Do you know the first steps in sewage set up
Do you know the first steps in sewage set up
Before carrying through any DIY plumbing and sewage, you should first take into consideration the rules issued by your Local Authority.
You will have to present detailed plans for the proposed drainage work when you are changing existing sewage system or installing a new sewage system, and also need regular inspections to be undertaken to ensure that the plans are following the local building regulations during progressing each phase of the work. However you do not require authority approval for replacement of failed joints or cracked plumbing and drains pipes.
If you hear the term ‘surface water’ in any sewage documents this basically means 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. In a system combining both functions, the rainwater pipes clear out into the dirty water drains through the gully traps that prevent fetid air from sneaking out of the drains. However, modern systems are designed to keep the foul water and the surface water apart. To comply with modern planning rules you should always make sure that the foul water and surface water sewage system do not connect. If you have doubts about your house’s drainage system, you can get help from the Building Control Department before you begin any work.
Designing the path of the waste passageways will be your first task. Sewage pipes must be aligned as straight as possible, with inspection chambers at short intervals. You must avoid making your pipe runs too steep. Using surveyor’s site level you can calculate the fall of a drain over a distance to check the values. Or just fill a transparent hosepipe with water and use the water level at the two ends to mark the required fall from the starting point.
Don’t compromise the stability of the home when putting in the drain ditch. Similarly, take care of the substructures when laying a drain pipe that runs alongside the building.
When fitting in a new drainage system, you should not dig the trench too long before placing the pipe as the trench could collapse. Make certain that the pipes are laid as soon as possible and then bury them immediately after the testing and inspection are completed.
Because of different depth and soil conditions the trench will probably need to be supported. It is advisable to take proper precautions. If in doubt add support to the trench to prevent it from collapsing. The ditch should be narrow, but spacious enough for people to work with any required tools. Protruding stones or bricks should not be left in the base and it should be cleaned to provide a smooth, regular surface. If the material at the base of the trench is not appropriate then you might have to bring in new material.
For pipe support do not use bricks or other hard materials in the ditch. This will damage the pipe and must never be used as temporary or permanent support. The material used for bedding should be firmly compacted down with a depression created to allow the joints in the pipes to fit easily. A good guideline is that support should be provided for the entire length of the pipe.
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. 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.