What size is standard waste pipe UK?
The most common sizes of waste pipe in the UK are 32mm, 40mm and 50mm. A 32mm waste pipe is typically used for appliances that present low volumes of water to the system (e.g. small hand basins), while 40mm is normally used for kitchen sinks, showers and baths.
- 21.5mm - for overflows such as cold water tank, cisterns etc.
- 32mm - for hand basin waste pipe.
- 40mm - for sink and bath waste pipe.
- 110mm - for soil pipe and main drains.
Sewer Drain Pipes
Standard size pipe such as the 110mm drainage pipe or 160mm drainage pipe in diameter, which is sufficient to carry waste in most sewer systems, however for heavy duty applications there are larger sizes of PVC pipe on the market if required.
Find the outside diameter of your pipe to the nearest millimetre, use a tape measure or vernier gauge. Then find this size down the left hand column, read across the four coloured columns on the right to find the group and description for your size pipe.
For a domestic water supply in the UK, 25mm is the standard size and is sufficient in most cases. In some cases, 32mm may be preferred. This size is slightly more expensive but not significantly more than the smaller options. At Fastbuild, we stock both 25mm and 32mm MDPE pipes with various lengths available.
British Standard Pipe fittings are among the most popular of all foreign threads in the world today. These threads come in two versions: parallel (BSPP), and tapered (BSPT). The thread flank angle for both tapered and parallel British threads is 55°. Although BSP is a foreign thread, it isn't actually metric.
In the UK bath wastes are a universal size at 1½” BSP (British standard pipe), or 40mm.
between 75 cm and 135 cm deep from the finished ground level. The minimum depth is to ensure frost protection (under normal UK conditions) and the maximum depth is to ensure reasonable access for repairs.
Soil Pipes - 110mm for toilets, urinals, bidets, and soil stacks. Waste Pipes - 32mm for small hand basins, 40mm for sinks, showers, baths, washing machines and dishwashers, 50mm for commercial applications and connecting multiple waste pipes to a single flow.
Common Waste Pipe Sizes in the UK
40mm – Used under kitchen sinks and also bathroom showers/baths. 50mm – Less popular and usually found in commercial buildings, occasionally seen in larger residential dwellings. 110mm – This is the soil pipe, used from the toilet and as a primary drainpipe on the property.
Does every toilet need a vent pipe UK?
All bathrooms need a vent pipe otherwise there will be a possibility that the traps will be pulled when things like the toilet is flushed or the bath emptied. A Durgo valve can be fitted internally instead of having to extent the soil pipe outside.
Solvent Weld Waste Pipe 36mm Black Description
Solvent weld waste pipe for making connections between solvent weld waste fittings of this size. These are sealed with solvent weld glue.
A typical toilet waste pipe is 100mm/4 inches in diameter.
Waste Pipe 1 1/4" (32mm) x 3m white.
| Fixture or Appliance | Cold Water Pipe | Hot Water Pipe |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen Sink | ½” | ½” |
| Dishwasher | 3/8” to ½” | 3/8” to ½” |
| Washing Machine | ½” | ½” |
| Laundry Sink | 1/2” | ½” |
Diameter. Standard garden hose pipes you can buy in the most UK box stores have a diameter of 1/2" (12.5mm).
According to 'The Department of the Environment', they recommend that pipes should be buried at least 600mm (two feet) underground. At this depth, the soil acts as a natural insulator and prevents them freezing.
Yellow – Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other flammable material. Green – Sewage and drain lines. Blue – Drinking water.
Plumbing in France is no different to the UK except for the component sizes (in France they don't use a 15mm supply pipes like the UK). Although lots of things like waste pipes are the same. If you have UK fittings to install, don't despair! There is a simple and cost effective solution.
BSP threads come in two different variants:
The way to tell the difference between the two is the flank angle. The flank angle for NPT is 60° compared to the BSP tapered which is 55° (this can be verified with a thread gauge). BSP threads are measured in imperial measurements such as 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 etc.
What is flange British standard?
The United Kingdom has its own standard of pipe fittings BS1965 and flange BS4504, but since they belong to the European Union for many years, the European standards EN10253 and EN1092 are often used instead.
What is legally required? Generally, building regulations state that the minimum size for a loo is to be 700mm wide and 1300mm long.
The typical size of a UK family bathroom is 2m x 2m. If you plan your bathroom layout correctly, this should be ample room for your choice of fixtures and fittings as well as a handful of additional furnishings for that all-important storage.
The standard 5ft bath in the UK holds around 80 gallons or 300 liters of water. The water capacity reduces with the size of the bath.
Soil and waste pipe system design and installation
The most important bit of obvious advice ever: soil and waste pipes need to be on a downhill gradient! The “fall” or “drop” should be between 1/40 (1cm down for every 40cm across) and 1/110.
Building regulations for chasing pipes into a wall
Any chases that are vertical cannot be made any deeper than 33% of the wall's thickness. For example, if your wall is 100mm thick, your chase cannot be more than 33mm deep.
Foul water pipe gradients must ensure wastewater velocity of 0.7m/s at minimum. For less than 1l/s, a fall of 1:40 (25mm per metre) is appropriate. For discharge from any WC, a fall of 1:80 (12.5mm per metre) is recommended.
In general, the maximum distance of the toilet from the main drain should not exceed 4 meters, with a 2% minimum slope. Within these limits, the plumbing system can guarantee an effective draining, avoiding bad smells and the problem of emptying the siphons.
Six metres is the maximum run according to Building Regualtions, but as you have realised yourself, a good fall on the branch pipe is essential. 2.5º, or 44mm fall for every metre run, is the usual standard. IIRC it is permissible (but inadvisable) to go as low as 18mm per metre, the maximum is 90mm per metre.
A lavatory requires a 1 ¼ minimum drain and vent pipe size. The minimum slope required for drainage piping less than 4 in pipe size is ¼ per foot slope. Section 701 . 1 of the plumbing code lists all of the approved drainage piping materials.
Why use 50mm waste pipe?
ABS waste pipes are available in three size options. 32mm is generally used for washbasins and bidets, 40mm is used for baths, showers, kitchen sinks and dishwashers. 50mm waste is commonly used for commercial applications or where a number of waste pipes come together in a single flow.
If 40mm diameter pipe is used, max length is 3m..
Using either 3″, 4″ or 6″ drainage pipe is recommended on most residential and light commercial projects as these pipe sizes and applicable fittings are readily available and easy to install.
Soil Pipes are designed to transport the soiled water (blackwater) from your toilet, urinal, or bidet (if you're fancy). Waste Pipes are designed to transport the wastewater (greywater) from your sinks, shower, bath, washing machine, or dishwasher.
Wet venting is most common in conjunction with toilets and sinks; the drain for the sink is also the vent for the toilet. It can also be used for a variety of other applications but due to the following rules this is the most convenient and common situation to run into.
Depending on how the soil pipe has been capped it is usually very straightforward to join into it. You need a 40mm waste for a washing machine and a trap of some sort to prevent smells escaping from the sewers.
Floplast WS02 ABS Solvent Weld Waste Pipe has an external diameter of 43mm.
A 32mm push fit waste pipe. Made from polypropylene, this is a quick and easy way to install waste systems incorporating a push-fit ring seal system. An allowance of a 10mm expansion gap on all push-fit joints is required for the expansion of pipes and fittings in each socket of push-fit systems.
The major difference between schedule 40 and schedule 80 pipe is the wall thickness, inside diameter, and their weight. Schedule 80 will have a greater wall thickness, a smaller inside diameter and a higher weight than Schedule 40 pipe at a given nominal pipe size.
| DIAMETER OF PIPE (inches) | MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DRAINAGE FIXTURE UNITS (dfu) | |
|---|---|---|
| 21/2 | 12 | 20 |
| 3 | 20 | 48 |
| 4 | 160 | 240 |
| 5 | 360 | 540 |
How many toilets can be on a 3 inch drain?
No more than four water closets or bathroom groups shall be installed on a 3" horizontal fixture branch. EXCEPTION: Where the water closets are rated 3.5 gallons or more per flush, no more than two water closets or bathroom groups shall be permitted.
Toilet Vent Pipe Size? It's typically recommended that you go with a 2" PVC pipe for the vent. This is according to the uniform plumbing code (UPC).
All plastic pipe is measured on the outside diameter of the pipe, not the inside diameter. This is because the pipe needs to fit into the socket.
This product is made to be installed with 36mm (known as 1 1/4 inch solvent weld) pipe or fittings.
The most common standard diameters are as follow: 0.5 inch (15 mm), 0.75 inch (20 mm), 1 inch (25 mm), 1.5 inch (40 mm), 2 inch (50 mm), 3 inch (80 mm), 4 inch (100 mm), 6 inch (150 mm), 8 inch (200 mm), 10 inch (250 mm), 12 inch (300 mm), 14 inch (350 mm), 16 inch (400 mm), 18 inch (450 mm), 20 inch (500 mm), 22 inch ...
A 3-inch sanitary waste line is sufficient for one bathroom group (toilet, lavatory, tub/shower) but a whole single-family house tends to have a 4-inch default size, at least entering the building.
The smaller the pipe diameter, the higher the friction, the more pressure you need, the larger the pump (in terms of head for constant flow).
A two-inch pipe does not measure two inches on the outside diameter, but rather measures 60.3mm on the outside diameter.
32mm (1 1/4") - Used on Washbasins, Vanity Basins and Urinals. 40mm (1 1/2") - Used for Kitchen Sinks and other kitchen appliances such as Washing Machines & Dishwashers, Baths & Showers. 50mm (2") - Used for a collection of pipe runs or for commercial applications.
Waste Pipes - 32mm for small hand basins, 40mm for sinks, showers, baths, washing machines and dishwashers, 50mm for commercial applications and connecting multiple waste pipes to a single flow.
When should I use 50mm waste pipe?
32mm is generally used for washbasins and bidets, 40mm is used for baths, showers, kitchen sinks and dishwashers. 50mm waste is commonly used for commercial applications or where a number of waste pipes come together in a single flow.
40 mm (1.1/2") BS 5254, BS EN 1451-1:2000 plastic pipe. Do not solvent weld. The actual pipe size is approximately 41 mm o.d. x 36 mm i.d..
To find it, measure around the circumference of the pipe with flexible measuring tape. Divide the circumference by pi, or about 3.14159. For example, if the circumference is 12.57 inches (319 mm), you would divide by pi, and get an outside diameter of about 4 inches (100 mm).
the simple answer is that basin wastes are 1¼” BSP (32mm), whereas bath and kitchen sink wastes are 1½” BSP (40mm).
Drainage Sales Solvent Weld Waste Pipe is available in White (all sizes), Grey (all sizes), Black (32mm & 40mm) and Anthracite Grey (32mm & 40mm.) A waste pipe that is installed outside for any length of time should be painted to protect it from discolouration.
The pipe is brown in colour and measures 6m x 110mm (L x Dia).
ABS waste pipes are available in three size options. 32mm is generally used for washbasins and bidets, 40mm is used for baths, showers, kitchen sinks and dishwashers. 50mm waste is commonly used for commercial applications or where a number of waste pipes come together in a single flow.
