Why do builders put down pipes right on top of drain cover grids?

xxxxxxxx

So that you cannot remove the drain cover to clean the drain?  You can't pull the bottom off the down pipe because it is sitting on top of the grid and screwed to the wall in that position.  
Is there a solution to this for refitting once I have unscrewed all the down pipe ? 

Thanks

Norman_Castle

Try pushing the pipe upwards, it may have dropped. If that fails shorten the down pipe.

grumbler

"Why do builders put down pipes right on top of drain cover grids?"

Is this a rhetoric question?

IMHO, the answer is obvious.

And not only you cannot clean the drain, but the pipe itself  gets blocked very fast and is difficult to clean.

Bendy_House

Norman_Castle said:

Try pushing the pipe upwards, it may have dropped. If that fails shorten the down pipe.

Give the pipe a twist as you encourage it upwards. Good chance there IS some play there where the DP has slipped down slightly, but even if not, there's always a bit of 'flex' to be used up, especially if there are offset bends at the top?

It's handy to have a small gap at the bottom for just the reason you say, but DPs do tend to slip down as they expand and contract, and often only contact with the grate will stop this travel!

I fitted a water-butt kit yesterday (in anticipation of some rain today - fat chance, by the looks...) and this needed a good 30-odd mm of pipe lifting. The offset bends at the top outlet, coupled with a bit of flexing in the gutter outlet itself (fine in this heat) allowed it with no drama.

Give it a bash. 

If you do end up needing to cut a small piece off the DP, you will then likely need to place a spacer - anything - between it and the grate in order to hold it up. I have one like this where I didn't bother, and it pops out at the top every few months. Annoying, but not quite enough...

Section62

xxxxxxxx said:

So that you cannot remove the drain cover to clean the drain?  You can't pull the bottom off the down pipe because it is sitting on top of the grid and screwed to the wall in that position.  
Is there a solution to this for refitting once I have unscrewed all the down pipe ? 

The answer is to get builders to fit gutter downpipes using one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-rectangular-grid-rec-hopper-110110/90316

With one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-round-downpipe-socket-black-68mm/17914

- fitted to the 'blank' third of the cover to neatly receive the downpipe.

It won't stop the moss and leaves though, which is why builders usually terminate the downpipe above the grid.

stuart45

Have you got a show at the bottom?

FreeBear

Section62 said:

xxxxxxxx said:

So that you cannot remove the drain cover to clean the drain?  You can't pull the bottom off the down pipe because it is sitting on top of the grid and screwed to the wall in that position.  
Is there a solution to this for refitting once I have unscrewed all the down pipe ? 

The answer is to get builders to fit gutter downpipes using one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-rectangular-grid-rec-hopper-110110/90316

With one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-round-downpipe-socket-black-68mm/17914

- fitted to the 'blank' third of the cover to neatly receive the downpipe.

It won't stop the moss and leaves though, which is why builders usually terminate the downpipe above the grid.

Better still (in my opinion) is one of these - https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-debris-gully-110mm/25121 - Yes, a bit more expensive, but it does a pretty good job of catching the crud, and is a doddle to clean out.

pmartin86

FreeBear said:

Section62 said:

xxxxxxxx said:

So that you cannot remove the drain cover to clean the drain?  You can't pull the bottom off the down pipe because it is sitting on top of the grid and screwed to the wall in that position.  
Is there a solution to this for refitting once I have unscrewed all the down pipe ? 

The answer is to get builders to fit gutter downpipes using one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-rectangular-grid-rec-hopper-110110/90316

With one of these -

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-round-downpipe-socket-black-68mm/17914

- fitted to the 'blank' third of the cover to neatly receive the downpipe.

It won't stop the moss and leaves though, which is why builders usually terminate the downpipe above the grid.

Better still (in my opinion) is one of these - https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-debris-gully-110mm/25121 - Yes, a bit more expensive, but it does a pretty good job of catching the crud, and is a doddle to clean out.

Id never seen these 'till I moved to my current house about a year ago, and at first scratched my head wondering what the &%^$ they were, now i've gone through a winter though, my goodness their amazing! I'll be making sure their installed everywhere i ever live or maintain from now on!

Chickereeeee

How about one of these?

https://www.celticsustainables.co.uk/leaf-catcher-filter/

plumb1_2

stuart45 said:

Have you got a show at the bottom?

No but gotta show their bottom😂

plumb1_2

Cut the bottom of the pipe on a 30 degree angle half way to the Center.