Extending Your Waste Pipes and Rainwater Goods for External Wall Insulation
When carrying out External wall insulation, it is obvious that any pipework and plumbing on the wall will probably have to be extended to accommodate the new insulation, which can be several inches thick. This is something we come across on every job and so we have to deal with many different scenarios on a daily basis.
How do you deal with Cast Iron?
Cast iron pipes are very difficult to adapt. As a matter of course, we remove and replace cast iron with plastic equivalents wherever they need to be extended. Providing cast iron pipework is very expensive and the current pipes cannot be altered in most cases. If you do require cast iron pipes, timber supports will have to be fitted to ensure that the pipe has enough to hold onto the wall. So plastic is always the best option here unless you absolutely have to use cast iron – in a conservation area for example.
What Colour Pipes do you Supply?
If the pipes are already plastic we may decide to keep the current pipes and just adjust them, although we can of course replace them fully if you require us to, depending on cost. It is not normally necessary to fully replace all pipes, but there are times when this might be the most practical option. In short, check with us if you have any specific requirements on the plumbing, otherwise, you will get a straightforward extension of what is already there.
We will of course install the colour of pipes that you require, but this will need to be agreed upon prior to works being carried out. Otherwise, we will install a standard colour our plumber has available. The usual colour of waste pipes is either black, grey, or white. You can of course paint the pipes any colour you want to try and match a wall but in our opinion this rarely effective.
How do you extend Flues and Gas Lines?
All gas work requires a gas safe plumber to carry out the works. As such we have our own plumber that does this for us as part of the job. Flues are often tricky because if they are very old a new flue kit may not be readily available. In these cases we may have to leave a 30cm gap all the way around the flue – it doesn’t look as good as extending the flue, but it makes sure you meet the gas regulations without having to get a new boiler!
Of course, if your flue does not meet the current regulations we may need to make further alterations as part of the job, and check that ventilation is adequate.
Do you replace guttering?
Guttering is not replaced as standard. If the works require the guttering to be altered, then we may replace part or all of the gutter as required, but we won’t be obligated to do this – it really will depend on the requirements of the job. You can of course request us to replace the guttering, and this is often asked by the customer because having the scaffold up makes this very easy and inexpensive. It might also be a good opportunity to look at the soffits and facia.
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