epsilonGreedy

Yes, some economies of scale here because a few plots share the connection.

Can a foul drain use such flexible HDPE pipe?

Sure, though as mentioned above I am not contemplating the complete opposite to trenchfill. My remaining choice falls within the range of the concrete finishing 300mm or 150mm below ground level. A week ago I was not aware that, subject to engineering constraints, the concrete thickness could be 250mm or 1000mm (trenchfill) or any point between given a 1m deep trench.

Private. There is no sewer connection yet, just scheduled works to dig the road and create a new mains sewer spur onto the development for two plots. It is 27 meters from my foundation (foul drain location) to the sewer connection point to be established. Ground level at the sewer connect is the same as my DPC so in effect the ground level at the new sewerage inter connection is 0.5m above the bottom of my most distant soil stack. 36.5m x 0.02 = 0.73m fall at 1:50. Then add 0.5m for the starting depth of my soil stack and my foul drain arrives at the sewerage interconnect 1.23m deep. I have 150mm to spare so that could be 1.08m. At 80 to 1 the depth needed reduces to 0.8m. There is an alternative simpler route for a natural gradient driven mains sewer connection that will cost another £2000. Either way I get a working foul drain at my foundations for between £3500 and £5000 which is not bad. All this complexity will be resolved before I get my footings to dpc.

Ok. I had previously got the impression that a building control inspector has the authority to interpret things as seen onsite and approve even if the build deviates from the published official BC diagrams. From what you say sewage drainage is different. Today's mission is levels and drainage. It all works in my head based on my own pre plot purchase diy water level survey. Just need to firm things up with some real topographical figures. If there is an extra 0.5m of gradient going spare then I could run the foul drain outside the foundation perimeter at the cost of 3 extra turns and rodding points. The Passiv Slab fraternity seem relaxed about routing foul drains across the property's foundation plan but it would be good to hear those with suspended ground floors have done the same.

I imagine your super duper passive slab was more prone to rapid drying compared to my low tech strip foundation plan with its low surface area. Anyhow in the event of extreme weather I will have a back up of emergency water in the form of two full wheely bins on site.

I prefer the notion of hanging this pipe off the floor beams because in my head if it is sitting on ground supports and there is a touch of heave/subsidence this could result in the jointing at the bottom of the stack coming under stress. The guy doing the BC diagrams is not aware of the big picture foul drainage plan particularly the main sewage interconnect so the finer details will likely evolve beyond the BD diagram.

Just had Mr Wise Owl on the phone, he is not too concerned about the hot weather on concrete pour day. He said a bit of water usually settles out of the newly poured concrete and sits on the surface. He reckons it will be set by midday.

That is a potential embarrassment I have evaded so far, maybe tomorrow or next year.

Ok, I would be looking for a 10m section in order to get a joint free horizontal run, maybe my time would be better invested researching quality components and jointing techniques. I reckon this drain pipe will be mid air which implies some special support.

I am contemplating running a foul drain through the block & beam suspended floor void and then out through the foundation on the other side of the house plan view. The longest pipe section i can find is 6m. Do such pipes come in longer sections, I ask because I want to reduce the number of joints in such an inaccessible location?

The morning after the day after the night before. Monday morning translation: After a Saturday spent online cogitating the finer details of my foundations. Swmbo and I made a last minute decision to walk down the lane to attend the last hour of our local villageFest. It pulls in around 2000 people for a genteel music festival, the profit goes to maintaining the village church and it must be the only such event in England that starts off with a 20 minute peel of the church bells. The church overlooks the festival ground which is next door to the graveyard. We got a discounted last minute entry of 2 wristbands for £5. On the way out I encountered a pillar of the community starting to dismantle the stage power supply while the last determined revelers were still hanging out post-music making the most of their ticket, at this point I volunteered for some litter picking. I was rewarded with £2.20 during my litter pick near the bar which led to a moral dilemma debated at 10:30pm in a field with a gaggle of septuagenarian church wardens. I handed over my gains to a higher authority and headed home. Swmbo poured me a G&T as a reward for my community service. Then the evening became a bit fuzzy and apparently I posted on here.

Sorry Swmbo is working that day, I will keep any eye out for passing totty. Sorry forum ladies just been to the best *Fest in ENgland, £5 for two tuickets, but ti pick up little found £2.20 gave to the church rooof und. Time for bed.

With my concrete pour scheduled for 11th of July and current weather tends I am starting to wonder what hot weather tricks might be required to encourage the foundations to cure at an optimum pace. The concrete supplier is 6 miles away as the crow flies so I hope what arrives on site will be nice and fresh. Reading up on the subject I understand an early start is advised when the day is cool. I will make sure water is available to spray down the concrete. We expect to deliver the loads direct into the trenches from the wagon chute. Anything else?

In my case I reckon it will be 700 x 700 poured in a 1000 x 700 trench. Mr Wise Owl has twice tated his preference for 700mm wide trenches. Would I be correct in thinking the mains water is the only deep service entry buried in the concrete? Hmmm must check what the underground LPG tank people expect.

It is more a case of foul drain gradient poor. The wisdom of my wise owl adviser has become apparent to me today, he is always 10 steps ahead. The same chap is responsible for the foul drainage sewage connection at my plot and one other adjoining. He said he plans to be onsite the day the water company contractor digs the road to extend the mains sewer onto the plot otherwise he said they might come up at a high angle and not give us enough fall on the foul drainage run from my house to the sewage interconnect. My most distant foul drain needs to exit the foundation at the right height for the drainage gradient arithmetic to hang together.

In my case we are talking about 100+100+100 brick and block walls. As mentioned above the margin of debate is foundation blocks from either -300mm or -150mm. Thanks for the Spons figures. My Gen-1 concrete is being supplied at £74/cube which sways things further from a financial aspect. Linear house trenches are 60m including a supporting walls. Using Spons I am trading £460 of concrete for blockwork at £423 + labour + time. It comes down to having an extra 150mm in block height to level out any error in the finished height of the poured concrete and more flexibility for routing services through the foundations.

The building control inspector, who also acted as the inspector for the plot 40m away, said it is the sandy soil that looks like clay but does not behave like clay. This is all subject to what we encounter on the day of the dig.

My original assumption was that 850mm of concrete finishing 150mm below ground level was right for me because I am willing to trade a larger concrete bill for lower brickie management costs. Although it is reassuring to hear the building control inspector indicate that 250mm of concrete will do, I am inclined to play safe and opt for something much thicker. As you say it is a matter of juggling concrete cost v. blockwork labour costs. At this point the margin of debate comes down to 700mm or 850mm of concrete. I am erring towards 700mm as this provides more tactical flexibility up to DPC particularly with services. At this time of year flooding on top of the set concrete 150 or 300mm below ground is not my current concern, should it be?

I met my "wise owl" building adviser on site this week to discuss the dig and concrete pour. He recommended opting for something less than a full trench fill at a typical 150mm below ground level and instead advised pouring the concrete to 300m below ground level. This he said will provide more flexibility with fine tuning the finished level of the foundation blockwork and also simplify routing services through the foundations. The building control chappie then joined us for a meet & greet and said he knew the ground conditions well enough at my plot to indicate a standard 250mm pour at 1m deep would suffice. In summary I had two wise gentlemen, with over 90 years in house building and building control between them, saying 850mm of trench fill is OTT for my plot. If I follow their combined advice my concrete will be 700mm deep and 700mm wide. Has any forum member ended up with foundation concrete somewhere between 250mm deep and full trenchfill (excluding passiv slabbers of-course)?

I was looking for a regular house to buy up until 5 months ago and realized that a majority of homes for sale had some manifest problem even to my untrained eye. No sane buyer is going to pass on a decent house for want of boiler maintenance just 9 months overdue.

My house was 15 years old when I sold it. The boiler worked faultlessly from new build for 8 years until It had its first service. The clot who did this broke a vane on some case fan and so for the next 7 years the boiler sounded like a jet engine spinning up. I did not bother with servicing after that. In 15 years total maintenance costs were 1 damaging service, 1 faulty solenoid valve and the new main circuit board. I am not aware of any legislation regarding a requirement for annual servicing in non rental properties. There was no expectation from the buyer's solicitor.

I am surprised a rebel like you accepted that statement at face value. I sold a house two years ago and all I needed to provide was the original gas installation certifications and another cert for an external mains electric spur.

The lady doth speak with much wisdom. My previous house was located near the top of a south west facing escarpment and was noticeably windy even in mid summer. I concluded the local condition was caused by the wind accelerating over the top of the ridge as the elevation in the land squeezed the body of moving air. The sailor in me knows how difficult it is to hold even 1m2 against a strong breeze of 30mph. The difference in force between 30mph and 40mph gust is not 33% but 77%. My last neighbour returned from Auz and put up a sail shade and they were always repairing the installation. They gave up when a mid summer gust snapped the main support pole which was good thing because I was waiting for the sail the yank out a few facing bricks. It also incorporates a highly sophisticated automatic pressure relief system known as "toppling over".

My reliable marine engineer used to resuscitate gummed up outboard engine carburetors by putting the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner. Something to consider next time you are on your umpteenth carburetor disassembly.