Plumbers - advice on moving soil stack please

Phirefly

We're having the bathroom refitted and for years now we've been pondering a solution to the way our soil stack is fitted. Our house is a newish build end-terrace, and has been built to the same spec as all the mid-terraces, so the soil pipe connects to the mains under the house, and the stack is internal. The boxing-in in the already cramped kitchen takes up a whole cabinet space above and below, and a chunk out of the worktop the size of a microwave.

We'd ideally like to move the stack outside, we've had a couple of quotes (around about 1k including ground work) for digging a 10ft trench down the side of the house out to the mains and running a new pipe down there, but Mr. P and I were wondering if it might not be easier to run it outside at point A, down the wall, and back into the house at ground level, point B so all we have in the kitchen is a foot or so boxing-in on the floor in the corner, which we could fit a cabinet round.

Before the builders come back I'd like to be armed with the facts, would this be possible and what would we have to bear in mind were we to do it this way?

Thanks

adaze

You should be able to take your soil pipe outside and then connect back in. The hard part would be the connection, if you did it just above ground level it would probably be the easiest, anything underground could be more tricky and therefore more expensive.

In fact I would say if you are capable of using a drill - do it yourself. All you would need to do is make two holes for the soil pipe and then run the length inbetween.

I would say it is a good idea to free up the space, if you do it perfectly then you shouldn't lose any of your cabinet space as the connection can be done under it, you might need to take the cabinet out or at worst cut out an access panel and then refit once done.

P.s. make sure your chosen toilet will support the soil pipe exiting horizontally, some don't.

Phirefly

Hi there, thanks for your prompt reply, that sounds promising.

If we came out of the wall at point A, where would the horizontal pipe be to get to point b? would be come back in the wall directly below point A and then run the pipe back to point B? (hope that makes sense)

When you say the connection can be done under the cabinet, would we be able to run a horizontal pipe under the cabinet too?

andyhop

that should be an easy job just make sure you have access/rodding points fitted

Phirefly

andyhop wrote: »

access/rodding points

the whowhat now?

Doozergirl

Phirefly wrote: »

the whowhat now?

I think it's like a cap that you can unscrew in the pipe so you can 'help things along' with a big stick. :rotfl:

We're having plumbers coming to move our soil stack tomorrow - how exciting is that!! Ours is exactly the same layout as yours - runs internaly into our kithen but we also have a matching soil stack right next to it on the outside that just vents, so I think they're connecting it to that outside one and getting rid of the boxing in the kitchen!

Phirefly

Spooky coincidence eh? Although I'm not surprised!

Theres no way you'd ever catch me helping Mr. P's deposits along :lipsrseal *gip*

Do keep me posted on your soil stack saga.