Drainage Air Test & Drainage Water Test Procedures

If your looking for information about the drainage air test then your looking in the right place. Martin Smith an experience emergency plumber explains all about testing drainage using the air test.

Once a house is completely build, it the requires an air test to be taken, once before the drain has been covered up and one once all the appliances are fitted. The first test is to ensure that all the drainage and the soil pipe is of good satisfaction. The second drainage air test is to make sure that there are no H2S working it’s way into the building. It only requires the first test to produce a certificate for the safe use of the drains.

Most of the big building companies will do this test on all the buildings that are build, however if the prove of the test is either lost or just forgot about. The test will have to be taken again to the satisfaction of the building surveyor. If the test was to fail, then the appliance have to be investigated or at the worse scenario is that, the drain has to be taken up and relayed until satisfied, that it passes a test. Another way to do a test is, a water drainage test

It is sometimes known that a small building company may forget to do the test and then it is brought up by the building inspector on why there is no certificate on the drainage.

• Who’s job is it to carry out the drainage air flow test?
• How is the drainage air test done?
• When doing a drainage air test, does this include the complete drainage on the occupants property?
• Do the appliance have to be connected when doing the air test on the drain and the soil stack?
• Does the plumber have to be WIAPS approved to produce a certificate of the safe drains?
• How do I find the contact for the local building control?
• When having an extension rather than a new build, do I still require a certificate for the drain?

 

Who’s job is it to carry out the drainage air flow test

It is the job of the builder or the qualified plumber to do the drainage air test in order for a certificate to be produced, however the builder or the plumber can not produce the certificate. For a certificate to be produced on a new build, where the drains and soil is classed as safe, the building control has to be present well the test is taken place.

How is the drainage air test done

The drainage air test is done by placing a bung and the manometer as shown in the picture above. Before you have the recommended amount of air in the manometer, any open ends have to be closed, apart from the appliance in use. If you have a Durgo valve, then there is no need to place a bung in there, as the Durgo valves are pressure tested.

Once the pressure is at recommended pressure, which is at about 100, then the test requires about a 5-minute test, to be sure, that the soil stack is safe. (5-minutes may not be correct and is a rough guideline). The old fashion way of testing a drain was very similar that took 2 and a half hours, but due to there being a different fitting instead of clay and cast iron, the test is now done much quicker.

Can a water pressure test be done instead of a drainage air test

A water test can be tested instead of an air test, however the drainage air test will find any leaks more easily and is a better method of finding any leaks. A water drainage test also qualifies for producing a certificate to show that the drains and soil stack is safe use. To do a water test on the drains, you will need to fill up the stack to the point you are testing. If the test needs to be done to the complete soil stack, then toilet appliances will have to be taken out and properly bunged off. To past a normal test, you do not require to move any appliance and that the point of test is done from the lowest appliance. An air test is always best when testing the complete soil stack, unless you able to bung any outlets.

When doing a drainage air test, does this include the complete drainage on the occupants property

When doing a drainage air test on the occupants property to produce a certificate of safe use, all that is required of the drains is to make sure the flow of water is correct. The air test is only done from the first point of the drain entering the first inspection chamber to the appliance within the property.

Do the appliance have to be connected when doing the air test on the drain and the soil stack

The appliances don’t have to be connected when doing the air test to make sure the drains and stack are classed as safe, however the ends of the soil stack have to be closed off with the use of a bung.

Does the plumber have to be WIAPS approved to produce a certificate of the safe drains

The plumber doesn’t have to be WIAPS, however the plumber is not allowed to produce a certificate of safe use, as this is the job of your local building control.

How do I find the contact for the local building control

To find the local building control, your will need to contact the local council and speak to the building unit, of which they may put you through to someone that deals directly with the building control.

When having an extension rather than a new build, do I still require a certificate for the drain

Martin Smith an emergency plumber has made it his duty to find all the correct information, which you may be looking for. This is not stating facts about the extensions and new drains, Martin will explain what was explained to him verbally by a building control. Any extended drains do not require a certificate, but if your unsure of the situation, then call the local building control unit. It does make sense to have a certificate produce, however, it may then be left to the owners responsibly, which is the reason it is not.

If your looking for an emergency plumber, then give us a call, if your looking for your local building control, then call the building department within the council, if your an emergency plumber that would like to join our database of plumbing engineers through the UK, then please visit the plumbing register.

We also include drainage air test, however we do not include certificates, as this is not the work of an emergency plumber and must be done by the building control.