Interceptor - Drains
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Thorn
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:54 pm
- Location: tuebrook liverpool
hello to all, nice site very informative. I'm new to drains and to internet posting so sorry if topic title and descriptions are incorrect, wasnt quite sure what to put. I have a query perhaps someone could help me with. Some months back my drains blocked and the guy who came to rod them told me my problem was an old type interceptor. I have recently broke up my back yard(plain concrete) and dug down in preperation for paving. While doing this i have dug up to expose the drains. They are 150mm m/f clay with cemented joints, described elsewhere on this site, and seem to be in good condition. Do they need replacing? Are the 'old type interceptors' a problem? If so, approximately how much would a job like this usually cost? any advice would be appreciated.
thorn
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flowjoe
- Posts: 1136
- Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 9:25 am
- Location: North West
The interceptor tap your contractor mentioned is a water trap installed to prevent rats and smells from entering your system from the main sewer, they are usually situated just inside the boundary line or on the outlet of a chamber.
Basically it works in the same way that a gully pot or toilet operates in as much that water and solids pass through a u bend, the u bend constantly holds water which acts as the barrier for rats, venting ect.(not to sure it deters the rats though) You will normally find a shaft from the trap up to ground level for plunging/rodding purposes
They have not been installed for several decades as they tend to fill with silt and non- dissolvables, particularly on combined foul/storm water systems. I remove umpteen a year replacing with a straight section of pipe/rodding point/chamber the cost varies dependant on depth and hard standing,
There is nothing wrong with vitrified clay pipe work if installed correctly so I wouldn’t renew just for the sake of it, you mention the pipe work is 150mm which seems a bit big for a domestic in your neck of the woods or is this the external measurement of the pipe ?.
Check that the system is not shared, if it is used by two properties or more and your property pre-dates Oct 1937 then the system will be classed as a public sewer and any maintenance will be down to the local authority.
Basically it works in the same way that a gully pot or toilet operates in as much that water and solids pass through a u bend, the u bend constantly holds water which acts as the barrier for rats, venting ect.(not to sure it deters the rats though) You will normally find a shaft from the trap up to ground level for plunging/rodding purposes
They have not been installed for several decades as they tend to fill with silt and non- dissolvables, particularly on combined foul/storm water systems. I remove umpteen a year replacing with a straight section of pipe/rodding point/chamber the cost varies dependant on depth and hard standing,
There is nothing wrong with vitrified clay pipe work if installed correctly so I wouldn’t renew just for the sake of it, you mention the pipe work is 150mm which seems a bit big for a domestic in your neck of the woods or is this the external measurement of the pipe ?.
Check that the system is not shared, if it is used by two properties or more and your property pre-dates Oct 1937 then the system will be classed as a public sewer and any maintenance will be down to the local authority.