MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I'm a general builder so I only have a vague knowledge of plumbing ( the simple stuff).
Last week my entire downstairs was underwater....at 1st I thought it was my 300l reef tank.....it was my good lady's bath water did it...
Turns out there was a blockage in the main waste outside ( I think)....so the water made the easiest escape..via the downstairs toilet covering 70% of the floor in 10-15mm of water.
Now I suppose I was lucky , I laid the floor , it's laminate and I sealed all the edges in sealant and because my house is timber framed I laid the entire downstairs as one with no joins...obviously we scooped up as much water and then used the wet vac to finish off and apart from the odd swelling here and there I can pretty much live with it.
Anyway my question is ...although my main waste is internal I can cut away the brickwork and access it from the outside and was thinking putting a mechanical boss connector ( lower than the toilet bowl but higher than the toilet waste) and running a short 40mm pipe to act as a overflow to stop this from ever happening again...my question is...do they do a valve I can add to the 40mm overflow pipe to stop smells or rodents from getting in/out
And is this a good idea?...because from talking to a mate in insurance he said this is pretty common flood to get
I laid the entire downstairs as one with no joins…obviously we scooped up as much water and then used the wet vac to finish off and apart from the odd swelling here and there I can pretty much live with it.
its fked, don't live with it. watter will be under it, get it lifted and redone its what insurance is for
Normally I wold agree...but the swelling is minimal small bumps between some laminate joins and it's been a few days ...no squelching and no smells either...I am insured but I really don't want the upheaval of replacing the entire downstairs floor if I can live with it
HepVo will work
Normally I wold agree…but the swelling is minimal small bumps between some laminate joins and it’s been a few days
Live this last year after a burst water main. You had more water than me - my laminate was water resistant.
I thought I got away with it. About 3 weeks after my floor looked like a crazy golf arena. Ripped it all up and replaced and rerouted the water main so it wouldn't happen again.
Wow a main burst..sorry to read this, its shocking how much damage water can actually do.
@bear hepvo does look the part as also mcalpine one way valve...my only problem being these are white and not the grey / black for outside use.
Paint to protect it from UV?
And is this a good idea?
No. There would be the possibility of raw sewage backing up and out that pipe.
I would investigate the reason for the blockage first because if it happens regularly then there may be a problem. Other than broken or poorly installed pipes, Most blockages are caused by people flushing things down the loo which shouldn't be. Sanitary products, kitchen roll, cotton and ear buds, cleaning wipes and wet wipes, condoms etc. Even excessive amounts loo roll will block up easily.
Check that there is a vent pipe and that it isn't blocked. I have seen a vent pipe in a loft with two flexis joined together going to the roof vent looking like a u bend trap and full of water. This created blockages down at the wc as air could not get in and the water level in the pan would rise when flushed due to the vacuum.
As far as restricting backflow up your wc: https://www.screwfix.com/p/mcalpine-arb-1-anti-cross-flow-rodent-barrier-113mm/913HR?tc=BA1&ds_kid=92700055281954514&ds_rl=1249404&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjc2QBhDgARIsAMc3SqQfLisjOQG2PVrJiOknLVLtwyW3GaS9qGeKzcILQWytbg0URDwq7VYaAtLZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
ARB1 replaces the pipe side rubber on the pan connector which connects your wc to the 110mm waste pipe.
Now that's a good idea....I haven't checked the vent pipe, I will now, my house is about 25 years old and I've been here 17 years and it's the 1st time it's ever happened...ive never even heard of it happening in all my years in the trade.
@supremebean My wife did say something interesting tho
She said when she pulled the bath plug..it was like the water was sucked out really fast rather than the usual gravity drain speed