Connecting surface water to foul drainage system

[Welderpaul]

Our house is 8 years old, all the surface water is piped to a soakaway (egg crates covered in Teram). In times of reasonably prolonged rainfall i.e now, the gullies and Acos sit full of water because the soakaway is overwhelmed. The soakaway is under the drive so its not an option to do any remedial or enlargement works.

I appreciate the reasons behind trying to keep rainwater out of the foul drains but are there any issues of me piping the surface water into the foul drainage system?

The drainage in the area isn't a seperate system as far as I can tell, it is just noted as a foul sewer.

 

[angellonewolf]

your not supposed to use a foul drain for rain water but who would know its not as though your going to tell on yourself

 

[Matchless]

Down to local regs. in my part of Essex rain into foul sewer is normal, clay soil so a soakaway does not work very well, having said that I opted to run my rain water into a natural pond in my garden and that soaks into the water table,

 

[gaz1]

you can pipe from the soakaway into the drain system if you want as the system is still a french drain with a soakaway

its just at a certain level you can then send it into the main drains

the soak away acts like a filter anyway

 

[Bobtail4x4]

when you get the heavy downpours the rainwater into a foul will cause it to back up.
would you rather rainwater of liquid crap floating on the lawn?

you can did a larger soakaway before or after the one under the drive,

 

[Pond frog]

If like me you live in an area with a combined system it the only option you have and should not pose a problem

 

[daleyd]

Our house is a combined system (1870 ish so local regs have probably changed since then!) - when we had our extension done 9 years ago the building regs guys wanted to put a soak away in for the new part, then I pointed out the river about 50 yards away and the boggy field out the back….so the new drains went down the sewer as well.

 

[gaz1]

i have to ask is that foul system going straight into the main sewers or does it go into a septic tank

whatever you do do not connect drain water into overflow into the septic tank as it will overflow that system

however with whats said above you need to inform water of the connection to the ddrains system though you might as well connect the rainwater direct to the drains system anyway

there is alternatives by using ibc tanks as rainwater collection and therefore water the garden in hot summers

Post in thread 'New garage questions'

Oct 25, 2024

with an apex roof you can run a pipe down the back of the garage and fill just one side up where your ibcs are as well as with the twin stacked system you may have to dig into the ground so you can fit a 4 ibc system or even up it to 8 ibc tanks on the top side of your pic

remember this is a water collection system to acompany a land drain also a good aproach when dealing with clay areas

• gaz1

using ibc tanks helps your soakaway by collecting excess rainwater and drain them at a later date when you can do

i personally wouldnt go down an underground septic tank for rainwater as the cost is high 800.00 for a 2500L+ 1350.00 for a 4000L tank when ibc tanks are cheaper

these are your options

 

[minimutly]

Here we are, lots of people been on here wingeing about water companies polluting our rivers - well here is one of the causes. It depends where you live, most old towns and cities have combines systems, created in Victorian times, so there is no option. In most rural areas you should not connect into the sewer, and there are new regs called SUds I believe covering new dwellings and even commercial buildings.
I believe the water companies will get tough on this - probably by pouring die down the rainwater gullies and observing the sewer, but when, who knows.
I'm pretty sure my own workshops and concrete yard run into the sewer, it's on my list of things to fix, the surface water drain is not far away, but involves cutting concrete..

 

[6ply]

i have to ask is that foul system going straight into the main sewers or does it go into a septic tank

whatever you do do not connect drain water into overflow into the septic tank as it will overflow that system

however with whats said above you need to inform water of the connection to the ddrains system though you might as well connect the rainwater direct to the drains system anyway

there is alternatives by using ibc tanks as rainwater collection and therefore water the garden in hot summers

Post in thread 'New garage questions'

Oct 25, 2024

with an apex roof you can run a pipe down the back of the garage and fill just one side up where your ibcs are as well as with the twin stacked system you may have to dig into the ground so you can fit a 4 ibc system or even up it to 8 ibc tanks on the top side of your pic

remember this is a water collection system to acompany a land drain also a good aproach when dealing with clay areas

• gaz1

using ibc tanks helps your soakaway by collecting excess rainwater and drain them at a later date when you can do

i personally wouldnt go down an underground septic tank for rainwater as the cost is high 800.00 for a 2500L+ 1350.00 for a 4000L tank when ibc tanks are cheaper

these are your options

I had 3 ibc tanks for a while. In a heavy downpour, I could fill a tank (1000 L) in less than one hour. The things were always full when I didn't need to water the garden, whereas in the droughts they were rapidly emptied.

Ended up using the cages to store firewood.

 

[Kram]

The above peope suggesting it is bad, well not always. A major cause of blocked sewers is not enough liquid to wash the solids. Perhaps worse where eco water saving measures are taken and water meters are common. Rain into your swer will help it stay clear, provided it is not overwhelmed further along.

When our manhole access was blocked and full nearly to the brim, the solution was to pour several large buckets and flush the loo's to gain enough head, to clear it. For a moment I wasnt sure it had worked, but when it went, I felt very relieved as it was right near the top!

 

[gaz1]

I had 3 ibc tanks for a while. In a heavy downpour, I could fill a tank (1000 L) in less than one hour. The things were always full when I didn't need to water the garden, whereas in the droughts they were rapidly emptied.

Ended up using the cages to store firewood.

i agree but when you have a french drain thats already over capacity then you need aids or either into a drain

we have lost the snow so alternatives have to be found if the land drain is over filling its capacity

 

[Dapph2]

Here we are, lots of people been on here wingeing about water companies polluting our rivers - well here is one of the causes. It depends where you live, most old towns and cities have combines systems, created in Victorian times, so there is no option. In most rural areas you should not connect into the sewer, and there are new regs called SUds I believe covering new dwellings and even commercial buildings.
I believe the water companies will get tough on this - probably by pouring die down the rainwater gullies and observing the sewer, but when, who knows.
I'm pretty sure my own workshops and concrete yard run into the sewer, it's on my list of things to fix, the surface water drain is not far away, but involves cutting concrete..

My bungalow was built in 1987 rain and drain water are both piped away via the same pipework to the main sewer . I put in 130 mtrs of 4 " land drain to take ground water out the gardens and off via a concrete rubble soakaway 2x2x1.5 m . that is five feet lower down the hill than the bottom of the garden .

No probs there. What has been a problem is that the inspection chambers for the sewers were constructed out of 100 plus year old recycled brick and a weak mortar mix.

The water running off the rock ( 1metre down ) sloped hill found its way in to the chambers and poor jointed orange waste pipes . Result massive fluorspar build up that eventually blocked the free flow of toilet waste . Not amused when what was supposed to flush down started to fill to the bowl brim . We also share a main inspection chamber with two other homes that have the same problem . Blockages were frequent and for the lower down the hill bungalow rather messy as the inspection pit lid by their back door kept being lifted by the pressure of the back fill mess.

I took three years to bust out concrete paths and excavate new drain trenches , then put in new proper jointed pipes that were scraped /sanded smooth at all joints and put in new plastic access points with air tight lids . This was then extended 60 feet or more with more access chambers every 15 feet to get to the garage for the washing & drying machines drainage .
I took the opportunity to connect the double garage roof rain water to the system as well .

My what a difference , the extra rainwater keeps flushing the three home common drain pipe work right into the main sewer. We've not had any problems ever since I did it.

I asked the BCO about the correctness of doing it and he said some at the water board would say no , whilst others knowing we are on a long hill would say yes as the big flush of rain water helps keep the home drains & main sewer free moving every time it rains hard . Often in a dry summer the waste runs away from the solids and things start to build up in the sewers as the gradient of the hill dictated the speed of water flow down hill . Then we had the water board come and start digging up the road ( 5 times in 23 years ) either side of the front of my property to unblock things as the dyno rod type thing never seems to fully work .

 

[Dapph2]

Here we are, lots of people been on here wingeing about water companies polluting our rivers - well here is one of the causes. It depends where you live, most old towns and cities have combines systems, created in Victorian times, so there is no option. In most rural areas you should not connect into the sewer, and there are new regs called SUds I believe covering new dwellings and even commercial buildings.
I believe the water companies will get tough on this - probably by pouring die down the rainwater gullies and observing the sewer, but when, who knows.
I'm pretty sure my own workshops and concrete yard run into the sewer, it's on my list of things to fix, the surface water drain is not far away, but involves cutting concrete..

By the time you get to doing it and getting permissions it's likely they will demand a massive underground storage tank under the concrete plus an oil trap device to act as a 40 ,000 litre or more rain water reservoir that is connected to god only knows how many metres of 500 mm pipe soakaway. Friends reckoned the cost in East Anglia 26 yrs ago hit them for almost £86 K extra for the latest rain water system for their vehicle yard & commercial buildings . They couldn't get it past planning either till the rain water system was included in the plans .

 

[Mikes]

The first thing to check is your sewage bill. See if it states foul only or combined. For years, the council planners here have been insisting that all new/modified surface water goes to soakaways. Great when you are on heavy clay ground. Years ago, when my parents had an extension built, a soakaway was insisted on for it. After the council inspectors had signed it off, my dad just diverted the inlet to it back into the existing manhole. The existing house has combined drainage and Anglian Water charge for a combined system so can't complain.

 

[8ob]

The first thing to check is your sewage bill. See if it states foul only or combined. For years, the council planners here have been insisting that all new/modified surface water goes to soakaways. Great when you are on heavy clay ground. Years ago, when my parents had an extension built, a soakaway was insisted on for it. After the council inspectors had signed it off, my dad just diverted the inlet to it back into the existing manhole. The existing house has combined drainage and Anglian Water charge for a combined system so can't complain.

Thats pretty much the case around here, if you need to discharge rainwater into the system you pay a bit more. Rainwater/greywater harvesting is becoming very popular since the roll out of water meters, only the excess/overflow from the combined tanks and soakaways end up in the main drains.

Bob

 

[Agroshield]

...any issues of me piping the surface water into the foul drainage system

As you can see from above replies, the 'correct' answer from a moral, envronmental and probably legal point of view is 'no'.

An observation: 'piping' the water into the foul system has a very high chance of being discovered should anyone be motivated to go looking. 'Pumping' the water into the foul system at times of system overwhealm may carry lower risk.

 

[knighty]

Is there an option to have a pipe from your rain water drains lift up almost surface level before dipping down into the foul drain?

Thst way water would normally head to the soak away... unless its full and the water level in it rises, which will over flow to foul drain?

 

[minimutly]

The above peope suggesting it is bad, well not always. A major cause of blocked sewers is not enough liquid to wash the solids. Perhaps worse where eco water saving measures are taken and water meters are common. Rain into your swer will help it stay clear, provided it is not overwhelmed further along.

When our manhole access was blocked and full nearly to the brim, the solution was to pour several large buckets and flush the loo's to gain enough head, to clear it. For a moment I wasnt sure it had worked, but when it went, I felt very relieved as it was right near the top!

Perhaps I should show you around a rural sewage works on a rainy day, when the storm tanks are overflowing to the river....

 

[minimutly]

By the time you get to doing it and getting permissions it's likely they will demand a massive underground storage tank under the concrete plus an oil trap device to act as a 40 ,000 litre or more rain water reservoir that is connected to god only knows how many metres of 500 mm pipe soakaway. Friends reckoned the cost in East Anglia 26 yrs ago hit them for almost £86 K extra for the latest rain water system for their vehicle yard & commercial buildings . They couldn't get it past planning either till the rain water system was included in the plans .

I assure you @Dapph2 I will not be asking anyone, nor do I expect the water Co to pay for it.