Drainage question

Hi,

So have just had bathroom installed, and with a basin moved, the waste of it and the new shower now come out another wall. However I think they are going to the wrong drain.

House is built in 1975. Existing soil stack goes into ground;



Old bath and basin waste went into this. These now been capped off. Now they go on the other wall on the side of the house into this drain.



Drain on left has the guttering and the new pipe. Drain on right has the kitchen and washingmachine waste going into that. I am presuming these 2 drains are different. (Forgive the damaged drain covers.. will replace) One on left i presume is rainwater only. THe other drain would be taking foul water? Otherwise, why would there be 2? I am almost certain they are not linked. I had to unblock alot of grit and soil etc from the left drain, and it made no impact on the right drain at all. Plus the right drain is draining fine.

Should I be getting plubmer to re-do this? I think its wrong?

 

Yes - a proper plumber would have known.

 

Is there an inspection chamber along from these? If so, open up. and get something to put a bucket into each to see if all go the same way.
All my rainwater and waste goes into the same sewer.

 

It should also be run and discharging below the level of the grate.

Your plumbers unfortunately don't seem to care. As you suggest, it wouldn't really make sense to have 2 gulleys so close to each other if they were on a shared run. That being said, never say never .... always best to get it checked, as your plumbers should have.

 

That is WRONG and you can be fined for allowing that to be done by your water company. You obviously have separate foul and rain water, both must go into the correct drain, because the rain water will go to the streams and rivers untreated.

 

Older properties often do, they have what is known as a 'Combined' system of drainage, i.e. rainwater goes into the sewer. Had its uses at the time as the massive increase in flow when the heavens opened washed out the system, and washed down the discharge field so they could start again. Eventually it was decided it would be easier to keep rainwater separate, so that could be discharged at the nearest suitable point, and just run a smaller foul sewer to the treatment works.

Given the OP's property was built in 1975, chances are it'll have separate drainage, i.e. rainwater and foul are independent systems. For what little it would take, reroute the waste into the right hand gulley, as said, any Plumber worth the title would know what needs to be done. Looking at the proximity of the gullies to each other, it's nothing more than sheer laziness and incompetence that the waste hasn't been routed to the correct point.

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Yea. its an easy fix. Just kinda annoying. I will be asking him to fix it. He did have a younger guy helping him, that maybe didint know. But yea, it is pretty lazy to not make it right. In defense, everything else has been done really well, and the bathroom is great. I saw all the plumbing work done before the floor went down and it all looked good.

I only came across it to be hounest, becasue the rainwater drain wasnt draining fast enough, and was starting to over flow (like if you had a shower etc). I did unblock a load of crap outa it, but doesnt seem to drain fast enough. Tried the old bedsheet trick, but didint work, though it does seem a bit better. So anyway, yes thats why I know they are independant of each other. I am guessing the other drain with the kitchen waste has a P trap thingy (im not a plumber, not sure on terminology). So the water level kinda sits at teh same in the drain all the time. Presume this is to prevent nasty smells coming outa it. That drain handles the waterflow no problem of kitchen sink etc.

Regarding inspection chamber. We have never found one on the property since moved in. We got driveway all re-tarmaced and there was no access point there when they took the old tarmac up and replaced.. We live on a hill, semi de-datched. Neighbour beside us that is not attached, their drive way is 6 feet below us. There is drain chamber things there. I would not have thought it would go that steep down? No idea where it is. Hounestly.

 

Got any friends who are (metal) detectorists? Most covers are metal ones and large, easy to find.

Was your neighbours house built sometime after yours, perhaps your manhole is on their property?

 

The street was built at same time. Looking out my front door, the house to my left is attached, house to my right is not attached to mine. Live on a hill. House on right is downhill. THere is manhole in their drive, about 4-6' below our driveway. I need to check with neighbour to our left, but I dont think that would go out that way. I guess it could?

 

Rainwater may go to a soakaway, hence why it isnt draining too well. Other gulley connects to the drain so will handle the flow.

Never assume anything with drainage, lost count of the number of times I've found the whole system is ar$e about face.

 

Not sure it be a soakaway. I also dug up my back garden couple years back (theres a thread on here somewhere detailing it), and did not come across any pipes/soakaways. Though I may have not went deep enough. But considering this is in a large housing area, that was built at the same time, i would have thought its going to a pipe system somewhere. The gutter drain would probably drain rain water fast enough, unless its like monsoon level. I never really noticed it overflowing untill the sink/shower water was going into it. As I said, i got loads of grit and dirt out from bottom of it, and tried using my garden hose to see if any blockages, but really could not work out what direction it was going. Felt like it was taking a turn, but so hard to know which way. Could be going out down the driveway to the street, as my drive way is on a slope too. The drain is at the back corner of the house, and the drive goes downhill to the street.