plastic soil testing

[billybob150811]

spent a few weeks on a commercial site soil testing, the soils are all different in length and connections. leaks are a mixture of lack of glue , push fit that are under tension nothing out of the ordinary
we have used the half and find method but someone suggested a vacuum pump which I don't know how to do and I wondered if there were any more methods which might be better than what im doing
all suggestions greatfully received

 

[jeff the gasman]

Slight pressure and leak detection solution would be my method.

 

[polesapart]

50mm positive air pressure test with all sanitary appliances connected and traps full? Everything nicely plasterboarded/boxed in?

Then yes it's a long wearisome business finding a leak over several storeys.

I have resorted to using isolating a storey and filling the stack with water to lowest spillover height; found a leak under a floor that way.

TBH I thought stack testing was rarely requested these days

 

[jeff the gasman]

How about a smoke bomb or two?

 

[bernardgreen]

Do smoke tests still happen ? I can recall smoke tests finding underground leaks by the smoke oozing out of the ground. I guess it wouldn't work in old pipes under compacted soil but believe it would work for soil stacks and internal pipe work. Back in 1980 when we had leak in the newly installed drains the building inspector suggested a smoke test if all else failed.

 

[bernardgreen]

Jeff, ypou beat me to it , I must learn to type faster,

 

[OvertonPlumber]

I had soiltest with NHBC on thursday. I had 11 soilstacks in house, we agreed to test two. Tested to 40mm on air. All passsed after the usual shenanigans wink wink.

 

[billybob150811]

mod site cheating not out of the question just very very clever management contractor 1st fix test every single piece put in 100mm air dry (no traps) test goes on for ages 15min not uncommon so this needs to be 100%