Hi, just putting in a cloakroom sink. Would have major problem getting the waste to standard drain because there's a rain water down-pipe in the way. This goes to a soak-away.
Can I put the sink waste to rain pipe to soak-away? I guess I can do anything I like, just wondered if it contravenes building regs etc.
You cannot legally send the sink water to the soakaway.
Adam
Thanks - I guessed that would be the case.
Our last house was not on mains drains, so all waste went to a soakaway, via a septic tank of course.
Mike
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Thanks, same here (I should have clarified on first post). But we have one rain pipe which goes straight to its own soakaway; that's the one I wanted to use for our cloakroom sink too. But its illegal.
Ah, that's different. At least the outfall liquid has been processed. Just to put the sink waste direct into the soakaway could result in masses of build up over the years if the rate of decomposition of the solids were less than the accumulation.
Rob Graham
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Understanding the (un)legality of it, it would be a lightly used cloakroom hand-basin. So a bit of soap is all that would be "going to ground". Even then, not sure how many of our guest would use soap. (Actually its more a case of us not having many friends but that's a totally different story...)
It rather depends on the age of your house and if all your present drains go into one main drain. My house was built in 1951 with a main drain, which runs through all our gardens, from No: 15 down to No: 1 and then the big street drain. In our circumstances, we can without fear put the all waste pipes down the same drain. James
you should try connecting it to the soil pipe with a strap boss
My shower water has only (whatever's washed off me and) Ecover washing-up liquid in it at low concentration, so it's probably less harmful than the water from the road - but still 'illegal'. The council can allow fuel, oil etc. in to the waterways, but a small amount of very biodegradable soap...
Why not use a few bends and go around the rain pipe?
Adam
I watched a large road junction get new drainage installed back around 1990, and even back then, the road run-off went through multiple interceptors to prevent road oil running into the stream. I've seen the same done for motorway runoff since then.
In 1995, there was an exhibition in Times Square New York about the environment. One of the things that stuck in my mind was that the oil run-off from the roads in New York (from leaking vehicles) added up to an Exxon Valdiz every year.
Not surprising. There was a case some years ago of a landowner sueing the CC re. road water in his ponds etc. - he won. The law has been changed so that the landowner is responsible for anything that is there if the flow is interrupted (rather like farmers being at fault if there's fly-tipping where there's no gat). It's much easier and cheaper to balme the victim and punish the innocent and saves plod from actually doing anything.
Illegal it may be, but I would connect it up anyway. The little soap that is used hand washing will do little harm. Perhaps leave a bottle of "green eco friendly" hand wash in there instead of the normal bar of soap.
Mike
Of-course, this is not a major problem. Its only for the sake of tidyness I'd rather not go around if I go straight into...
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