The requirements for sanitary drainage and pipework are outlined by the following standards and regulations:

The Building Regulations 1991
Approved document H - Drainage and waste disposal (1992 edition)
and an update to this covering newer items like low level flush toilet cisterns for example
Approved document H -Drainage and waste disposal (2002 edition)

All pipe and sanitary work is covered by British and European Standard BS EN 12056: 2000, Parts 1 to 5. This supersedes BS5572: 1994. More details about British Standards can be obtained by visiting their website at: http://www.bsi-global.com/.

Buildbase offers a complete range of products from a variety of specialist manufacturers for all types of drainage requirements, including plastic and clay piping, bends, angles, inspection chambers, adapters for joining different types of piping, and much more.

Foul Water and Surface Drainage

Buildbase stocks Hunter Plastic's comprehensive range of plastic components, available in 110mm, 160mm, 200mm, 250mm and 315mm sizes, covering all domestic, commercial and industrial requirements for both foul water and surface water drainage up to main sewer.
The Hunter range offers the installer a choice of connectors to adapt to existing materials. Coupling to thick or thin wall vitrified clay pipes, glazed vitrified clay (GVC) or cast iron is made possible using the appropriate connector. To overcome the most difficult drainage connection, products are available manufactured in either PVC-U, polypropylene or flexible (EPDM) material. Connectors are also available to enable simple, speedy and cost-effective connection between Hunter inspection chamber bases and clayware pipework. The hunter range is available from all Buildbase centres - details of the full range can be seen at http://www.hunterplastics.co.uk/.
ACO are a leading supplier in the design, development and manufacture of surface water drainage and landscaping solutions and can offer the market quality solutions for every application, whether light domestic or heavy duty use. Buildbase stock a wide range of the systems available from ACO - for full details of the range visit www.aco.co.uk

Rainwater, Waste Water and Sewage Treatment Systems

If your property is not connected to the municipal sewage system you will need to consider installing your own treatment facilities. Buildbase offer a complete range of solutions from leading companies in the field such as Titan Pollution Control. Many improvements have been made in recent years to traditional 'septic tanks', and modern systems are now easy to install. Complete waste treatment centres for both domestic grey water and sewage are also available and these are worth considering for environmental reasons. Rainwater recycling systems are also becoming popular in the light of recurring water shortages in parts of the country, these too are available from Titan. More details can be found at http://www.titanpc.co.uk/.

Radon Sumps and Radon Protection

Certain areas of the UK have been identified as being radon affected. Many councils now insist on the installation of anti-radon measures, even in areas where the problem is minimal. This usually involves the installation of a Radon Sump, which is a simple chamber 600mm x 600mm constructed beneath the floor slab. There are also preformed plastic chambers available for this purpose. The sump is is piped to a point outside the building using standard 110mm PVC-u piping, and this is usually done at the same time as the drainage and sewage works.

In some areas special radon resistant membranes are specified for additional protection. Special membranes, which also act as the damp proofing are available for this purpose.

Your council planning department and/or building inspectors will be able to advise you on any local building requirements for Radon. The protection measures are quite simple to install and many council websites contain basic information about this. As an example, a good general information guide has been published by the Vale of Glamorgan Council explaining how radon sumps are typically constructed and sited. This contains some useful illustrative sketches and it can be viewed by clicking here.


Links

The Federation of Master Builders Website: Radon - a Guide for Builders
The Health Protection Agency: Radon Questions and Answers
The Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2004
The Environmental Agency (EA)
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
Department of the Environment (DOE NI)