Why did drainpipes used to have a box on the wall?

[Commander Kinsey]

If you're going to throw bathwater all over your garden, you might aswell just go outside and hose yourself down, then your neighbour can have some fun watching.

[ARW]

There is some suggestion on certain web sites that it is to increase flow rate.

[Commander Kinsey]

How would that happen?

[Xeno]

In this country (Aus) the sullage and the sewerage are kept separate. The sullage lines go out into the street stormwater drains. They are

*not allowed* to be connected to the sewerage lines. The sewerage lines, using separate pipes, are plumbed into the sewerage system. If the sullage were connected to the sewerage, the sewerage treatment plants get flooded bigtime because when it rains here it really pisses down.

I suppose we use what you would call a two pipe system. There is talk here of introducing a new third pipe for greywater. That is, water that comes from baths, sinks, showers, etc. as opposed to sewerage from toilets. Difficult to retrofit of course but new estates are likely to be plumbed this way in the near future.

[Xeno]

Ditto - as I explained in another post.

[Xeno]

What??? You already have a *sullage system*. It's more commonly known as a *storm water system*. The street drains feed into it and that's where household sullage lines should also feed into. The sewerage is and always should be separate (note spelling).

How to win friends and influence people.

[Xeno]

Why not? It's grey water so will not harm the *garden*.

[Xeno]

Yeah, like communal baths in a tenement. They are welcome to it and explains why having baths are a *treat* over there.

[Xeno]

The air break will assist in that.

[Rod Speed]

Specially when the entire island is so soggy already.

[Commander Kinsey]

When did two pipe systems start being used? Because I was surprised to see sinks sharing a pipe with rainwater on a building which I don't think is all that old. Hopefully it goes into the sewer and not the rainwater drain.

[Commander Kinsey]

Don't most people do a shit a day?

[Commander Kinsey]

alt.home.repair is in America you fool, it's sent to two newsgroups.

[Commander Kinsey]

And somebody checks this regularly do they? Same "rule" applies in the UK, but I sometimes ignore it if the wrong pipe is closer to connect to.

[Commander Kinsey]

It isn't on older houses. I don't know when they introduced storm drains as being seperate. I agree it would be strange if they had those but connected the houses just to the sewer.

Contrarywise, it is in fact Clare who is not allowing UK folk to see her replies, which is rude.

[Commander Kinsey]

If you make your bathwater grey, you ought to see a doctor about your skin complaint.

And it will annoy the person it lands on.

[Commander Kinsey]

Hey I actually watered the garden today, hasn't rained for a fortnight.

[Commander Kinsey]

What have you got against sharing baths? Are you really ugly when naked?

[Commander Kinsey]

How?

[Clare Snyder]

Here the roof drains don't even connect to the storm drain. They spill out onto the lawn where hopefully most of it soaks in before it runs out onto the street and into the storm drains.