Building control

[G&M]

The following comes from the Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 2531 (The Building Regulations 2000)

Testing of drains and private sewers 18. The local authority may make such tests of any drain or private sewer as may be necessary to establish whether it complies with any of the requirements of Part H of Schedule 1 (drainage and waste disposal).

I have been assuming I would be able to perform this test myself (I am installing the drains myself) as mentioned in a Wickes leaflet. Yet this statement implies the local authority can arrive with their own people and make their own tests.

Is this true ? And if so is this chargeable to me in addition to the Building Notice fee ?

[BigWallop]

Building control will need some kind of measurements to make sure the drains are compliant. You're dealing with dirty, contaminated water which needs special treatment before going back into the water cycle. You're also dealing with potentially explosive gases which build up inside the sewerage system. These rapidly create high pressures in the pipework along its full length, and any weak or loose sections can be blown off and pour dirty water into the surrounding soil or air.

So it is true that you must inform the BCO department of your local council that the drainage is compliant with the local by-laws.

[Niall]

In Scotland you do the test while they watch. A while ago I had the pleasure of watching a particularly uncoperative jobsworth being totally fooled by an extremely cunning old builder and his carefully choreographed young labourers.

[David W.E. Roberts]

Depends where you are, and how extensive the changes/additions are.

I have added a new soil pipe, but the underground run was less than 6 feet and it joined into an existing manhole cover.

The BCO looked under the manhole cover, said "Yep - I can see what's going on there" and that was it.

Not much scope in a short run like that for explosion, disconnection and other disasters.

I presume a long run and/or a new build would require more inspection.

HTH Dave R

[Andrew Gabriel]

A colleage in Wales recently had his foundations and drains inspected for a new building. This was done over the phone by asking a few questions.

[Lobster]

Go on then...?! David

[Tony Bryer]

Two drain plugs, one just out of sight at the top of the run? SOP in my BCO days was to stand at the top manhole and ask them to release the drain stopper at the bottom.

[Niall]

The offending section was stopped off. When he asked for that section to be released, someone visibly did, but a discreet signal from the builder cued another assistant to release the pressure elsewhere simultaneously.

[Niall]

Not quite, see other post.

[G&M]

It is a complete new drain almost all the way to the septic tank. I want to do the test myself as my local hire company rent the kit out for £60/week but I an concerend my BCO (who is a ....) might want to bring in professionals to do the same test at some exhorbitant fee.

Mike

[Rick Dipper]

My building control officer required that I bung up the last point of "my" drain, and fill to the top of the man hole with water & leave. The leval should not drop. He wanted to see the drains "on test".

However it all depends on the guy you get, there people will help you out a whole pipe, but if you rub them the wrong way you can be in for a bad trip.

His actual attitude was that it was a DIY job, and I had no motivation for bodgeing it up, it was a simple pipe run. He then gave some constutive comments on ways to do it better, and left happy.

Rick

[Rick Dipper]

My guy could not have been more helpfull, I called him a lunch one day when we were 60mm not deep enough seeing if we could nick any mm anywhere, he helped me much more than maybe he had to. You have to show him the pipes "bedded in" and not covered, an ideal time to show him the test. If he has any constructive comments then you have a more simple job to take them on board. The BCO is not the enemy, the planner however .........

Also if to do the test you can't isolte the new and have to test some old, then who says its the new that leeks.

At the end of the day its a DIY job on your own house, you are not going to bodge it and have a lake of ***** under your flower beds ..........

I thought the kit was a simple bung, am I wrong ? Has it changed since May ?

Rick