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Thank you keroo and Aroy for your valuable insight, this is really helpful in gathering initial knowledge.

What is a machine room less elevator and what is Hydraulic elevator?

BTW, how much is average electricity consumption for let say 5-10 times a day operation? Again, will a regular residential 3 phase electricity connection be adequate?

I will check with various manufacturers in my parents' place and get quotations etc. Just one query though, apart from Otis, Kone, Schindler who else are the branded manufacturers dealing with residential elevators that I should be checking with. stupid:

Machine room less means you don't need a large machine room on top of your terrace. All the equipment stays within the shaft, the only requirement is that the roof of the shaft has to be 15' from the last landing.

Think old style car lifts on a single pole for hydraulic elevators. A piston in a cylinder that is filled under pressure with oil does the work of moving the elevator cab.

The motor should be a 3.0-3.5 kW for two floors. You will require both single and 3 phase power and you will also need to provide cabling from meter board to lift shaft as well as special earthing pits.

Thyssenkrupp & Mitsubishi for branded elevators

You will get power consumption from the manufacturers literature. Most of them publish the specifications on line.

One thing that you must ensure is that the elevator has an outlet on the terrace. Most of the people omit this which in my view is not worth the marginal increase in cost.

Two points I would like to add regarding residential lift:
1. It might be wise to consider a big enough lift size to accommodate a wheelchair. Just enough to fit a wheelchair is not good enough. Comfortable turn around space and /or wheelchair plus attendant space should be considered.
2. Branded products are always better for safety.

I live on the ground floor. My bathroom drain gets frequently choked.

I lifted the drain mesh & shined a torch in the drain and checked. The drain hole looks like this - https://i.imgur.com/HVGBt0v.png

This is the part under the bathroom floor below the drain surface. There is no hole at the bottom of the drain but the hole is in the side (the yellow part in the drawing). The water flows out through that. I was wondering if this hole can be widened or what else can be done to prevent frequent choking? If yes, who will do this - a plumber or someone else?

Yes that is how drains are laid out. There is no point in widening the outlet as that will mean ripping out the floor and laying a new wider diameter pipe - an extensive and costly proposition.

Mostly bathroom drains choke due to hair accumulating at the bend. So you have to periodically clean the jam. The easiest method is to take a garden hose and push it as much as you can into the drain. As the water gushes in it will slowly wash the hair and any other material stuck.
Sometimes the commercially available drain cleaners work by flushing the hair out. You pour the liquid, fill the drain with water and use a rubber drain pump.
https://www.flipkart.com/menage-all-...g!306379101530!

By wider diameter pipe, do you mean the part which connects to the yellow part? If yes, what is the ballpark cost, I can look at for doing this? And who do I call for doing this?

What you see under the drain cover is a collection pit. This is usually a cement box like structure. The actual drain pipe which may be between 100mm and 150mm (4" to 6") is connected to this and carries the waste water to the next collection pit. This pipe is normally make of baked ceramic which is for all practical purpose corrosion free. This is the pipe that normally chokes. So in order to increase its diameter you have to dig the floor all the way from the bathroom to the next collection pit (that has a manhole cover).

So the costs are pretty high involving
. Breaking the floor along the route
. Installing new pipe
. Repairing the collection pits at both the ends
. Laying a new floor or repairing the existing floor

On the whole a job which can sink between 10K and 50K. So unless the drain pipe is very old and narrow, it is not worth the trouble.

Here is a link to typical domestic plumbings
https://www.google.com/search?q=dome...MF9sFK1bei3LM:

and this is what it looks like

The top of white pipe bend on the left opens on the floor and is connected to the ceramic pipe on the right. In India both are usually ceramic and cemented instead of connected with a collar. In this diagram the drain is connected to a vertical drain which in India is on the outside wall of the house. So to increase the diameter you have to change not only the pipes on the left, but also the joint where it meets the vertical drain.

This is what I think I have in my home.

https://www.finolexpipes.com/product...s/nahani-trap/

If you see the line diagram - the part below the "WS" marking is where it gets choked. I know because I have inserted my finger there and pushed it through.

I called a plumber but he said that this cannot be made bigger.

I am thinking of calling another plumber and see if he has any suggestions.

That trap is precisely there to catch particles so that they do not travel down line and choke the drain where it may be difficult to access.

My suggestion is that
. You periodically clean the debris at the trap
. Use a finer mesh on the drain top to catch hair and other finer particles

It could be mostly tangled hair that might be causing the block.

Try 1) a plunger to push any block further 2) a drain snake to pull out the hair 3) any drain cleaner chemical (with care not to melt the pipe) before calling a plumber. There could be an elbow/bend with an openable cap outside the wall of bathroom. Try opening that too and use the drain snake.

After trying these, just pour half a bucket of water first slowly to see if it the draining rate is slow or if it is completely blocked somewhere outside in the soak pit.

No, that's not what the trap is for. The trap is to so that there is a layer of water always in the drain & so that the drain doesn't become dry. The layer of water prevents gases and smells from the sewage outside from coming in. It's similar to the P trap/bottle trap for wash basins. A p-trap or a bottle trap in a wash basin is to trap a layer of water which serves as a barrier between outside gases and smells & the bathroom. The Nanhi Trap in the bathroom serves the same purpose.

https://dengarden.com/home-improveme...he-Wash-Basins



All this is something I do regularly. My question is more about how to make the hole bigger so that this doesn't need to be done as frequently. However, I talked to a couple of plumbers today & I don't think that is possible.

Guys I need some help. We’ve built the first floor on our existing house. Now the contractor has quoted 1670/- per sq ft as construction charges. I want to know what all is included in this construction charge. And how is it calculated ??? Is it wall-to-wall ???

Also he has billed us extra for electrical fittings, debris shifting, and tools hire charges.

Can the experts please clarify ???

Please get a written registered agreement done with all details written viz. material to be used, what all work is to be done, how the calculations will be done i.e., is the price based on floor area(which it should be) or is he going to count everything, and the delivery date with penalties for late delivery and the payment schedule. Don't leave anything on word even if the contractor is someone known. Also don't pay absurd advance amounts. See what work has been done and then make the decision. Just make a payment schedule which keeps you safe and stick to it strictly.

Instead of going by the per square foot charges and adding extra items, ask him to prepare a BOQ and work schedule. This is normally done by Architects, but can also be done by the contractors.

Normally you should get a detailed quote with a BOQ (Bill of Quantities). The BOQ should have the following details
. Item Description, including brands to be used. This will include all types of work - both labour as well as material. It should also include cost of getting various permits and permissions
. Rate and the unit
. Estimated quantities
. Subtotals for each type of work

That will give you and estimate of charges and the quantities required

Next will be the work schedule
. Estimated work week wise
. Time line of each work
. Cost of each week's work. This can be cross checked from the BOQ
. Penalties for delays - week, month etc
. Incentives for early finish

The more detailed the above, the less ambiguity.

This is what is done in medium to large project, but can also be implemented in a residential project.