The Beginner’s Guide to Home Drainage Systems

You might not have given a lot of thought to the pipes and drains in your house, but they’re essential to a safe, hygienic living space. Every time you run a tap or it rains, your drainage system is at work, carrying the water away and disposing of it safely – something that’s crucial for more reasons than you might think.

At Greenstar, we’ve spent over 30 years installing and repairing drainage systems in homes across the South. We know a thing or two about how these systems work and why they matter, so read on to find out all you need to know about them!

What Is a Home Drainage System?

A home drainage system is a network of pipes that collects wastewater or rainwater from your house and carries it away. Here’s why it’s essential for maintaining a healthy, safe, and comfortable living environment:

A drainage system removes wastewater and rainwater from your house. This helps prevent flooding in your basement, crawlspace, or around the foundation. Standing water can lead to expensive repairs and even weaken the structure of your home.
Drainage systems remove wastewater from toilets, sinks, and showers, preventing the buildup of unsanitary conditions in your home. This helps protect your health and the health of your family.
Excess moisture can create a breeding ground for mould and mildew, which can pose serious health risks and cause property damage. A well-maintained drainage system helps control moisture levels and prevent mould growth.
In some cases, improperly functioning drains can lead to untreated wastewater being released into the environment. This can contaminate waterways and harm wildlife, which is why a well-maintained drainage system helps protect the environment.

What Types of Home Drainage Systems Are There?

There are two main types of drainage systems: sanitary drainage systems and storm drain systems. Both rely on gravity to move water through the pipes, with the pipes sloped downward so that water can flow freely. In some cases, a pump may be required to lift wastewater or rainwater to the main drain line.

Read on to find out where these systems are found and how each one works.

Sanitary Drainage Systems

This system collects wastewater from toilets, sinks, showers, and bathtubs. The wastewater is carried away from the house to a public sewer system or a septic tank. Here’s how it works, step by step:

Used water exits your fixtures and enters a drainpipe. Each drainpipe has a trap seal (also known as a P-trap or U-bend), a curved section that holds a small amount of water. This water creates a barrier that blocks sewer gases and unpleasant odours from travelling up the drainpipe and entering your home.
The water flows from the drainpipe into a connected horizontal branch, which is a larger pipe that collects wastewater from multiple fixtures in a bathroom or kitchen.
It then moves from the horizontal branch to a vertical stack, a main pipe that runs vertically through the building. The stack allows waste to flow freely due to gravity and helps vent sewer gases.
The water flows from the vertical stack to the building drain, which is the main pipe that carries wastewater out of the building. The building drain is typically located underground.
The building drain takes the water out of the building and into the building sewer. The building sewer then delivers the wastewater to its final destination, either a public sewage treatment plant for processing or a septic tank for treatment in the ground.

Vent pipes are placed throughout the system to allow air circulation and prevent pressure build-up that could syphon away trap seals.

Storm Drain Systems

This system collects rainwater from roofs, gutters, foundation drains, and sump pumps. The rainwater is carried away from the house and discharged into a storm drain or onto the ground. Here’s a breakdown of how it functions:

Rainwater that falls on your roof is collected by gutters and downspouts. Gutters channel the water away from the house, and downspouts carry it down to the ground.
The water from the downspouts is directed away from your house through a main drainpipe. Ideally, the drainpipe should extend far enough away from the foundation to prevent water from pooling near your house. Additional drains around your house, like those in your basement floor or patio, might also collect rainwater from irrigation systems and send it into the drainpipe.
The water from your drainpipe eventually reaches the public storm drain system through a network of underground pipes and inlets on the street. These inlets typically have grates to prevent large debris from entering the system. After that, the water is released into nearby bodies of water like streams, rivers, or oceans.

The public storm drain system typically doesn’t treat the water before releasing it. This is why it’s crucial to avoid pouring hazardous materials or littering down storm drains, as these pollutants can directly impact the environment.

Greenstar: The South’s Leading Choice for Drainage Solutions

Your drainage system is key to keeping your home clean and healthy, so when you need drainage services, you want the best.

The certified experts at Greenstar have installed and fixed drains of all shapes and sizes, in all types of homes. Whether you need a brand-new system or just a quick unblock, we’ll get your drains working as they should in no time.

Here’s what we can do for you:

Ready to get your drains flowing freely again? Book a service online or call us on 01202 355 344 today!