Inspection Chambers

Inspection chambers (sometimes called manhole chambers) play a vital role in ensuring the proper functioning and maintainability of underground drainage systems. They provide crucial access points for a variety of essential tasks, including:

Inspections: Visual inspection of the drainage system for signs of wear, damage, or blockages.
Cleaning: Utilising drain rods, high-pressure water jetting, or other cleaning equipment to remove debris and maintain clear flow paths.
Testing: Performing CCTV drainage surveys to assess the overall condition of the pipe network and identify potential problems.

Here at Drainage Sales, we recognise the importance of providing drainage professionals with a vast selection of underground chamber solutions. We offer both Complete Inspection Chamber Sets and Inspection Chamber Components with a variety of specialist drainage chamber solutions to address your specific needs.

Our Range of Inspection Chambers

We offer a curated range of pre-assembled drainage inspection chambers encompassing the most commonly encountered drainage system configurations. This selection is based on our extensive experience in the industry and caters to a wide array of project requirements. Each set includes a base, sectional risers with a seal, and a manhole cover that is specific to the required finish.

For projects demanding a more bespoke approach, we offer all the individual components that make up an inspection chamber from quality manufacturers FloPlast, ClarkDrain and Turtle Enviro. This allows for the customisation of chamber size, depth, and other features to perfectly suit your specific needs.

If you require a round or square cover, a deep or shallow invert, or a base or riser level invert, you can find what you need below. If you've got something specific in mind that we don't stock, just click here to get in touch with our team - we may be able to source it for you!

Inspection Chamber Structure and Components

An inspection chamber typically consists of the following key elements, which are included in our complete set or can be purchased separately:

Base: This forms the foundation of the chamber, with inlets and outlets moulded to securely connect with drainage pipes of various diameters.
Sectional Risers: These stackable components allow for customisation of the chamber depth to meet specific site requirements. Each riser incorporates a seal to ensure a watertight connection between sections. Additional risers can be readily added to achieve the necessary chamber depth for the project. The final riser can be precisely cut to ensure a flush fit with the ground surface, creating a safe and aesthetically pleasing installation.
Manhole Cover: The cover provides a secure closure at the top of the chamber, typically manufactured from robust materials like cast iron or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to withstand traffic loads (as per BS EN 124) and prevent unauthorised access. The specific cover type (round, square, etc.) is chosen based on the desired finish and load rating.

Additional Inspection Chamber Solutions

Beyond pre-configured sets and individual components, we offer a variety of specialist inspection chamber solutions to address specific needs:

Twinwall Inspection Chambers: These robust drain chambers are ideal for deep burial applications or areas requiring exceptional load-bearing capacity.
Inspection Chambers for Foul and Surface Water: Designed to handle the specific requirements of both foul drainage (wastewater) and surface water drainage systems.
Yard Gullies: These shallow access chambers are frequently used in paved areas to collect surface water runoff and channel it into the main drainage network.
Catchpit Chambers: These larger chambers are strategically positioned within the drainage system to capture debris and sediment, preventing blockages and ensuring optimal system performance.

Using Inspection Chambers At A Change of Direction

Within underground drainage networks, inspection chambers play a critical role in managing changes of direction for drainage pipes. British Standards (BS EN 13598) recommend the use of inspection chambers at all points where a drainage pipe changes direction by 30 degrees or more. This ensures the long-term functionality and maintainability of the drainage system by promoting efficient flow and facilitating essential maintenance activities.

Our drain chamber sets or individual components can be readily utilised to create the necessary access points for projects requiring inspection chambers at pipe changes of direction.

Click here to watch a video on how to set up the chamber for a change of pipe direction.

Inspection Chamber Installation Guide

For comprehensive information on inspection chamber selection, installation procedures, and detailed technical specifications, consulting industry standards and manufacturer guidelines are recommended. For more detailed instructions on what inspection chambers are and what they are used for, please visit our Guides and Tips section using the tab below, or contact us for further details.

DELIVERY CUT OFF TIMES

All orders are being dispatched as normal. Unless subject to exclusions, all orders received before 12pm will be delivered the next working day.

Please note, standard Cast Iron Gutter systems have a cut off time of 11am. Large or palletised orders have a cut off time of 12pm.

ORDER DAY	DELIVERY CUT OFF TIME	DELIVERY DAY*
Monday	12pm	Tuesday
Tuesday	12pm	Wednesday
Wednesday	12pm	Thursday
Thursday	12pm	Friday
Friday	12pm	Monday
Saturday	12pm	Tuesday
Sunday	12pm	Tuesday
Bank Holidays (except Bank Holiday Monday)	12pm	Next Working Day (Bank Holiday Monday orders will be delivered the following Wednesday)

*Delivery to non-Industrial Scotland, Northern Ireland, and CH, LL, and CA postcodes can sometimes take slightly longer, although this is dependent upon the exact location.

If we are unable to deliver your order within the above timeframe for any reason, we will contact you to arrange an alternative delivery day. We use overnight carriers, so we are unable to arrange or confirm an exact time of delivery.

Some special or non-stocked items on our website have extended lead-times, which are displayed on the product pages in question – see below for more details.

Whilst every reasonable effort shall be made to keep to a delivery date, we cannot be held liable for any losses, costs, damages, or expenses arising directly or indirectly out of any failure to meet any estimated delivery date.

In the unlikely event of a late delivery, we will be unable to compensate you for any consequential loss, so please do not organise any plant or labour before you have received your materials.

DELIVERY CHARGES AND EXTENDED LEAD TIMES

Orders over £1,000 excluding VAT will be delivered free of charge. Orders under this amount will incur a charge of £15.00 + VAT. This applies to most stocked items and some items that are supplied directly from manufacturers. Orders of stocked items are generally delivered in 1-3 working days.

Some stocked items will incur a bulky or pallet charge due to their extreme weights or lengths:

Bulky items - £45.00 + VAT charge placed on orders that contain one or more bulky products. These items will be marked as bulky during the checkout process.
Palletised items - £60.00 + VAT charge placed on orders that contain one or more items that need to be sent and delivered via a pallet. These items will be marked as palletised during the checkout process.

A full list of stocked items can be found here.

Certain items, usually those sent direct from manufacturers, incur additional delivery charges and an extended lead time regardless of the order value, due to the restrictions placed upon us by our carrier and the extreme weights/lengths. These charges are applied instead of the standard £15.00 + VAT charge if the order is valued under £1,000 excluding VAT.

The following product ranges have extended lead times or incur additional delivery charges. Please click on each individual range for specific details.

OUR COURIER PARTNERS

COURIER NAME	ORDER TRACKING	CONTACT INFORMATION	DELIVERY DAYS	NEXT DAY DELIVERY?
DX	Use online tracking portal	8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat Express: 0333 241 5700 Freight: 0333 241 1100	Mon-Fri	Yes
DHL	Use online tracking portal	7am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat 02476 937 770	Mon-Fri	Yes
Tuffnells	Use online tracking portal. Following recent notice of Tuffnells going into administration, please contact us if there are any issues with your order.	N/A	Mon-Fri	Yes
Magnus/Pallex	Please contact us directly	N/A	Mon-Fri 8am-6pm	Yes
Own Transport	Please contact us directly	Email: [email protected] Phone: 01206 931404	Mon-Sat	Yes

OUR DELIVERY AREA

LOCATION	RESTRICTIONS	ADDITIONAL CHARGES	NOTES
Mainland UK	N/A	No additional charges for location, product specific delivery charges still apply	N/A
Ireland Jersey Guernsey	We are currently unable to deliver to these areas	N/A	N/A
Isle of Man Isle of Wight Scottish Highlands Northern Ireland		Additional delivery charge applies. Amount dependent on weight and length of product ordered. PBSL Group will contact you regarding this charge after we receive your order.	N/A
Scottish Isles	N/A	Additional delivery charge applies. Amount dependent on weight and length of product ordered. PBSL Group will contact you regarding this charge after we receive your order.	Many of our customers in the Scottish Isles choose to have their order redirected to a local haulier such as Woody's Express or Hebrides Haulage in Inverness.

Certain direct suppliers are able to ship outside of these areas depending on product quantity and availability. Please get in touch with us regarding any such queries.

SPLIT DELIVERIES

If you have ordered a mixture of goods that come both from us and direct from our manufacturing partners, you will be advised of this in your dispatch email. As the order is coming from two locations, you will receive two different deliveries. Delivery on direct items can have extended lead times and will need someone present to check and sign for the goods.

Occasionally, we don't have all items in stock at our main warehouse. If this is the case, we will endeavour to send the stock the same day from one of our other branches, in order to not delay delivery of the complete order. This may lead to a split delivery, dependant on the courier being used. We will contact you if there is going to be a delay due to this.

LABOUR AND MACHINERY

Please do not book machinery or labour until your goods have been received and checked over. Whilst every effort is made by our couriers to deliver your parcel within the stated timeframe, Drainage Sales cannot be held responsible for any additional costs incurred by delays outside of our control.

CHECKING AND SIGNING FOR ORDERS

SIGNED FOR POLICY – T&CS

All orders should be signed for. If you are unable to sign for your delivery, you can arrange with us for a neighbour to take delivery of your order. You can also advise us of a safe place where your order can be left, although we cannot take responsibility for any shortages or obvious damages.

Please ensure that you always check the number of packages that you are signing for. If there is an incorrect number of packages or any package appears damaged, you should note this on the signature panel and advise us so that we can rectify the issue as quickly as possible. Once goods have been signed for as being received ‘complete and in good condition’, any claims are not covered by the carrier’s insurance company.

Signing for goods as ‘unchecked’ makes any claims inadmissible, so please check the number of packages and look for any signs of any damage, noting any issues on the signature panel. Although the delivery drivers are busy, they are contractually obliged to wait whilst you check your delivery.

WHAT IF I CAN’T WAIT IN ALL DAY?

There is a ‘Notes’ section of the Basket review page where you can request for your goods to be left in a safe location – just tell us where to leave the order. Please not that we cannot take responsibility for any shortages or obvious damages if goods have not been signed for.

Please note that deliveries made by DHL (these are generally small orders with no pipe or bulky products) cannot be left in a safe location. You will be advised which carrier will be delivering your order by email at the point of dispatch.

REFUNDS, RESTOCKING AND RETURNS

RESTOCKING CHARGES

Please note that if returned with no fault of the product of the manufacturer, some of our products incur a restocking charge:

PRODUCT	RESTOCKING FEE (% OF PRODUCT PRICE)	COLLECTION CHARGE
Copper and Zinc Gutters	20%	£70
Storm Building Products	15%	Yes – depending on order value
Guardian Building Products	15%	Yes – depending on order value, plus return carriage charge if required
Clear Amber Products	30%	N/A
Shower Wall Cladding	35%	N/A
Painted Aluminium products	MADE TO ORDER – CANNOT BE RETURNED	MADE TO ORDER – CANNOT BE RETURNED
Cast Iron: Premier Primed Standard Rainwater, Premier Primed Sand Cast Rainwater, Premier LCC Soil, Halifax Soil & Drain Systems Fittings Only	25%	N/A
Cast Iron: Premier Extra (Black) Standard Rainwater, Premier Extra (Black) Sand Cast Rainwater, Mech 416 Soil System Fittings Only, Traditional Express Soil System	35%	N/A
FH Brundle Steel Fencing	20%	N/A

For further information and clarification of the legislation surrounding the return of goods, and associated costs, please refer to regulation 35 of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

RETURNS AND REFUNDS

Please read our Returns & Refunds policy for further details.