Should top of Drainage Chambers be Level ?

[Spinny]

Just wondered are the tops of drainage chambers supposed to sit level if you put a spirit level on them in both directions - I  mean across the chamber itself rather than the cover ?

Just thinking presumably they are made with slight angles/falls on the outlets/inlets. so designed to sit square at the top ?

[Mr Punter]

spirit level accuracy not required but obvs the fall must be in the correct direction.

[Gus Potter]

1 hour ago, Spinny said:

Just wondered are the tops of drainage chambers supposed to sit level if you put a spirit level on them in both directions - I  mean across the chamber itself rather than the cover ?

Yes. The cover can sit at angle.

[Spinny]

OK thanks. It is just that I have had someone reconfiguring a toilet outlet and suspect the chamber may have been disturbed in the process...

[crispy_wafer]

as suggested, as long as the fall is in the right direction at the base it'll be ok.  The risers can be trimmed carefully so that they appear horizontal, like most things easier said than done though.

[MortarThePoint]

I don't want to get flamed for it, but some manufacturers say that chambers (mini ones) don't need to be installed with a fall. I install them with a fall though. In my experience (limited) the chamber bottom and rim are parallel so you can check wall at the top.

[ToughButterCup]

14 hours ago, Spinny said:

Just wondered are the tops of drainage chambers supposed to sit level ...

 

Yes: within limits. 

 

Your image is of the 'bare' ( no IC lid)  Inspection Chamber (IC)  top, correct ? 

If so, then you're highly likely going to put a casing of sorts round that - the thing that contains the IC cover. Correct?

 

If both the above statements are true, then you more than likely to be able to hide that much  'out-of-level' in the IC cover casing.

 

Or get an angle grinder and make it level? That groove visible in the photo will help you mark up the correct level.

[Spinny]

Yes not too concerned about getting the cover level and know nothing about IC cover casings.

 

Just wanted to use the top as a guide to whether the fall is correct or the chamber has moved.

 

other than watching flow, have no idea how to measure actual fall of an insitu pipe ?

 

 

[ToughButterCup]

44 minutes ago, Spinny said:

...

Just wanted to use the top as a guide to whether the fall is correct or the chamber has moved.

...

 

The liquid either runs out of the IC - or not. If it does : tea and medals.

 

It would take a large amount of energy to move a chamber or rather the top section of the chamber (  - hit the top section with a three tonne digger ?) I managed to drop a huge stone into an IC from a digger bucket, jamming it in the top section of the IC. Nothing much happened to it

[markc]

Some chanber bases have built in fall - from the fan towards single outlet. But the small diameter of a domestic IC means fall isn’t worth considering … only fall on pipe runs between points.

Edited May 8 by markc

[Spinny]

OK. I have never put in any drainage. I guess I would have imagined the socket needed an angle so that a pipe pushed squarely in against the seal would follow an appropriate fall ?

I guess there must be quite a lot of play in the seal joint then.

 

I have a 4m pipe run from my kitchen waste drain which it would probably be wise to somehow check/test before it has stuff going through it. How can I check the fall ?

 

Would somehow need to measure the relative height of the pipe bottom at both ends ? Or shine a laser down it ? 

[markc]

17 hours ago, Spinny said:

OK. I have never put in any drainage. I guess I would have imagined the socket needed an angle so that a pipe pushed squarely in against the seal would follow an appropriate fall ?

I guess there must be quite a lot of play in the seal joint then.

 

I have a 4m pipe run from my kitchen waste drain which it would probably be wise to somehow check/test before it has stuff going through it. How can I check the fall ?

 

Would somehow need to measure the relative height of the pipe bottom at both ends ? Or shine a laser down it ? 

Yes the connections have some movement as the seals are not on the end. Laser, water level or site level to check pipe height at both ends to check you have correct fall.