Management of stormwater on a new house build is a crucial aspect of the property’s functionality throughout its entire life. Stormwater is quite often overlooked or even excluded from some contractors and is then put back on the owner to perform this task once the home has been built.
At Mayfair Building Group, we take the stormwater installation seriously and insist that this is done as part of the new home contract by our licensed plumbers. With a variety of odd-shaped and sloped blocks, the stormwater systems are becoming complex. We are also seeing retention and detention systems implemented to cope with the new suburban infrastructure and not to overload during peak rainfall periods.
Key Elements In New Home Builds
If we look deeper into the site plans for a new home’s storm water installation, you will often see the following systems in place to manage the storm water onsite efficiently:
Rainwater tanks: Today, many councils are requesting a 5000L stormwater holding tank onsite. This can be above ground or below ground. It is documented that this storm water should be used either in the laundry, toilet or for hot water at the home. The majority of our clients opt for the use of one of the home’s toilets, which is delivered via a pump connected to the rainwater tank. Often, an auto changeover valve is fitted to the pump in the event that the rainwater tank becomes empty.
Submersible pumps: With many new homes being built on sloping land, it is often documented by the engineer that all the storm water in the properties is installed to the lowest part of the home’s land and captured in large underground holding chambers. The benefit of this is that it does not put as much strain on the area’s infrastructure during peak rain sessions as the water is being held onsite and only discharged in cycles when the chambers get full. A good quality pumping system will have 2 submersible pumps and a high-level alarm. The dual pump controller will ensure equal operation of the pumps and also notify the homeowner of a fault if that occurs.
Surface water collection: Sloping driveways and outdoor areas will often collect large volumes of water during a heavy downpour. The water that lands on the ground needs adequate collection points to ensure the home does not get flooded. Often, across the roller door strip grates or channel grating will be installed, and around the properties in the paths, etc, we will have smaller catchment grates installed to help remove the water from the paths and into storm water chambers, etc, to be removed from the home.
Correct sizing of storm water pipes: As previously touched on, stormwater can be excluded from the home’s building contract, it is then typically where we notice people doing their own stormwater installation using undersized pipe work and fittings. As the majority of the stormwater pipe work is either buried or in hard to get to locations, once the property is completed, it is crucial that the pipe work is installed by a professional and sized appropriately. In a standard stormwater installation, our plumbers will use 100mm sewer grade pipe work, not 90mm stormwater pipe work. The advantage of 100mm sewer grade PVC is that the pipe work is stronger and easier to service if the need arises in the future.
Often, an out-of-sight and out-of-mind part of the new home build, stormwater is critical to ensuring the new home you have just built will continue to operate and be safe for years to come without the need for worrying about costly maintenance every time you hear there’s going to be a storm.
Trust your new home build with the team at Mayfair Building Group.
