Bathroom Plumbing
Faerie Glen
Bathroom plumbing in Faerie Glen covers renovations, new points and kitchens, and the rules start the moment a drain moves. Moving a toilet or shower is building work in Tshwane, so drains are inspected before they are covered and the certificate goes to the City. Old drains can be checked first.
Renovation mistakes that only show once the tiles are down
Most are cheap to get right before the tiles go down and expensive to fix afterwards.
No access to the toilet’s outlet joint
SANS 10400-P requires access to the joint between a pedestal pan and its drain. Tiling or boxing over it means the next blockage or leak at that joint starts with a hammer and a chisel.
Gurgling traps and slow drains
A waste pipe too long for its size, or one without a vent, can pull the water seal out of a trap. SANS 10400-P only exempts a single bath, shower or sink from venting when it sits within 2 m vertically and 3 m horizontally of the gully.
The new shower is weaker than the old one
Tshwane’s by-laws cap shower heads at 10 litres a minute where balanced pressure is above 200 kPa, and water-saving heads need more pressure to perform well. On a modest supply, the fitting matters as much as the pipework.
Fittings that are not on the approved list
The City only allows pipes and fittings on its schedule of approved pipes and fittings, which means SABS-marked or JASWIC-listed. A tap or mixer that is neither is not allowed under the by-law, however good it looks.
A kitchen drain that blocks within months
Fat poured down a sink hardens inside the pipe, and the City’s sanitation by-law prohibits letting grease build up until it blocks a drain. A new kitchen layout is the moment to get the falls and the access points right.
Gutters tied into the sewer
Stormwater may not be discharged into a sewer under the City’s sanitation by-laws, and the plumbing certificate at transfer checks for it. A renovation that sends a downpipe into a gully leaves a problem for the next sale.
Moving a toilet in Tshwane is building work, not tiling
Under the National Building Regulations, a “building” includes the facilities for drainage and sewerage, and building plans have to include a drainage drawing. That makes moving a toilet, a shower or a basin waste more than a renovation detail. Regulation A22 says a drainage installation may not be backfilled or enclosed until the local authority has inspected, tested and approved it, and the owner must give at least two working days’ notice.
Tshwane adds its own step at the end. The City’s sanitation by-law, section 15(7), requires the plumber responsible for any alteration to a drainage installation to submit a certificate to the building inspection section once the work is complete. PIRB also requires its licensed plumbers to issue a certificate for any above- or below-ground sanitary drain work, whatever it costs.
The water side is lighter. Installation work inside a dwelling needs no prior City approval unless a fire installation is involved, and repairing or replacing an existing pipe is exempt as well. The work must still be done by a plumber, or under a plumber’s control, and every pipe and fitting has to be on the City’s approved schedule.
Then come the flow limits. Under section 35 of the water supply by-laws, a new basin tap may not exceed 6 litres a minute and a cistern may not hold more than 9 litres. Where balanced pressure is above 200 kPa, shower heads rated over 10 litres a minute may not be fitted. It is worth reading the flow rate on the box before anything is bought.
Fittings bought from any plumbing merchant can be checked against those limits before they go in, and the drain layout can be agreed before the tiler arrives. Booking the inspection while the trench is still open costs a phone call. Opening a finished floor to show an inspector costs a new floor.
Plan the drain changes with the plumber before the tiles are ordered, and leave the trench open until the inspection is done.
How renovation plumbing is handled
Habits that keep a new bathroom out of trouble with the City and the next buyer.
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Drains planned before the tiles
Falls, vents and access points are set out with you and the builder before anything is covered.
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Inspection while the trench is open
The City inspection is booked in time, so nothing has to be opened up again to prove what is underneath.
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Fittings checked against the rules
Taps, mixers and cisterns are checked for approval marks and flow rates before they are fitted, not after.
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Paperwork that matches the house
The by-law makes the plumber report every drain alteration to the City’s building inspection. Ask for copies of that and of any plumbing certificate: a buyer’s conveyancer looks for both.
Fitted around the builder and the tiler
Points marked, drains inspected, then the fittings go in.
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Share the plan
What is moving, what is new and who else is on site. A floor plan or a photo of the room helps.
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Site visit and quote
The existing drains and supply are checked, and the quote lists every point and fitting.
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First fix and inspection
Drains and supply pipes go in, are pressure and flow tested, and are inspected before the floor or wall is closed.
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Second fix and sign-off
Taps, toilets and showers are connected and tested, and the drain alteration is reported to the City as the by-law requires.
Bathroom and kitchen plumbing questions
The rules that catch renovations out, and what following them costs.
How much does bathroom plumbing cost in Faerie Glen?
Do I need plans to move a toilet or a shower?
Does a bathroom renovation need a plumbing certificate?
Can I add a dishwasher or a food-waste unit in the kitchen?
Can new drains run under an extension or new paving?
Do I need a plumber to replace an old basin or toilet?
What should a renovation plumbing quote include?
Will my old pipes cope with a new bathroom?
Request renovation plumbing in Faerie Glen
Say what is moving or being added, and when the builder starts. The reply books a site visit.
Where we work
- Faerie Glen
- Garsfontein
- Lynnwood Glen
- Moreleta Park
- Lynnwood
- Lynnwood Ridge
- Lynnwood Park
- Die Wilgers
- Equestria
- Wapadrand
- Olympus
- Constantia Park
- Waterkloof Glen
- Menlyn
- Silver Lakes
- Mooikloof
- Woodhill
- Murrayfield