Uk members - waste disposal units

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Hey Mike, that's what always freaks me about waste disposals... I can think of several films in which they've maimed folks! If something went down ours, I'd always remove the fuse before shoving my hand down there!

Toggles, UK sinks are available with both sizes of drain outlet. The only unit we ever owned was fitted to a double sink with a full sized basin which had a standard plughole, and a much smaller basin which incorporated the disposal unit. Personally I consider them an indulgence, but then many of the places I've lived in have had enclosed external storage for refuse, so animals etc can't get at it.

Personally, I find the Garchey system fascinating, as fitted to various blocks of flats after WW2!

http://www.barbicanliving.co.uk/d11a.html
 
The problem is this--

The gully system is perfectly ok for handling normal grey water i.e. soapy water from sinks, showers, dishwashers, washing machines etc. This kind of water contains very little actual food matter, and any that is in it will be well diluted and washed away. They normally remain extremely clean and function well under these circumstances.

If you intentionally pump a lot of food matter into this system i.e. down the gully trap it can create serious problems.

i.e. smells, attract insects and possibly rodents.

A waste disposal needs to be connected via a U-bend trap directly to a riser (i.e. the same as a toilet basically)

In Ireland you can find both types of set up i.e. sinks connected directly to risers etc more like the US / continental europe, but the gully system is by far the norm and the preferred way of doing things. Apartments etc would generally use closed systems.

All sinks etc have a U-bend or bottle trap too regardless of type of system.

I think the reason for the gullies was simply that they did not like connecting sinks directly to sewage systems. Regardless of what happens to the sewers you will not get any risk of anything foul entering a sink, bath, washing machine stand pipe etc in a typical UK/Irish system.

Where as with a closed system, if the drains do block you can get foul water entering sinks.. (rare, but it could in theory happen if the pipe work backs up)

Also, almost all drain pipes are outside on houses here, it's rare to have them in the walls, other than in apartment buildings / offices etc.
 
UK/Ireland water supply plumbing!

UK/Irish domestic hot and cold water supply is weirder still !

This diagram describes how a typical house here provides its hot and cold water.

The kitchen i.e. sink, washing machine and dishwasher are supplied with water directly from the mains, but the bathrooms are all fed by a header tank in the attic!

Typically, if you want high pressure showers they're supplied via a double header pump (pumps hot and cold simultaniously). This is activated when it detects any water flow to the shower via a little automatic switch sensor.

View attachment 12-11-2007-15-02-5--mrx.jpg.png
 
From what I had read in my DIY manuals, the common-denominator appears to be that great pains are undertaken to prevent the hot water producing tank /system from being under ordinary mains pressure.

Another interesting thing (to me) that came to my attention via aforesaid DIY manuals was UK fireplace inserts that heat water with an automatically-controlled gas flame. In effect is is an automatic boiler for heating and hot water (for the taps). Seems like an attempt to use an exisitng fireplace in an old dwelling for automated heat and hot water. IIRC the gas flames are behind a sheet of glass and are visible from the room. It's practical and aesthetically pleasing!

I thought to myself if I could import this, there would be ready-market!
 
English system

Yes, that is the great difference between the continental system and the British System.
We have all water under pressure here (hot & cold) at any place (bath, kitchen, etc.) which also enables to install pressure flushs in toilets although they are not very popular because of the pressure undulation they evoke in the pipes.
The thing with the drain...
Here it would all freeze in winter-time if pipes would be installed outside the house, so there is no way than installing them inside the walls.
But you are right to say so, that in case of trouble we have to open the walls or the basement floor to repair the pipes.

Ralf
 
Baxi Bermuda - Back Boilers!!

Hi Steve, I`ve often wondered why they are not popular elswhere, but as new house are built without fireplaces its easier to stick in a small combi...
Baxi first started making these backboilers that sit in the chimney in the 60`s, they are synonymous with quality and style. The brand has sold on its reputation for years, solid cast boilers and reliable. My parents have had one since 1968, updating the fire fronts and one change of boiler with the latest fire 8yrs ago...heres Ella in front of it, here favorite spot!!!

http://www.a1-gas.co.uk/html/heatprod/baxi.html
12-12-2007-05-31-48--chestermikeuk.jpg
 
I apologize for hijacking the thread and taking it into this direction, but since we love the UK and the mother country's ways........

Thanks all for the info.!
 
For those of us outside the UK-

The component in the diagram labeled "A" is the water storage cistern (header tank) located near the highest peak of the house, above all water fixtures.

My understanding is that it fills as a toilet tank would with a ball-and-float type of water "metering" device.

Its purpose is to produce a gravity-fed flow of water to the hot water supply system/pipe.
 
The tank in the attic was designed to act as a buffer between the house and the water network. It means that if lots of people have showers at the same time they're using water from a storage tank in their attic rather than the mains. The mains has a chance to 'catch up' with the demand.

It keeps the demand nice and smooth throughout the day rather than having pressure dips and peaks.

Perhaps the victorians didn't specify large enough water mains!
 
~The tank in the attic was designed to act as a buffer between the house and the water network.

These are seen on the roofs of tall Manhattan buildngs to ensure adequate flow and pressure, rather than torture a pump costantly. I believe the mains can only directly serve fewer than a dozen floors/levels/storys direclty based on the allowable/exisitng pressure.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E2DB133BF93AA1575BC0A96F958260
 

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