Plumbing is a long tradition and reaches back nearly 8,000 years. Of course, the start was not as technical and highly sophisticated as today, but it created the foundation for today’s systems.

Clay and Straw were the materials troughs and pipes were made of. Obviously the materials have changed significantly for today!drain systems

The purpose of every plumbing system is to supply a building with fresh water. The second task is to get rid of dirty and used water outside of the house.

We want to show you how a well oiled plumbing system works.

Plumbing Systems 101

The water supply system uses a water pump to push water through your houses´ pipes. At this stage, the cold water is pressed through small pipes.

Your main supply line is getting water either from a well, spring or local council water supply. Depending on where you live and what water source your plumbing system is using, buildings use filtering or softening systems to clean the water.

Well designed systems place those filtering systems close to the water source.

Now the water enters a heating system, or in other cases, is distributed in smaller supply lines throughout the house. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. Cold and hot water lines are separated when you have a central heating device.

So what happens after you use the water?

Larger fixtures have larger drainpipes, but all fixture drains have traps. Some fixtures have built in traps, such as toilets, and others, like your kitchen sink, have curves made out of drainpipes.

Traps are called traps because they ‘trap’ a small amount of water that seals your drain and keeps sewage gasses from entering your house.

Vents are another part of these simple but smart systems. They allow water to flow out freely and relieve pressure.

What happens to big chunks of dirt and food leftovers?

A short reminder: food leftovers and big chunks of dirt are the major reason for blocked drains on the Gold and Tweed Coast. Luckily, some systems have areas installed you can easily access and clean.

You can find main area at the end of horizontal drains and at the point where the main sewer line exits the building. In all cases, it is best practice to call a professional drain specialist to help you out. Toxic gasses can be trapped in your drain, not too mention other things you don’t want to know about!

But where does my dirty water go?

It depends on the system installed, and is often according to the size of your local town or city. In many cases, you will have a septic tank that needs to be emptied from time to time. Bigger cities have sewage systems that run under the whole city and take the dirty water to treatment plants for recycling or proper disposal.

Ask your local drain specialist on the Tweed and Gold Coast if you are not sure what system you are using.

In all cases though, if you see any issues with your drains or suspect a blockage, contact our team today to find out how we can help and to arrange a free quote.