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Reinforced concrete pipe (RCP)
— Steel-reinforced concrete pipe used for adopted sewers and large diameter highway drainage.
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Residential property
— Dwelling used as a home, including houses, flats and maisonettes across Greater London.
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Resin-bound paving
— Permeable surface of stone aggregate bound with clear resin laid over a porous sub-base.
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Restaurant grease emergency
— Emergency response to grease blockage in restaurant drainage, preventing kitchen closure.
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Restaurant kitchen
— Commercial food preparation area with grease trap, trade effluent and high drainage loads.
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Retail unit
— Shop or retail space, often with single WC and limited drainage to high street sewer.
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RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries)
— Regulations requiring UK employers to report specified workplace injuries and dangerous occurrences.
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Road gully
— Highway drainage point with a kerb inlet collecting surface water from roads into sewers.
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Robotic reinstatement
— Use of a robotic cutter to reopen lateral connections after a liner has been installed.
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Rodding eye (rodding point)
— Capped access point allowing drain rods to be pushed into a pipe for clearing blockages.
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Root cutter nozzle
— Specialist jetter nozzle with chain or blade attachments for cutting roots.
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Rubber gasket (drain joint)
— Elastomeric ring providing a watertight seal in push-fit drainage pipe sockets.
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Saddle connection (Y-junction)
— Branch fitting allowing a new pipe connection to an existing main drain run.
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Safety winch (manhole)
— Mechanical winch used for controlled descent and rescue in chambers.
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Salt-glazed clay pipe
— Older vitrified clay pipe with a glossy salt-glaze finish, found in Victorian London.
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Same-day drainage callout
— Drainage attendance on the same day of booking for urgent but non-emergency issues.
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Saniflo overflow
— Overflow of waste from a Saniflo macerator unit due to blockage or pump failure.
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Sanitary product blockage
— Drain blockage caused by sanitary towels, tampons or applicators flushed down a toilet.
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School drainage emergency (term-time)
— Drainage emergency at school during term time, requiring rapid response to maintain attendance.
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School kitchen
— Catering kitchen serving pupils, with term-time peak loads and grease management.
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Section 104 agreement (s.104)
— Agreement under the Water Industry Act 1991 for new sewers to be adopted by the water company.
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Section 106 agreement (s.106)
— Application under the Water Industry Act 1991 to connect a private drain to a public sewer.
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Section 50 licence (highway)
— Highways Act 1980 licence permitting works to be carried out in a public highway.
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Section 60 notice
— Control of Pollution Act 1974 notice limiting noise and working hours on construction sites.
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Sectional cable machine
— Drain cleaning machine using detachable cable sections coupled together.
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Self-build property
— Property built by or for the owner, with custom drainage design and individual approvals.
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Self-sealing waste valve
— Membrane valve replacing a traditional trap by sealing automatically after each discharge.
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Semi-detached house
— Pair of houses sharing one party wall, often with shared drainage runs at the rear.
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Septic tank
— Underground tank that partially treats sewage where no public sewer connection is available.
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Septic tank backup
— Sewage backing up from a septic tank due to a full chamber or failed soakaway drainage field.
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Septic tank emergency overflow
— Urgent response to septic tank overflowing due to blockage, capacity or pump failure.
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Septic tank emptying
— Pumping out of sludge and scum from a septic tank by vacuum tanker.
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Septic tank replacement
— Removal of an old septic tank and installation of a compliant new tank or treatment plant.
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Service condition grade (SCRIM)
— WRc grade reflecting how a defect affects ongoing service and operation of a drain.
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Service valve
— Small isolation valve fitted close to an appliance for safe maintenance without draining down.
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Sewage clean-up service
— Specialist cleaning of sewage-contaminated areas, including biocide treatment and waste disposal.
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Sewage decontamination
— Sterilising treatment of sewage-affected areas to eliminate pathogens and odour.
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Sewage ejector
— Pressurised system using compressed air to lift sewage from below the gravity sewer level.
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Sewage flooding response
— Emergency response to raw sewage flooding inside or outside property, with decontamination.
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Sewage tanker emergency callout
— Emergency vacuum tanker attendance to empty overflowing tanks or pumped systems.
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Sewer (main)
— Large underground pipe carrying combined or separated wastewater from many properties to treatment.
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Sewer adoption procedure
— Process by which new private sewers are vested in the local sewerage undertaker.
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Sewer dilapidation report
— Pre-purchase CCTV survey report assessing the condition of private drains and sewers.
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Sewer overflow response
— Emergency response to overflowing sewers and manholes, often during heavy rainfall events.
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Sewer record office
— Office or service holding the public sewer records for a local authority area.
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Sewer smell (hydrogen sulphide)
— Rotten egg odour from drains caused by hydrogen sulphide gas produced by septic conditions.
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Sewerage Act 1937
— Historic UK legislation that established many of the duties later codified in the Water Industry Act.
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Shared ownership property
— Property part-owned and part-rented, with mixed responsibility for drainage repairs.
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Sharp sand (drainage)
— Coarse angular sand used for pipe bedding, manhole haunching and surface water drainage.
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Shower screen
— Glass or plastic panel beside a bath or shower tray that prevents water splashing into the room.
