Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Dec 01, 2012 1:55 pm I am just wondering what’s the story with concrete slabs and pipes. We are going to renovate the back of the house, the new kitchen & bathroom will be on a concrete slab. At the moment the gas hot water is right outside the bathroom & about 8.5m away from the kitchen (these distances will remain about the same), and the water pipes go along the outside of the wall. I’ve read that the concrete slab is usually poured over water pipes. Is this true? Would this be best, or should we have insulated pipes going through the walls? Also, if the gas or water pipes are in the concrete slab, what happens if there’s a leak? Also, would it be better to keep the large gas water heater or have 2 'on demand' ones, one for the bathroom which could stay where it is, and a new one which could go near the kitchen? I’ve read that the type of slab you get depends on the soil .. ie Class S - Slightly reactive soil, slight movement due to moisture Class M - Moderately reactive soil, moderate movement due to moisture Class H - Highly reactive soil, a high amount of movement due to moisture Class E - Extremely reactive soil, extreme movement due to moisture Class P - 'Problem' soil, etc How do you know what sort of soil you have? Ours is clay and there must be some movement in it as the house (double brick, built 1906) has some cracks in the corners of the walls from floor to ceiling and along the bottom of the cornices that have been repaired before but have reappeared since 2003 when we moved in. Would these sort of cracks mean the soil is moderately, or highly reactive? thanks Re: concrete slabs, clay soils & water pipes (novice questio 2Dec 01, 2012 2:06 pm A professional soil test is what's needed. ----------------------------------------------- http://pab34newdigs.blogspot.com.au/ ----------------------------------------------- Re: concrete slabs, clay soils & water pipes (novice questio 3Dec 02, 2012 6:14 am PAB_34 A professional soil test is what's needed. I've always wondered what the 'preliminaries' mean when looking at breakdowns of renovation costs, maybe soil tests are one of the things included. Can anyone help with the other questions? Re: concrete slabs, clay soils & water pipes (novice questio 4Dec 02, 2012 8:03 am Normally water pipes are laid inside a duct which is cast in the concrete. The actual water pipes are flexible pipes that are installed after the concrete is laid and can be pulled out and replaced if there is a leak The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: concrete slabs, clay soils & water pipes (novice questio 5Dec 02, 2012 8:51 am bashworth Normally water pipes are laid inside a duct which is cast in the concrete. The actual water pipes are flexible pipes that are installed after the concrete is laid and can be pulled out and replaced if there is a leak That's a relief, but what about gas pipes? Re: concrete slabs, clay soils & water pipes (novice questio 6Dec 02, 2012 9:09 am Usually H & C water pipes and gas pipes are run after the builder has all the timber framed walls up and trusses on for the roof. These are usually notched into the studs and/or other framing members. The sewer pipes are laid in the ground under the slab and vertical risers come up through the slab for your toilet, floor waste etc. No pipes, whether water or sewer should be run in the slab itself. Preliminaries usually include : Survey Structural engineers drawings Geotech report ( soil ) Arborists report ( trees ) Amenities such a temp site loo, builders pole for power etc Temporary fencing Environmental protection, erosion control and sedimentation control Site clearance and demolition Scaffolding This list does not include the plans drawn up for the council and it depends on what you and the builder come up with for who organises what. Stewie Building Standards; Getting It Right! Thank you for the generous offer. I need to get the plumber out to give me an explanation. As mentioned I haven't seen any rain water discharge from pipes 1& 3. It… 7 10808 As most others have posted above the install isn't compliant. The pipe is meant to be covered in loose soil or sand, the pipe has holes in it that leaks out a termicide… 10 5727 my suspicion - some builders, they do usually make 'odd' settings in their site plan / pricing as their standards - being hopeful that first - the initial price is… 9 2467 |