material is unsuitable.
Never use bricks and/or other hard materials to support the pipe in the trench. Even if used for just a temporary support this can damage the pipe. The base should be tightly packed in the appropriate manner with holes carved out to fit in the protruding pipe connections. The support should be smooth and even, from the beginning of the pipe to its end.
The sewage system should be designed in a way that pipework remains accessible to drain rods should sewage maintenance work be required. Therefore, a run of drains should be as straight as possible between two points. 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 drainage and plumbing work smoothly and almost professionally.