Contents show
Underneath all of us is an endless maze of pipes and drains that transport water and sewage to and from homes and businesses all over a town or city. This complex maze is essential to all of our daily lives and we sometimes forget that it even exists, or we wonder where the water comes in and where the main pipes are that bring it in and remove it.
To find the drains on your property, consult with your local council to search for the drainage plans for your property based on the age of your property. A CCTV drain survey can also map and record the drainage system on your property if you are unable to find property deeds.
The drains of your home are mostly invisible to you, which is why it is important to know the layout of your drains if any problems or needs for extensions may arise. This guide will serve to explain where and how you can find the drains on your property.
Where Is the Main Drain Located in a House?
All of the inner drains within your home are going to lead to the main drain that connects to the sewer system off of your property. In most situations, this is a very easy find, as all you need to do is inspect the outside of your property for a drain cover.
If you easily find the drain cover, this is the main drain that connects all of the wastewater from your home to the public drainage system.
How Do I Find Drainage Plans for My House?
There is no shame in not knowing exactly how the drainage system under your property is designed and pointed; this just isn’t something we normally think about. There are a few different ways to track down this information so let’s start with the easiest way first.
Contact the Previous Property Owner
This is certainly the easiest way to obtain this information. The previous owner may very well know what the drainage plans for your home are.
A previous owner may have applied for various building permits or extensions during their time in the home and can easily give you the information you need. If you cannot get in contact with the previous owner, there are a few other options available to you.
Contact Your Local Water Authority
You will likely have to pay for this service but your local authority may have the drainage plans for your property if any previous inquiries or modifications were performed or requested for the home in the past.
This is worth a shot, however, most local water authorities will typically only have the information pertaining to the drainage systems on your road and neighborhood since these are usually the only jurisdictions pertaining to the authority’s services.
Contact Your Local Council
Your local council will likely have some sort of copy of the drainage plans for your property that can be obtained for a small fee. The problem with this option is that newer modifications to the drainage system may not be accurately reflected in the older information that the council is able to find.
The older the property is, the harder it will be to determine if the drainage system relayed from this older information is good to go on. You will always want to have the most up-to-date information about your property’s drainage system since even the slightest modification can change the entire dynamic of how your drainage system works.
Consider a CCTV Drain Survey
If all else fails, a CCTV drain survey can map out your drainage plans and establish the exact layout of your drainage system. This technology is easily performed without any need for major excavations on your property.
By using hi-tech camera equipment loaded onto a winch, experienced drain specialists can lower these into your drains in order to inspect the internal parts of your pipes in more detail. These CCTV drainage cameras are lit by LED’s which allow them to project clear, colour pictures, even in the dark.
A detailed drain survey can be done in a matter of minutes and also allows for an effective diagnosis of any existing problems and any future concerns.
Once the drain survey is complete, a comprehensive layout of the drainage system is then presented via a video recording that can also be turned into a technical report that can give you a permanent layout of your property’s drainage system.
Do House Deeds Show Drainage?
The deeds for your house and property typically only convey basic information about your property and will not usually show any information about the property’s drainage plans. Your house deed will have the contact information of the previous owner in most circ*mstances, which is helpful information if you are trying to get in contact with the previous owner to find out about the property’s drainage plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Having a shared drain with a neighbor is not as uncommon as it may seem. To find out if you have a shared drain, you can first ask your neighbor as they may already know if the drainage system between the two properties is shared.
Perhaps the best way to obtain this information is to contact your local water authority, which is also the organization that would be responsible for any problems that may arise with shared drains. Another way to check and see if you have a shared drain is to check with the sewage company that services your area.
A detailed map should be made available to you which will detail the drainage system of the sewage lines that feed into both properties. This will relay any information that would be needed to find out if you have a shared drain.
How Many Main Drains Does a House Have?
A standard home will usually only have one main drain that leads to the public drainage system. This main drain transports all of the foul water from your home to the sewage system.
There is only a need for one main drain since all of the other drains from toilets, bathtubs, washing machines and sinks all connect to the main drain which transports the wastewater to the sewer main which is operated by the local water authority.
Contact a Drainage Specialist
If you want to save a lot of time and searching, KJC Drainage can visit you in the Southampton area to help you in finding out more about the drains on your property. Our dedicated team of drainage specialists can field all of your questions and will never leave you without an answer when it comes to figuring out the layout of your drainage system.
We pride ourselves on offering amazing customer service and will offer all of the advice and knowledge we have to you about these common questions and concerns. If you need our services to detect where the drains are on your property, we will work tirelessly to provide you a complete layout of your property’s drainage system.
Contact us today for a free quote.
Useful list of local water suppliers:
- Anglian Water(East Anglia / East Midlands)
- Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water(Wales)
- Northern Ireland Water(Northern Ireland)
- Northumbrian Water(North-east England)
- Scottish Water(Scotland)
- Severn Trent Water(Central England/Wales)
- South West Water(Devon / Cornwall, Dorset / Somerset)
- Southern Water(Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight)
- Thames Water(London / Southern England)
- United Utilities(North-west England)
- Wessex Water(South-west of England)
- Yorkshire Water(Yorkshire)
