Knowing exactly how your drainage works in your home might not be general knowledge for you, or it might be built on assumptions, either way here at Happy Drains we believe it’s helpful for you to know the basics so you can be more confident if something goes wrong and knowing when you need to call for help. The more information you can give the engineer might save valuable time and money in determining the solution.
So, in the spirit of ‘Knowledge is power’, we thought we would explain the difference between a drain and a sewer! Remember, any issues with your drains, including issues with little information, call our friendly team of engineers on 07824 757572 today for help.
What is a Drain?
Put simply, it’s the pipes that carries away your wastewater from your home. This includes the pipes that make up your drainage system in and around you home or business, within your property boundary.
Generally, you have two types of wastewater pipes, a waste pipe carries all your ‘greywater’ generated from your sinks, showers and appliances, and a soil pipe carries all your ‘blackwater’ or soiled water, generated from your toilets. These pipes and drainage are typically the owner’s responsibility
All water will be carried away from your property and usually to a lateral drain, which sits just outside your property’s boundary. Lateral drainage systems are often found underneath the pavement or road, this part of the system carries your waste into the sewer line, and typically the lateral drains fall under the responsibility of the water supplier.
What is a Sewer?
This is where all wastewater ends up. Servicing multiple properties and collecting the wastewater from each lateral drain. The wastewater is taken to the nearest public treatment plants, where it goes through a cleaning process to make as clean as the process allows, then it’s discharged to designated safe areas. Like a lateral drain, the responsibility of a public sewers is with the water supplier.
