The Brew Cabin

I am extending (again) and i need to lay quite a bit of drainage, i was going to go with plastic for all the new stuff as there is so much. However i have 4 quesions

1. i have priced up a plastic inspection chamber and with risers and cover they are comming in at about 200 quid each!!, is this the going rate or is the builders merchant ripping me off?

2. where the drain goes under the floor slab, do i bed it on the same bedding as outside and then put hardcore on top or do i also put the same bedding on top upto the bottom of the floor slab? the top of the pipe will be approx level with the bottom of the hardcore.

3. do the inspection chambers need to go on a concrete plinth?

4. can i put bends on the entry to the IC and how big 45deg?

thanks

Q1 - that sounds like list price to me. Contractors normally get 20-35% discount, but then, contractors are repeat buyers and spend several thousanbd quid per month, whereas you;re a one-off customer, so you're not likely to be offered the same discount.

Q2 - Check with your BCO. Some will accept a bed and cover of A10 pipe bedding, but some will insist on concrete bed and haunch.

Q3 - Yes - it's actually easier to bed them on concrete, as you can ensure they are level/plumb, and be sure they won'y settle or shift as soon as your back is turned.

Q4 - You can use whatever bends you require, but remember that you must be able to get rods or cctv kit around the bends. If you absolutely need to use a 45 bend, would it be possible to use 2 @ 22.5 degree or even 4 @ 11.25 degrees? The slower the bend, the better. :)

it must be just the the builders merchants around here, i asked for discount and they usually say "how much ya buying mate" but all i got was "we don't discount that stuff"

is there any brand that you can recommend over another? i have looked at osmadrain, hunter, marley and hepworth, marley seem to be the cheapest and hepworth the most expensive

Marley is plasticware; Hepworth is clayware - you have to cost out the whole system, and then take into account the different bedding requirements of clayware and plasticware to arrive at an accurate cost comparison.

For diy'ers, there's no doubt that plasticware is the simpler option, as the pipes can be cut with a handsaw, but, for shallow drainage runs beneath trafficked areas, I prefer clayware.

There's not a lot to choose between 'brands'. The all have to meet the relevant British Standards, so it comes down to range of fittings, ease of sourcing, and, of course, price. For plasticware, I usually find that Polypipe offer the best all-round deal.