Sewer project designing initial footsteps
Sewer project designing initial footsteps
Local building laws and processes have to be complied with whenever you perform sewage or pipework repairs and fitting by yourself.
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. 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 can discharged into a soakaway, watercourse, surface water sewer or, particularly in older properties, into the foul water drainage system. Air escape from the drains is stopped when rainwater pipes are discharged into the foul water drains through gully traps in an older combined system. However, the latest systems are designed in a way which separates the foul water and the surface water. If you have a modern system it is very essential that you make sure that you do not accidentally integrate the foul water to a surface water sewage system. The Building Regulation Department will be able to guide you on any details or procedures you may require for repairs or replacement of your drainage.
Before starting your work, finalise the routes the waste pipes would take. The route should be as short and straight as possible, this will help to reduce future maintenance problems and costs. 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. In the absence of one of these, create a datum point and set levels with a hosepipe filled with water and compute the fall from the datum in this manner.
Don’t compromise the stability of the home when setting up the drainage ditch. Keep the drain pipe excavation at a uniformly safe distance from the house face to avoid damage to the substructure.
When fitting in a new drainage system, you should not dig the ditch too long before placing the pipe as the trench could collapse. Get the pipes laid quickly and, as soon as they have been tested, fill the trench back in.
The trench may need to be supported depending on the depth and soil conditions. Do not take any risks. It is better to provide support to the ditch walls than allowing the ditch to collapse. Keep the trench as narrow as you can but of course make sure that there is enough room to work in the trench including any plan, machinery or tools you require. Ensure that the trench bottom is flat and free of stones, tree roots and soft spots. If the exiting material is not suitable then you may need to import a suitable material for the base of the ditch.
You should definitely not use hard materials such as bricks to support the pipe in the trench. 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. For accommodation of the joints in the pipes,the bedding should be compacted in a regular way with hollows made a appropriate points. A comprehensive support should be used for the whole 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. Which means that a run of drains must be installed straight between two points. In case of any change in the direction of the pipework it should be provided with an inspection chamber for allowing drains rod access.
Following this guide you can see that DIY plumbing and drainage can be delivered by conscientious DIY enthusiasts.