Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 13, 2015 2:08 pm Hi all, External taps - should they have adequate drainage? The vast majority of taps I see installed on new homes have no drainage under the tap, just dirt or grass. Could this cause issues with the foundations on highly reactive sites? I guess it would depend how often the tap was used. My new home (block home in NQ) sits on S class soil (silty sand) so don't have the high reactivity, but I was thinking it would be worthwhile at least putting a few pavers down so the bulk of water can be diverted away from the footings instead of right up against the side wall of the house. Thoughts? Thanks everyone! Dale - Building Newbie Proserpine, QLD Re: External water taps - foundation issues? 2Apr 13, 2015 2:37 pm It would all depend on how much water you are thinking of letting flow out of the tap onto the ground. 5 litres or less would be nothing. 500 on the other hand might create a bit of a bog. Houses are built to withstand rain for many many years. As long as you don't have pooling around the tap, or affecting your landscaping, I wouldn't worry. Re: External water taps - foundation issues? 3Apr 13, 2015 6:58 pm We are on highly reactive clay soil and our taps had no drainage outlets below them. The Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance guide published by CSIRO: http://www.unitcare.com.au/pdfs/Foundat ... e_csiro.pd actually states "it is prudent, however, to consider also rerouting pipes away from the building where possible, and relocating taps to positions where any leakage will not direct water to the building vicinity." I questioned our engineer about this after the house was handed over and he said the following: The reference to taps is to avoid the possibility of introducing water ponding against the building. Thus any taps should have a drainage grate to direct any excess water away from the foundation. Alternatively they can be moved away from the building. Would have been good if this advice had been incorporated into the plans! Re: External water taps - foundation issues? 4Apr 13, 2015 7:45 pm dalemengel Hi all, External taps - should they have adequate drainage? The vast majority of taps I see installed on new homes have no drainage under the tap, just dirt or grass. Could this cause issues with the foundations on highly reactive sites? I guess it would depend how often the tap was used. My new home (block home in NQ) sits on S class soil (silty sand) so don't have the high reactivity, but I was thinking it would be worthwhile at least putting a few pavers down so the bulk of water can be diverted away from the footings instead of right up against the side wall of the house. Thoughts? Thanks everyone! I wouldn't give it a second thought on an S site. In fact I wouldn't give it a second thought on any site, just make sure the tap is turned off. Re: External water taps - foundation issues? 5Apr 13, 2015 8:23 pm mgilla dalemengel Hi all, External taps - should they have adequate drainage? The vast majority of taps I see installed on new homes have no drainage under the tap, just dirt or grass. Could this cause issues with the foundations on highly reactive sites? I guess it would depend how often the tap was used. My new home (block home in NQ) sits on S class soil (silty sand) so don't have the high reactivity, but I was thinking it would be worthwhile at least putting a few pavers down so the bulk of water can be diverted away from the footings instead of right up against the side wall of the house. Thoughts? Thanks everyone! I wouldn't give it a second thought on an S site. In fact I wouldn't give it a second thought on any site, just make sure the tap is turned off. I agree with mgilla "s" it won't be a issue Need more photos from around the house including your gutters. We have had 3 of the wettest years in a row for some time so that wouldn't be helping 3 6949 Hi there everyone i was hoping to get some details and some clarification on some potential defects that may have occurred our recent bathroom renovation. 1. There seems… 0 6968 Bathroom renovation will likely include a back-to-corner bath and we’re considering a freestanding tap with hand-held shower such as the picture included. My hesitation… 0 24692 |