Most of our sinks, baths, washing machines etc drain into the old rainwater system which drains we know not where.
We've been told under the new regulations they must all drain into the victorian septic tank before January 2020 or we risk fines and jail.
Could we have extra U Bends at ground level near the new connections?
Or how can it best be done?
george
Does that requirement apply to existing installations or only to new ones? And does it apply to *all* grey water - baths, washbasins, washing machines - ie all water except rainwater from gutters?
I ask because my parents have a holiday cottage where only the toilets drain into the septic tank, and everything else goes into a communal grey water drain for the village which goes, like yours, "we know not where". I think it ultimately drains into local beck.
I had always understood that baths, in particular, were not to go into a septic tank because of the large amount of water which could overwhelm the drainage rate of the septic tank's outflow (into the same communal drain, I imagine!), and were actively encouraged to go into soakaway etc.
Best will be U bends at each source but if that is not practical as many as possible. You will also need air admittance valves to stop siphoning emptying the rest of the traps when water flows. Ideally imitate a modern system with a stack vented at the top and each U trapped source discharging into it and then on to you septic tank. There are rules about the vertical distance between soil (s*it) inlets and grey water inlets - 200mm I think.
George Miles snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com posted
Don't all the connections already have U-bends on them? If any don't, just add them.
With modern (last fifty years?) systems everything drains into a soil stack directly connected to the sewer and a single trap at each water outlet seems to work alright. Some sort of raised sewer vent near the house, and maybe anti-syphon valves on the traps is all that is needed to make the system work alright.
Or a HepvO
Found them extremely good where a conventional trap might have been difficult/awkward to fit.
Why? Aren't their U bends and vents already in place?
Sinkls have U bends. Wsahing machines and dishwahsers should use u bends Baths basinss and showers have U bends. Toilets have U bends
WTF more do you want? Have you ever lifetd the cover off a normal mains sewage system? Foul gases ain't in it mate!
interesting questions, i dont know the answer yet! george
In my previous property, everything went into the septic tank except rainwater.
In my current property, the same, but it is a proper sewage treatment system.
Ditto. Small rural village with a block of cottages having a communal septic. They are up in arms at the prospect of having to fork out a lot of money to meet whatever is being proposed. I've been out of it for a couple of years so hopefully no come-back in my direction.
It isn't being proposed. It's happening. Regulations imposed courtesy of an EU near you.
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