Hi, I need adadvice on how to gravel the opened concrete area and lead the water to the drainage hole. Plumber installed a new stormwater pipe, leaving the concrete not filled and drainage pipe. I was thinking to gravel these area and lead the water to the drainage pipe. Please advice how can I diy slowly as I am retired, I have to do it bit by bit, cash is tight, thank you
Hi @Loh,
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.
I believe your plumber would have left the drainage grate high, thinking that you would be reinstating the concrete, and by leaving it high, it could be cut flush with the top of the concrete once it was installed. Unfortunately, for that drainage point to be any use to you, it would need to be cut down to ground level or have agi pipe connected to it. Any kind of alteration to a drainage system, which would include this, needs to be done by a licenced plumber for safety and compliance reasons.
So, I would suggest you contact the plumber and tell them that you will be gravelling the soil and the pipe needs to be cut back to ground level for this reason.
If you have had issues with groundwater and would like to install agi pipe, then your plumber would also need to assist as connecting agi pipe to drainage is licenced work that a plumber would need to assist with.
Gravelling the surface itself is not a difficult task, you would just slope the underlying soil towards the drainage point, then apply a layer of drainage gravel over the top to fill the area and allow water to flow through without eroding the soil. As long as there is a gradual fall of around 1cm per metre in the soil beneath the drainage gravel, the water will flow through the drainage gravel towards the drainage point.
The main issue is getting that drainage point down to ground level, which unfortunately would require the assistance of a plumber.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Jacob
Thank you so much for your advice
