Six things to consider when renovating your scullery

From considering the movement within the space to avoiding clogged pipes, here are six top tips when it comes to renovating your scullery.

The scullery is something that not all of us are privileged enough to have, but its function is vital to any home as cleaning dishes and doing laundry are two of our most basic household chores.

The design and layout, therefore, becomes quite important when trying to achieve these objectives. Even though doing these chores might not be your favourite thing to do every day, you can transform this space into a place that works for you and your family. To make your time spent in the scullery worthwhile, Richard Bailie, from the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB) shared his best tips when it comes to renovating your scullery:

THINK ABOUT THE ERGONOMICS

Think about the movement within the space, and perhaps the movement of more than one person simultaneously. Try to group appliances and stations so that the person washing dishes is not in the way of the person loading laundry, and visa-versa. This includes giving thought to where consumables are kept.

HIDE THE GROSS STUFF

By its very nature, the scullery will play host to piles of dirty dishes and/or laundry. Think of where the natural drop-off spaces will be (never mind where the intended drop-off spaces are, we all know that humans will do what they want anyway). Hide these areas as much as possible.

SETTLE ON YOUR DESIGN

What Richard means by this, is don’t chop and change the design.

“There is nothing worse than a plumber being told to ‘just move that point a bit to the left’,” Richard explained. “You may not notice it in the finished product, but these changes mean that pipes become convoluted, untraceable and prone to leaks and blockages. It also sometimes forces plumbers to use the wrong waste pipes, or join two or more waste pipes. A well thought out pipe network ensures proper functionality, whereas a patchwork of pipes often result in non-performance.

FOLLOW THE STANDARDS

A PIRB registered plumber should be well aware of the requirements and follow them.

“Scullery waste pipes are often the most prone to blockages in any home due to the nature of the wastewater as it is almost always fatty,” Richard explained. “Pipes that have been properly selected and installed should not block easily, and be easy to access should maintenance become necessary.”

GET THE WATER HOT!

Kitchen waste means fat. Fat will clog your pipes quickly and is very difficult to remove. For this reason, the hot water source that supplies your scullery should be set at least to 60°C in order to melt the fats.

ALWAYS USE A PIRB REGISTERED PLUMBER

To get all of this right, it is advised that homeowners and consumers always use a PIRB registered plumber for any plumbing work that needs to be done. A plumber who is registered with the PIRB is recognised in the plumbing industry and by consumers as qualified and competent because certain criteria would have had to be met before they are allowed to practice as a plumber. What’s more, only PIRB registered plumbers can issue a PIRB plumbing Certificate of Compliance (CoC).

Source: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/property/tips-scullery-101-pirb-plumbing-pipes-who-to-call-ideas/