A separate drainage system keeps foul water and surface water completely separate. This prevents sewerage treatment plants from becoming overloaded during wet weather. A combined system joins some or all surface water to the foul water system. Both then enter the treatment plant together. It is generally agreed that separate systems are preferred by authorities as they minimize costs for sewerage plant installation and operation.
A separate drainage system keeps foul water and surface water completely separate. This prevents sewerage treatment plants from becoming overloaded during wet weather. A combined system joins some or all surface water to the foul water system. Both then enter the treatment plant together. It is generally agreed that separate systems are preferred by authorities as they minimize costs for sewerage plant installation and operation.
A separate drainage system keeps foul water and surface water completely separate. This prevents sewerage treatment plants from becoming overloaded during wet weather. A combined system joins some or all surface water to the foul water system. Both then enter the treatment plant together. It is generally agreed that separate systems are preferred by authorities as they minimize costs for sewerage plant installation and operation.
A separate drainage system keeps foul water and surface water completely separate. This prevents sewerage treatment plants from becoming overloaded during wet weather. A combined system joins some or all surface water to the foul water system. Both then enter the treatment plant together. It is generally agreed that separate systems are preferred by authorities as they minimize costs for sewerage plant installation and operation.
A separate drainage system is one were the foul water and the surface water are always kept separate. This is shown in the two previous diagrams. When a separate system is used then the sewerage treatment plant will not get overloaded in periods of wet weather.
A combined system is no longer used and joins some or all of the surface water into the foul water drainage system. This means that both surface water and foul water will discharge into the sewerage treatment plant. To avoid the treatment plant being overloaded, it may be possible to extract some foul water at various points in the drainage network. This can be achieved if the surface water is less dense than the foul water and tends to flow at the top in a drain. A separating device can be used to divert surface water into a storm water channel or drain.
It is generally agreed that the installation and running costs of sewerage treatment plant can be minimised if a separate system is adopted. For this reason the separate system is favoured by local authorities. A typical combined system is shown below but not recommended. • Two-Storey Dwellings
It is good practice to provide a vent for foul water drains.
• Any smells or pressure may be relieved at the vent. • This may be achieved by continuing the foul water drain to high level above windows in a building. • In a two-storey dwelling the bathroom is normally upstairs so the foul water drainage system will be partly vertical, as shown below. • The vent is shown on a gable end, this can also be at the rear of a house or situated internally. • The system shown above is a single pipe system where there is one vertical soil and vent pipe. In some installations the vents may be connected at each appliance (wash basin, urinal, etc.). This is shown in the DESIGN POINTS section. • NOTE: Single pipe and two-pipe systems are not to be confused with separate and combined systems as discussed on the previous page. • Design Points • There are some points to note when designing any drainage scheme, these are: • Foul Water • Foul water is soil water from toilets and waste water from basins, baths, showers, etc. • The one-pipe system is favoured over the two-pipe system because there are fewer pipes and it is more hygienic. • The two-pipe system uses a separate vent from each sanitary appliance, which are then joined into a combined vent stack, whereas the single-stack system is simplified. • All systems are vented and trapped to exclude smells and foul air. • Traps are devices, which contain a water-seal of about 50mm to 75mm to prevent gases escaping into sanitary fittings like wash basins, water closets, sinks, baths, showers, etc. • Foul water pipes exceeding 6.4 metres long are usually required to be vented. • If the waste pipe from a wash basin is at too steep a gradient, self-siphonage may occur. This is where the contents of the trap are sucked out into the waste pipe because the water flows away too quickly thus emptying the trap. • How to prevent :
• Self -siphonage is usually prevented by one or more of the following:
1. By fitting a P trap to the sanitary appliance (thus avoiding vertical branch discharge pipes). 2. Ensuring that the branch discharge pipe length and slope do not exceed those recommended. 3. By fitting a ventilating or anti-siphon pipe adjacent to the trap outlet. 4. By fitting a larger diameter branch discharge pipe to the trap outlet. 5. By correct design of sanitary appliance. 6. By fitting a resealing or anti-siphon trap to the sanitary appliance. • Induced siphonage
• caused by the discharge of water waste from one sanitary appliance, pulling or siphoning the seal of a trap of another appliance connected to the same branch discharge pipe. This form of siphonage is most common in buildings where ranges of appliances are fitted or where it is necessary to connect several appliances to a common branch discharge pipe. The main causes of induced siphonange are poor system design, inadequate pipe sizes or bad installation techniques.
• can occur if a suction pressure develops in the drainage system. A suction pressure of 500 N/m2 (50mm water gauge) will reduce the water level in a basin trap by 25mm. • Waste pipes from appliances which discharge into larger pipes avoids siphonage problems because the larger pipes do not normally run full. • For example, a 32mm waste from a wash hand basin is connected to a 100mm diameter Soil and Vent pipe. • Waste pipes from appliances which discharge into pipes of the same diameter have limitations on lengths, number of bends and gradients to minimise siphonage problems. • Self-siphonage is not normally a problem for sinks, baths and showers because of the near flat base of each appliance allowing the trap to re-fill should it empty. • The horizontal length of soil pipe from a WC is limited to 6m (Building Regulations U.K.). • Soil and Vent stacks should have no waste branch close to the connection of the WC. • Sometimes it is not possible to prevent pressure fluctuations in pipework in which case separate vent pipes should be installed. It may not be possible to limit the length of branches or provide reasonable gradients in some installations. • A velocity of flow of 0.6 to 0.75 m/s should prevent stranding of solid matter in horizontal pipes. • Gradients from 1 in 40 to 1 in 110 will normally give adequate flow velocities. • A range of 4 lavatory basins, the traps from which discharge into a straight run of 50mm waste pipe not more than 4m long, with a fall of 1-21/2o, will give rise to a need for venting. (reference British Standard No. 5572) • It is normal practice to connect a ground floor water closet straight into a manhole. Self-siphonage and induced siphonage will not occur because of the large pipe from a W.C. diameter (100mm) and because the drain is vented. • Access points should be sited: • (a) At a bend or change indirection • (b) At a junction, unless each run can be cleared from an access point. • (c) On or near the head of each drain run. • (d) On long runs • (e) At a change of pipe size.
