Lots of people get very confused when asked if they understand the definition of, a gully, a drain and an inspection chamber. Really this confusion doesn’t mean too much in the normal course of events, but when someone is trying to explain a problem with any of these items to a plumber or even their local plumbers merchant it can mean something. Westcombe Park Plumbers can identify these gullies.


What is a Gully?

The gully is a trap for waste water that is covered by a grid. It is fitted in a drainage system. Put another way, it’s the thing somewhere outside the kitchen that takes all the waste water from the kitchen sink, or the bit that you see at the bottom end of rainwater pipe (and which keeps blocking with leaves etc.). A Westcombe Park Plumber understands gullies. These gullies should really be need serviced, however it is the kitchen waste gully that you need to keep an eye on, as it is prone to blockages by waste food, etc. With older houses, there is often two parts to the drainage system. Wastewater will run down one pipe system, and sewage coming from the toilet runs down a dedicated soil pipe. The waste water from the upstairs bath and bathroom wash basin will run into a funnel shaped hopper (usually fitted on the outside wall somewhere near the bathroom window), down the waste pipe and into the grid covered gully. It will be joined at this point by waste water from the kitchen sink, and then move on to an inspection chamber and finally the sewer.


NOTE:
Toilet waste will run down its own dedicated stack or soil pipe straight into the inspection chamber. From there, it is washed away by the wastewater from bathroom and the kitchen. Newer houses usually have a single stack system. Their waste from baths, washbasins, kitchen sink and toilet run down the same large diameter pipe.