If you’re responsible for maintaining a commercial building, a social housing property, a hotel or a retail space, ensuring the waste pipe, soil pipe or soil stack remain clean and well maintained is key to avoiding costly and inconvenient blockages. Soil stacks form a vital part of any interlocking waste management pipes and are an essential part of any drainage system.
Every toilet, sink and bath in a building is connected via a series of interconnected pipes. Together, they all connect to a series of horizontal pipes known as waste pipes or soil pipes. The horizontal pipe transports used water and waste away from a property by joining with a vertical pipe on the outside of the building, this vertical pipe is known as a soil stack.
The soil stack pipe is the long vertical pipe that spans the full length of a building. Designed as an intelligent system, soil stacks are equipped with a vent. The vent, positioned at the top of the soil stack pipe, allows air to enter the pipe to help the water move whilst also letting gases exit the property to avoid lingering smells.
On the bottom end of the soil stack, another soil pipe goes underground to connect to the main sewage system.
Horizontal waste pipes often get clogged with non-flushable items (wet wipes, nappies, sanitary products etc.), as well as fat, oil and grease from kitchens. The vertical soil stack pipe can also become affected by these blockages and the build-up of uratic salt, which narrows the soil stack pipe and blocks waste from flowing freely through the pipe.
Blocked waste pipes or soil stacks can bring businesses to a halt and put whole properties at risk. If you have a blocked stack or a clogged soil stack pipe then it is worth considering that simple blockage can escalate to more significant problems later down the line. However, a routine maintenance plan for soil system and soil stack cleaning can help avoid emergency callouts and costly reactive services by identifying any issues early on and keeping the build-up of uratic salt and other debris at bay in your soil stack.
