Testing soil pipework.

[dobbslc]

I need to test a new 10 meter run of 110mm soil pipe that runs under my hallway and bathroom, it's terminated into the manhole that I can access and bung up, the other end is in the new ensuite. I have a pressure gauge and pump etc but not the proper manometer, what pressure should this hold and for how long?
I need to know this pipe is good before I lay the solid wood flooring.
Thanks

 

[gaz1]

pressure test for 1/2 a day with photos is ample enough

test up to 1-2 bar will be enough pressure

 

[Kram]

what pressure should this hold and for how long?

What is the potential head of water if the outlet was blocked and it filled up?

I have heard stories... Somone I knew, who was not very good at DIY. He removed a small cupboard toilet and put a bung over the pipe. Years later the other toilet got blocked, the bung poped off and he had a fountain of shiet into his kitchen!

 

[dobbslc]

Thanks @gaz1
What I've discovered since posting this morning is that this pipe run also connects to the bathroom upstairs and the grey water drain outside, putting pressure into it just blows clear the trap in the upstairs shower / sink, that scared the missus when I pulled the trigger
Theres no reasonable way to test this new section without plugging up many different outlets and the drain outside.
I've filled it with water and I'm checking the joints, that's about all I can do.

 

[dobbslc]

What is the potential head of water if the outlet was blocked and it filled up?

I have heard stories... Somone I knew, who was not very good at DIY. He removed a small cupboard toilet and put a bung over the pipe. Years later the other toilet got blocked, the bung poped off and he had a fountain of shiet into his kitchen!

I've had a bunged pipe under the floor for the last 4 years as most of the new pipework went in ready for the ensuite to be finished, I suppose I'm lucky that it didn't pop out!

 

[Agrismith]

Thanks @gaz1
What I've discovered since posting this morning is that this pipe run also connects to the bathroom upstairs and the grey water drain outside, putting pressure into it just blows clear the trap in the upstairs shower / sink, that scared the missus when I pulled the trigger
Theres no reasonable way to test this new section without plugging up many different outlets and the drain outside.
I've filled it with water and I'm checking the joints, that's about all I can do.

That's what we do on big sites as the pressure testers don't work on manholes. In my experience soil pipe joints don 't weep slowly, if you put a water level mark with pen or pencil and come back 5min later you will see if it's got a problem.

 

[Agroshield]

Standard procedure on underground soil pipes that are inspected by people who matter (like the District Surveyor of the Corporation of London) is 100mm of water for 5-10 minutes with no discernable drop during that time.

Occasionally, they will ask for a water test as well, which is 1m head of water. That is used more when the specification requires sealed manhole covers, to check them more than the pipework.

The whole point of using a low figure with an air test is so you do _not_ blow the traps. Thus, the 1-2 bar suggested above is misunderstanding the application.

See 13.2 and table 3 here:

https://www.pespipe.com/Portals/0/DNNGalleryPro/uploads/2019/4/2/DIN_EN_1610__1997.pdf

 

[Kayos]

1-2 bar should be more like 1-2 psi

Been a looong time for me, but it's a low number

 

[Agroshield]

Pump it up to 3 bar and you could have 150mm drainage for the price of 100mm.

This is the standard kit sold for the job:

Horobin 100mm/4" Drain Test Kit Boxed For Testing And Clearing

Supplied With 2 x 100mm/4" Test Plugs Suitable for pressure testing drains and sewers to BS.8005 and EN1610. Superior design and quality ensures ease of use.

www.plasticdrainage.co.uk

No-one I know uses the blue pump or Y-connector. Just blow into the pipe, squeeze and connect to the manometer, After you have blown the water out of the gauge for the fifth time, you learn to modulate your puff.

 

[awemawson]

An 'empty air test' will not show a small leak very effectively due to the large volume of the pipe. If the pipe is mainly filled with water and then the air test performed on the small volume of remaining space any small leak will show up as a bigger pressure drop in a shorter time.

 

[dobbslc]

I'm going to see if I can borrow a manometer to do a low pressure test, all the joints look ok so far though...

 

[waddycall]

Use a bit of clear hose and a ruler. That’s all a Manometer is. Made a 2 metre (0.1 bar) one at work a week ago with a bit of ply, some clear tube and a few cable ties.

 

[Welderpaul]

Use a bit of clear hose and a ruler. That’s all a Manometer is. Made a 2 metre (0.1 bar) one at work a week ago with a bit of ply, some clear tube and a few cable ties.

Does a manometer used for testing gas work with drainage tests?

 

[waddycall]

Does a manometer used for testing gas work with drainage tests?

Should do. It’s only if you need really low pressure measurement that you’d need anything other than a vertical u tube with water in it. Bearing in mind that 1 metre of water is 0.1bar. The water gets displaced upwards in one leg and downwards in the other so you need twice the height of measurement you need (unless you use unequal leg diameters).

 

[gaz1]

theres a shower and sink connected to it wait until someone forgets and turns the tap on down to the drain

just do a half day test fill with water mark a line if it hasnt droped in 3-4 hrs your fine

 

[JOEPRO]

Go to local kebab shop at 1am, eat and return home. Full load test on drainage system will ensue!!

 

[dobbslc]

Or forget to take the bung out of the manhole pipe and someone comes home and uses the toilet...

 

[brightspark]

Or forget to take the bung out of the manhole pipe and someone comes home and uses the toilet...

sh.it appens