There are a lot of pipes that carry water into your home, and about as many pipes that carry waste water (and other stuff) back out of it. But did you know that there are specific types of pipes for bringing waste out of your home? It’s true! And the differences between waste pipes and soil pipes can be important when it comes to how they’re used and maintained.
At a very basic level, waste pipes are designed to carry just water and other liquids out of your home. This includes anything that would normally go down the drains in your bathroom tub or shower, your kitchen sink, or basement and washer drain.
Soil pipes are pipes that are designed to carry “soiled” water from your home – that means any water, or substances, that were in a toilet, bidet or urinal.
Why Does It Matter?
The difference between waste pipes and soil pipes is important because of a few key reasons. First, you should be wary of putting other things down the wrong drain. Bodily waste should only be discarded through soil pipes, for example. This leads us to the second reason this is so important – each of these pipes is vented very differently.
Soil pipes are vented through your roof so that dangerous methane and other gases can escape into the free air. Waste pipes are not – they are simply emptied into the normal sewer system.
There also may be other pipes, generally used in commercial applications, like sluice sinks or grease drains, that have their own drainage and piping. Be sure that you know what you have in your home or business before disposing of liquids or solids. Otherwise, you might have to call us for drain clearing, or even sewer repair.
