Page 545 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

Chapter 8 Rainwater systems

2 INSTALLATION OF GRAVITY

RAINWATER SYSTEMS

The sources of information required when
carrying out work on gravity rainwater

systems

There are a number of documents we must consult when designing and
installing rainwater systems. Like all other aspects of the building process,
gutters and rainwater systems are subject to various legislative restrictions
to ensure that the systems we design and install collect the rainwater from
the roof structure and dispose of it safely. To ensure the correct design and
installation of rainwater systems, we must, therefore, refer to the following
resources.

l Building Regulations Approved Document, Section H3: Rainwater drainage:
this section states that adequate provision shall be made for rainwater to
be carried from the roof of a building. It contains important information
regarding design and installation of rainwater systems. It makes reference to
BS EN 12056–3:2000.
l BS EN 12056–3:2000 Gravity drainage systems inside buildings. Roof
drainage, layout and calculation. Like all British Standards, this document
takes the form of recommendations. It relays the more technical aspects of
rainwater system design, such as rainfall intensity calculations and outlet
provision. It should be used in conjunction with the Building Regulations.
l Manufacturers’ instructions: the manufacturers of gutters and rainwater
pipework will have designed their systems to accommodate both the Building
Regulations and British Standards. Wherever possible, manufacturers’
recommendations must be followed.

Safe working practices
In Chapter 1, Health and safety practices and systems, we looked at the dangers
of working at height and, since guttering installation takes place at heights
above head level, it is relevant here that we look again at some of the more
important aspects of these procedures.
In this part of the chapter, we will be revisiting some past learning with regard
to working at height and also investigating how we can protect the customer’s
property while we are working above ground level.

Working at height
The safest way to install gutters and rainwater pipes is from a correctly erected
and secured scaffold and on new-build housing, and this is usually the case.
Unfortunately, erecting a scaffold for the purpose of replacing existing gutters
and rainwater pipes is uneconomical because of the cost and so most of this
type of work is performed using ladders. It should always be remembered that

533

9781510416482.indb 533 29/03/19 9:04 PM