Sanit ary

Drainage
Syst ems
Cont inuing Educat ion f rom t he
American Societ y of Plumbing Engineers

MAY 2012

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T he pu r pose of t h e sa n it a r y dr a in age syst em is t o r emove
ef uent disch a r ged fr om plu mbin g xt u r es an d ot her equ ip-
ment t o an appr oved poin t of disposa l. A san it a r y dr a in a ge
syst em gen er a lly con sist s of hor izont a l br a n ches, ver t ica l
st ack s, a bu ildin g dr a in in side t he bu ildin g, a n d a bu ildin g
sewer fr om t he bu ildin g wa ll t o t he point of disposa l.
To econ om ica lly design a san it a r y dr a in age syst em , t he
design er shou ld u se t he sm a llest pipes possible accor din g t o
t h e applicable code t h at can r apidly ca r r y away t h e soiled
wat er fr om in dividu a l xt u r es wit hout cloggin g t he pipes,
leavin g solids in t he pipin g, gener at in g excessive pneu m at ic
pr essu r es at poin t s wher e t he xt u r e dr a in s con n ect t o t he
st ack (wh ich m ight cau se t he r educt ion of t r ap wat er sea ls
an d for ce sewer gases back t h r ou gh in h abit able a r eas), a n d
cr eat in g u n due n oise.
Since vent s an d vent in g syst em s a r e descr ibed in Ch apt er
3 of t h is volu me, t he followin g discu ssion cent er s on ly on t he
design of dr a in a n d wast e syst em s.
CODE S AN D S TAN DAR DS
P lu m bin g codes est ablish a m in imu m accept able st a n da r d
for t he design a nd in st a llat ion of syst em s, includin g san it a r y
dr ain age. Ther e ar e var ious model codes, but some st at es and
la r ge cit ies h ave adopt ed t heir own plu mbin g codes, r at her
t h a n t h e on es u su a lly associat ed wit h t he r egion . Becau se
of t h is n on -st an da r dizat ion , t he act u a l plu mbin g code u sed
for each speci c pr oject mu st be obt a in ed fr om a r espon sible
code of cia l.
A va r iet y of differ ent codes a r e u sed t o lay out a n d size
in t er ior sa n it a r y dr a in a ge syst em s, a n d t h e in for m at ion
per t a in in g t o sa n it a r y design for a speci c pr oject appea r s
in t he appr oved loca l plu mbin g code, wh ich mu st be t he pr i-
m a r y met h od u sed for t he accept ed met hods an d sizin g. T he
t ables a n d ch a r t s appea r in g in t h is ch apt er a r e u sed on ly t o
illu st r at e a nd au gment discu ssion s of sizin g met hods, sizin g
pr ocedu r es, an d design met h ods an d shou ld n ot be u sed for
act u a l design pu r poses.
F L OW I N S TACKS
A st ack is t he m a in ver t ica l pipe t h at ca r r ies away disch a r ge
fr om wat er closet s an d u r in a ls (soil st ack) or ot h er clea r wa-
t er wast e fr om equ ipmen t an d n on -san it a r y xt u r es (wa st e
st ack). F low in t h e dr a in empt ies in t o t h e ver t ica l st ack
t t in g, wh ich m ay be a lon g-t u r n t ee-wye or a shor t -t u r n
or sa n it a r y t ee. E ach of t h ese t t in gs per m it s ow fr om t he
dr a in t o ent er t he st ack wit h a component dir ect ed ver t ically
downwa r d. Dependin g on t he r at e of ow out of t he dr a in
int o t h e st ack, t h e dia met er of t h e st ack, t h e t ype of st ack
t t in g, and the ow down t he st ack fr om h igher levels (if any),
Reprinted from Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook, Volume 2. © 2010, American Society of Plumbing Engineers.
2 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012
READ, LEARN, EARN
t he disch a r ge fr om t he xt u r e dr a in m ay or m ay not ll t h e
cr oss-sect ion of t he st ack at t he level of en t r y. In an y event ,
as soon as t he wat er ent er s t he st ack, t he for ce of gr avit y
r apidly acceler at es it downwa r d, a n d befor e it fa lls ver y far,
it a ssu mes t he for m of a sh eet a r ou nd t h e wa ll of t he st ack,
leavin g t he cent er of t he pipe open for t he ow of a ir.
T h is sheet of wat er cont inues t o acceler at e u nt il t he fr ic-
t ion a l for ce exer t ed by t he wa ll of t he st ack on t he fa llin g
sheet of wat er equ a ls t he for ce of gr avit y. F r om t h at poin t
on , if t h e dist a n ce t he wat er fa lls is su f cien t en ou gh a n d
pr ovided t h at n o ow en t er s t h e st ack at lower levels t o
in t er fer e wit h t he sh eet , t he sheet r em a in s u n ch a n ged in
t h ickness and velocit y u nt il it r eaches t he bot t om of t he st ack.
T he u lt im at e ver t ica l velocit y t he sheet at t a in s is ca lled t h e
“t er m in al velocit y.” The dist ance t he sheet must fall t o at t ain
t h is t er m in a l velocit y is ca lled t he “t er m in a l len gt h .”
Followin g a r e t he for mu lae developed for ca lcu lat in g t he
t er m in a l velocit y a nd t er m in a l len gt h :
E q u a t i on 1-1a (t er m in a l vel ocit y)
VT = 3.0(Q/d)2 /5
E q u a t i on 1-1b (t er m in a l l en gt h )
LT = 0.052VT 2
wh er e
VT = Ter m in al velocit y in t h e st ack, feet per secon d (fps)
(m et er s per secon d)
LT = Ter m in al len gt h below t h e poin t of ow en t r y, feet
(m et er s)
Q = Qu an t it y r at e of ow, gallon s per m in u t e (gpm ) (lit er s
per secon d)
d = Diam et er of st ack, in ch es (m illim et er s)
Ter m in a l velocit y is appr oxim at ely 10 t o 15 fps (3.05 t o
4.57 met er s per secon d), a n d t h is velocit y is at t a in ed wit h in
10 t o 15 feet (3.05 t o 4.57 met er s) of fa ll fr om t he poin t of
en t r y.
At the cent er of the st ack is a cor e of air t hat is dragged
alon g with the wat er by fr iction . A supply sour ce of air must be
pr ovided t o avoid excessive pr essu res in the st ack. The usu al
mean s of supplyin g th is air ar e th r ough the st ack vent or vent
st ack. The entrained air in the st ack causes a pr essu re r educ-
tion in side the st ack, wh ich is caused by the fr iction al effect of
the fallin g sheet of wat er dr aggin g the cor e of air with it.
If t he sh eet of wat er fa llin g down t he st ack passes a st ack
t t in g th r ough wh ich t he disch ar ge fr om a xt u r e is ent er in g
t he st ack, t h e wat er fr om t h e br an ch m ixes wit h or de ect s
t he r apidly movin g sheet of wat er. An excess pr essu r e in t h e
dr a in fr om wh ich t he wat er is ent er in g t he st ack is r equ ir ed
t o de ect t he sheet of wat er owin g downwa r d or t o m ix t he
br a n ch wat er wit h it . T he r esu lt is a back-pr essu r e cr eat ed
in t he br a nch , wh ich in cr ea ses wit h t he ow r at e a nd ow
velocit y down t he st ack a nd wit h t he ow r at e out of t h e
dr a in .
T he impor t an ce of t h is k n owledge is t h at it con clu sively
abolishes t he myt h t h at wat er fallin g fr om a gr eat height will
dest r oy t he t t in gs at t he base of a st ack. T he velocit y at t he
ba se of a 100-st or y st ack is on ly slight ly a nd in sign i ca nt ly
gr eat er t h a n t he velocit y at t he base of a t h r ee-st or y st ack.
T he con cer n is t he weight of t he st ack , wh ich mu st be sup-
por t ed by cla mps at each oor level.
F lo w in B u i ld in g D r a in s
Wh en t h e sh eet of wat er r ea ch es t h e ben d a t t h e ba se
of t h e st ack , it t u r n s at appr oxim at ely r igh t a n gles in t o
t h e bu ildin g dr a in . F low en t er s t h e h or izon t a l dr a in at a
r elat ively h igh velocit y compa r ed t o t h e ow velocit y in a
hor izont a l dr a in u n der u n ifor m ow condit ion s. T he slope of
t h e bu ildin g dr a in is n ot a dequ at e t o m a in t a in t h e velocit y
t h at exist ed in t h e ver t ica l sh eet wh en it r each ed t h e ba se
of t h e st ack a n d mu st ow hor izon t a lly. T h e velocit y of t h e
wat er owin g a lon g t h e bu ildin g dr a in a n d sewer decr ea ses
slowly a n d t h en in cr ea ses sudden ly a s t h e dept h of ow in -
cr ea ses a n d com plet ely lls t h e cr oss-sect ion of t h e dr a in .
T h is ph en om en on is ca lled a “hydr au lic ju m p.”
T he cr it ica l dist a n ce at wh ich t he hydr au lic ju mp m ay oc-
cu r va r ies fr om im mediat ely at t he st ack t t in g t o 10 t imes
t h e dia met er of t he st ack down st r eam . Less hydr au lic ju mp
occu r s if t he hor izont a l dr a in is la r ger t h a n t he st ack. Aft er
t h e hydr au lic ju mp occu r s a n d wat er lls t he dr a in , t he pipe
t en ds t o ow fu ll u nt il t he fr ict ion r esist a n ce of t h e pipe
r et a r ds t he ow t o t h at of u n ifor m ow con dit ion s.
F lo w in F ix t u r e D r a in s
Det er m in at ion of t he r equ ir ed dr ain size is a r elat ively simple
m at t er, sin ce t he xt u r e dr a in mu st be adequ at e on ly t o
ca r r y t he disch a r ge fr om t he xt u r e t o wh ich it is at t ached.
Becau se of t he pr oblem of self-siphon age, however, it is advis-
able t o select a diamet er la r ge enou gh t h at t he dr a in ows
lit t le mor e t h a n h a lf-fu ll u n der t he m a ximu m disch a r ge
condit ion s likely t o be imposed by t he xt u r e.
For example, a lavat or y dr ain capable of car r yin g t he ow
disch a r ged fr om a lavat or y m ay st ill ow fu ll over pa r t or a ll
of it s len gt h . Th is occu r s for sever a l r eason s. T he ver t ica l
compon ent of t h e ow out of t he t r ap int o t he dr a in t en ds t o
m a ke t h e wat er at t ach t o t he upper element s of t h e dr a in ,
an d a slu g of wat er is for med, llin g t he dr a in at t h at poin t .
If in su f cien t a ir is aspir at ed t h r ou gh t he over ow, t he pipe
will ow fu ll for pa r t of it s len gt h , wit h t he aver a ge ow
velocit y bein g less t h a n t he n or m a l velocit y for t he ow r at e
in t he dr a in at a given slope.
In the past, with a xtur e such as a toilet, the su rge of wat er
fr om t he t oilet continued a lmost wit hout ch an ge even alon g a
ver y lon g dr ain until it r eached the st ack. Th is still is generally
tr ue, but t he u se of low- ow and dual- u sh t oilet s r equ ir es t he
design of the hor izont al pipin g t o be recon sider ed. It can not be
assu med, for all pr act ical pu r poses, t h at t he su r ge caused by
t he disch ar ge of a t oilet t h r ough a xt u r e dr ain r eaches t he
st ack or hor izont al br anch wit h pr actically t he same velocit y
it h ad when it left t he xt u r e.
P N E U M AT IC P R E S S U R E S I N A
S AN I TAR Y DR AI NAGE S YS T E M
Due t o t h e pr essu r e condit ion s in a st ack a n d a bu ildin g
dr a in , wa st ewat er does n ot ll t he cr oss-sect ion an ywher e,
so t he a ir ca n ow fr eely wit h t he wat er. T he wat er owin g
down t he wa ll of t he st ack dr a gs a ir wit h it by fr ict ion a n d
car r ies t he air t h r ough t he bu ildin g dr ain t o t he st r eet sewer.
T he a ir is t hen vent ed t h r ou gh t he m a in st r eet sewer syst em
so dan ger ou s pr essu r es do n ot bu ild up. T he gen er a lly ac-
cept ed pr essu r e is ± 1 inch of wat er colu m n .
Wh en a ir ent er s t he t op of t he st ack t o r eplace t he a ir
bein g ca r r ied wit h t he wat er, t he pr essu r e in side t he st ack
decr eases. However, becau se of t h e head loss n ecessa r y t o
acceler at e t he a ir a n d t o pr ovide for t he en er gy loss at t h e
en t r a n ce, t h is pr essu r e r educt ion is n egligible, a mou n t in g
t o on ly a sm a ll fr act ion of a n in ch of wat er. Appr eciable
pr essu r e r educt ion s a r e cau sed by t he pa r t ia l or complet e
block in g of t he st ack by wat er owin g int o t he st ack fr om a
hor izont a l br an ch .
A sm a ll in cr ease in pn eu m at ic pr essu r e will occu r in t h e
bu ildin g dr a in even if t he a ir ow is n ot complet ely blocked
by a hydr au lic ju mp or by su bmer gen ce of t h e out let an d t he
bu ildin g sewer. T h is is due t o t he decr ease in cr oss-sect ion a l
ar ea available for air ow when t he wat er owin g in t he dr ain
h as adapt ed t o t he slope a n d dia met er of t he dr a in .
F I XT U R E DIS CH AR GE
CH AR AC T E R IS T ICS
The disch ar ge ch a r act er istic cu r ves— ow r at es as a fu nct ion
of t ime—for most t oilet bowls h ave t he sa me gen er a l sh ape,
but some show a much lower pea k a nd a lon ger per iod of
disch a r ge. Th e disch a r ge ch a r act er ist ics for va r iou s t ypes
of bowls, pa r t icu lar ly for low- ow t oilet s, h ave a sign i ca nt
impact on est im at in g t he capacit y of a sa n it a r y dr a in age
syst em . Ot her plu mbin g xt u r es, such a s sin k s, lavat or ies,
a n d bat ht u bs, m ay pr oduce sim ila r su r gin g ows in dr a in -
age syst em s, but t hey do n ot h ave t he sa me effect as wat er
closet s.
D r a in a ge L o a d s
Sin gle-fam ily dwellin gs cont ain cer t ain plu mbin g xt u r es,
such as one or mor e bat h r oom gr oups, each con sist in g of a
t oilet , lavat or y, and batht ub or shower st a ll, a k it chen sin k,
dishwasher, and wash in g mach ine. La rge bu ildin gs also h ave
other xt u r es, such as slop sin ks and dr in kin g wat er cooler s.
The impor t ant ch ar act er ist ic of these xt u r es is t h at t hey ar e
not u sed cont inuously. Rat her, t hey ar e u sed wit h ir r egu lar
fr equen cies t h at var y gr eat ly du r in g t he day. In addit ion , t he
var ious xt u res h ave qu it e differ ent disch ar ge ch ar act er istics
r egar din g bot h t he aver age ow r at e per use and the du r at ion
of a sin gle disch a rge. Con sequent ly, the pr obabilit y of a ll t he
xt u r es in t he bu ildin g oper at in g simu lt aneou sly is sm all.
Assign in g drain age xt ur e u n it (dfu) values t o xt ur es t o
r epr esent t heir load-pr oducin g effect on the plumbin g syst em
or igin ally was pr oposed in 1923 by Dr. Roy B. Hunt er. The
xtur e un it values wer e designed for application in conjunction
with the probabilit y of simultaneous use of xtu res to est ablish
the ma ximu m per missible drain age loads expressed in xt u re
u n it s r ather t han in gpm of dr ain age ow. Table 1-1 gives t he
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 3
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
Table 1-1 Residential Drainage Fixture Unit (dfu) Loads Table 1-2 Capacities of Stacks
Fixture IPC UPC Pipe Size, Flow, gpm (L/s)
Bathtub 2 3 in. (mm) r = 1⁄4 r = 7⁄24 r = 1⁄3
2 (50) 17.5 (1.1) 23.0 (1.45) 28 (1.77)
Clothes washer 3 3 3 (80) 52 (3.28) 70 (4.41) 85 (5.36)
Dishwasher 2 2 4 (100) 112 (7.07) 145 (9.14) 180 (11.35)
Floor drain 3 – 5 (125) 205 (12.93) 261 (16.5) 324 (20.44)
1¼-inch trap loading – 1 6 (150) 330 (20.82) 424 (26.8) 530 (33.43)
1½-inch trap loading – 3 8 (200) 710 (44.8) 913 (57.6) 1,140 (72)
2-inch trap loading – 4 10 (250) 1,300 (82.0) 1,655 (104.4) 2,068 (130.5)
3-inch trap loading – 6 12 (300) 2,082 (131.4) 2,692 (170) 3,365 (212.3)
4-inch trap loading – 8
Laundry tray 2 2 Table 1-3 Maximum Permissible Fixture Unit Loads for
Lavatory, single 1 1 Sanitary Stacks
Lavatory, in sets of two or three 2 2 Maximum dfu that May Be Connected
Shower (each head) 2 2 One stack Stacks with more than
Any of three three branch intervals
Kitchen sink (including dishwasher and garbage 3 3 Diameter horizontal or fewer Total at
disposal) of Pipe, in. xture branch Total for one branch
Toilet (1.6-gpf gravity tank) 4 4 (mm) brancha intervals stack interval
Toilet (1.6-gpf ushometer tank) 5 5 1½ (40) 3 4 8 2
Toilet (1.6-gpf ushometer valve) 4 4 2 (50) 6 10 24 6
2½ (65) 12 20 42 9
3 (80) 20b 48b 72b 20b
recommended xture unit values. The plumbing engineer must 4 (100) 160 240 500 90
con for m t o local code r equ irement s. 5 (125) 360 540 1,100 200
Dr. Hu nt er con ceived t he idea of a ssign in g a xt u r e u n it 6 (150) 620 960 1,900 350
8 (200) 1,400 2,200 3,600 600
va lue t o r epr esent t he degr ee t o wh ich a xt u r e loads a sys- 10 (250) 2,500 3,800 5,600 1,000
t em when u sed at it s m a ximu m assu med ow a nd fr equency. 12 (300) 3,900 6,000 8,400 1,500
The pu r pose of t he xt u r e u n it con cept is t o m a ke it possible 15 (380) 7,000 – – –
a Does not include branches of the building drain.
t o ca lcu lat e t h e design load of t he syst em dir ect ly when t he
b No more than two water closets or bathroom groups within eachbranch interval or more
syst em is a combin at ion of differ ent k in ds of xt u r es, wit h than six water closets or bathroom groups on the stack.
ea ch h avin g a u n ique loadin g ch a r act er ist ic. Cu r r en t or
r ecent ly con duct ed st udies of dr a in a ge loads on dr a in age
syst em s m ay ch a n ge t hese va lues. T hese include st udies of t ion s, came t o t he con clu sion t h at slu gs of wat er, wit h t heir
r educed ow fr om wat er -savin g xt u r es, models of st ack, accompa nyin g violent pr essu r e uct u at ion s, did n ot occu r
br a n ch , a nd hou se dr a in ows, a nd act u a l xt u r e u se. u nt il t he st ack owed one-qu a r t er t o on e-t h ir d fu ll. Most
model codes h ave based t heir st ack loadin g t ables on a va lue
S t a c k Ca p a c it ie s of r = ¼ or 7/24.
T he cr it er ion of ow capacit ies in dr a in age st ack s is ba sed T he r ecom men ded m a ximu m per m issible ow in a st ack
on t h e lim it at ion of t he wat er -occupied cr oss-sect ion t o a is 7/24 of t h e t ot a l cr oss-sect ion a l a r ea of t h e st ack . By
speci ed fr act ion (r s) of t he cr oss-sect ion of t he st ack wher e su bst it ut in g r = 7/24 in t o E qu at ion 1-2, t he cor r espon d-
t er m in a l velocit y exist s, as su ggest ed by ea rlier invest iga- in g m a ximu m per m issible ow for t h e va r iou s sizes of pipe
t ion s. in gpm ca n be det er m in ed. Table 1-3 list s t he m a ximu m
F low capacit y ca n be expr essed in t er m s of t he st ack per m issible xt u r e u n it s (fu) t o be conveyed by st acks of
dia met er a nd t he wat er cr oss-sect ion . va r iou s sizes. T he t able was cr eat ed by t a k in g int o accou nt
E q u a t i on 1-2 t he pr obabilit y of simu lt an eou s u se of xt u r es. For exa mple,
Q = 27.8 x r s 5/3 x D 8/3 if 500 xt u r e u n it s is t he m a ximu m loadin g for a 4-in ch
(100-m illimet er) st ack, t hen 147 gpm (9.3 lit er s per secon d)
wh er e is equ iva len t t o 500 xt u r e u n it s. T h is is t h e t ot a l load fr om
Q = Capacit y, gpm (lit er s per secon d) a ll br a n ches.
r s = Rat io of t h e cr oss-sect ion al ar ea of t h e sh eet of wat er It shou ld be not ed t h at t her e is a r estr ict ion on the amou nt
t o t h e cr oss-sect ion al ar ea of t h e st ack of ow per m it t ed t o ent er a st ack fr om a ny br an ch when t he
D = Diam et er of t h e st ack, in ch es (m illim et er s)
st ack is mor e t h a n t h r ee br a nch int er va ls. If a n at t empt is
Valu es of ow r at es based on r = ¼ , 7/24, an d ar e t abu - m ade t o in t r oduce a n overly lar ge ow int o t he st ack at a ny
lat ed in Table 1-2. on e level, t he in ow will ll t he st ack at t h at level a n d will
Whet her or n ot E qu at ion 1-2 can be u sed sa fely t o pr edict back up t h e wat er above t he elevat ion of in ow, wh ich will
st ack capacit ies r em a in s t o be con r med an d accept ed. How- cau se violen t pr essu r e uct u at ion s in t he st ack—r esu lt in g
ever, it pr ovides a de n it e law of va r iat ion of st ack capacit y in t he siphon in g of t r ap sea ls—a n d a lso m ay cau se slu ggish
wit h diamet er. If t h is law ca n be shown t o hold for t he lower ow in t he hor izon t a l br a n ch . Th is pr oblem wa s solved in
pa r t of t he r an ge of st ack diamet er s, it shou ld be valid for t he a st udy of st ack capacit ies m ade by Wyly an d E at on at t he
la r ger diamet er s. It shou ld be r emember ed t h at bot h F.M. Nat ion a l Bu r eau of St a nda r ds for t he Hou sin g a nd Home
Dawson an d Dr. Hu nt er, in en t ir ely indepen dent invest iga- F in a n ce Agen cy in 1950.
4 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012
 T he wat er owin g out of t he br an ch ca n en t er t he st ack h ave t o be incr eased in size t o accom modat e any br an ch load
on ly by m ixin g wit h t he st r ea m owin g down t he st ack or exceedin g 90 xt u r e u n it s.
by de ect in g it . Such a de ect ion of t he h igh -velocit y st r ea m To illu st r at e t he r equ ir emen t s of a st ack wit h an offset
com in g down t he st ack can be accomplished on ly if t her e is a of mor e t h a n 45 degr ees fr om t h e ver t ica l, F igu r e 1-1 shows
sign i can t hydr ost at ic pr essu r e in t he br a n ch , sin ce a for ce t he sizin g of a st ack in a 12-st or y bu ildin g, wit h one offset
of some k in d is r equ ir ed t o de ect t he downwa r d owin g bet ween t h e ft h an d sixt h oor s a n d an ot her offset below
st r eam and ch an ge it s moment u m. Th is hydr ost at ic pr essu r e t he st r eet oor.
is cr eat ed by t he wat er back in g up in t he br a nch u nt il t he Sizin g is comput ed as follows:
head ch a n ges t he moment u m of t he st r eam a lr eady in t he 1. Com pu t e t h e xt u r e u n it s con n ect ed t o t h e st ack.
st ack t o a llow t he ow fr om t he br an ch t o ent er t he st ack. In t h is case, assu m e 1,200 xt u r e u n it s ar e con -
T h e m a xim u m h yd r ost a t ic pr essu r e t h a t sh ou ld be n ect ed t o t h e st ack fr om t h e st r eet oor t h r ou gh
per m it t ed in t he br a n ch as a r esu lt of t h e back in g up of
t h e t op oor.
t h e spen t wat er is based on t h is con sider at ion : T he back up
2. Size t h e por t ion of t h e st ack above t h e ft h - oor
shou ld n ot be of a m agn it ude t h at wou ld cau se t he wat er t o
offset . Ther e ar e 400 xt ur e un its fr om the top oor
back up int o a sh ower st a ll or cau se slu ggish ow. It is h a lf
of t he dia met er of t he h or izon t a l br a n ch at it s con n ect ion t o down t hr ou gh t he sixt h oor. Accor din g t o Table 1-3,
t h e st ack. T h at is, it is t he head measu r ed at t he a xis of t h e colu mn 4, 400 xt u r e un it s r equ ir e a 4-in ch (100-
pipe t h at will cau se t he br a n ch t o ow millimet er ) st ack.
fu ll n ea r t h e exit .
Wh en a lon g-t u r n t ee-wye is u sed
t o con n ect t h e br a n ch t o t he st ack, t he
wat er h a s a gr eat er ver t ica l velocit y
wh en it ent er s t he st ack t h a n it does
when a sa n it a r y t ee is u sed. T he back-
pr essu r es shou ld be sm a ller in t h is case
for t he same ows down t he st ack a n d
in t he br an ch .
Table 1-3 sh ows t he m a ximu m per -
m issible xt u r e u n it loads for san it a r y
st ack s. T he pr ocedu r e for sizin g a mu l-
t ist or y st ack (gr eat er t h a n t h r ee oor s)
is t o r st size t he hor izont a l br a n ches
con n ect ed t o t he st ack. T h is is don e by
t ot a lin g t he xt u r e u n it s con n ect ed t o
each br a n ch a n d u sin g t h e cor r espon d-
in g gu r e in colu m n 2 of Ta ble 1-3.
Next , t ot a l a ll t h e xt u r e u n it s con -
nect ed t o t he st ack a nd det er m in e t he
size fr om t he same t able, u n der colu m n
4. Im mediat ely check t he n ext colu m n ,
“Tot a l at On e Br a n ch In t er va l,” a n d
det er m in e if t h is m a ximu m is exceeded
by a ny of t h e br a n ches. If it is exceeded,
t he st ack as or igin ally det er m ined mu st
be in cr ea sed at lea st on e size, or t h e
loadin g of t he br a n ches mu st be r ede-
sign ed so t h e m a ximu m con dit ion s a r e
sat is ed.
For exa mple, con sider a 4-inch (100-
m illim et er ) st a ck m or e t h a n t h r e e
st or ies h igh . T he m a ximu m loadin g for
a 4-inch (100-m illimet er) br a n ch is 160
xt u r e u n it s, as shown in colu m n 2 of
Table 1-3. Th is load is lim it ed by colu m n
5 of t he sa me t able, wh ich per m it s on ly
90 xt u r e u n it s t o be in t r oduced int o
a 4-inch (100-m illimet er) st ack in an y
on e-br a n ch int er va l. T he st ack wou ld
Figure 1-1 Procedure for Sizing an Offset Stack
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 5
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
3. Size t he offset on th e ft h oor. An offset is sized an d T h e expon en t s of R a n d S in E qu at ion 1-3 h ave been
sloped like a buildin g drain . select ed t o m a ke t he coef cien t C as n ea rly con st an t as pos-
4. Size t he lower port ion of t he st ack fr om th e ft h oor sible for differ ent pipe diamet er s an d for differ en t velocit ies
down thr ough the str eet oor. The lower portion of the of ow. T hu s, C is appr oxim at ely con st a nt for a given pipe
st ack must be lar ge en ough to ser ve all of the xtur e r ou gh n ess.
un its con nected t o it , from t he top oor down (in this D a r cy-Wei sb a ch For m u l a
case, 1,200 xture units). According to Table 1-3, 1,200 In t h is for m u la, t h e dim en sion less fr ict ion coef cien t f var -
xt ur e un it s r equir e a 6-inch (150-millimet er ) stack. ies wit h t h e diam et er of t h e pipe, t h e velocit y of ow, t h e
5. Size an d slope th e offset below th e str eet oor t he kin emat ic viscosit y of t h e u id owin g, an d t h e r ou gh n ess
same as a buildin g dr ain . of t h e walls. It u su ally is wr it t en as follows:
E q u a t i on 1-4
T he xt u r e on t he sixt h oor shou ld be con n ect ed t o t he
hf = F LV2
st ack at least 2 feet (0.6 met er) above t he offset . If t h is is n ot D2g
possible, t hen con n ect t hem sepa r at ely t o t he st ack at least 2 wh er e
feet (0.6 met er) below t he offset . If t h is is n ot possible eit h er, h f = P r essu r e dr op or fr ict ion loss, feet (met er s)
r u n t he xt u r e dr a in down t o t he ft h or fou r t h oor a nd f = F r ict ion coef cien t
con n ect t o t he st ack at t h at point . L = Len gt h of pipe, feet (m et er s)
D = Diam et er of pipe, feet (met er s)
CAP ACI T I E S OF S L OP I NG DR AI NS V = Mean velocit y of ow, fps (m et er s per secon d)
T he ch a r act er ist ics of sewa ge a r e t he same as pla in wat er. g = Acceler at ion of gr avit y, 32.2 fps 2 (9.8 m /s 2 )
The capacit ies of hor izont al or slopin g dr ain s ar e complicat ed
Ma n n i n g For m u l a
by su r gin g ow.
Det er m in in g dr a in size is based on h igh ly uct u at in g or Th e Man n in g for m u la, wh ich is sim ilar t o t h e H azen an d
su r gin g ow con dit ion s in t he h or izon t a l br a n ches ca r r yin g William s for m u la, is m ean t for open -ch an n el ow an d u su -
t he disch a r ge of xt u r es t o t he soil or wast e st ack. Aft er fa ll- ally is wr it t en as follows:
in g down t he ver t ica l st ack , t he wat er is a ssu med t o ent er E q u a t i on 1-5
t h e bu ildin g dr a in wit h su r ge pea k s leveled off somewh at , 1.486 x R ⅔x S ½ 1.486
V= n n x R 0.67 x S 0.50
but st ill in a su r gin g condit ion . =
A la r ge bu ildin g cover in g con sider able gr ou n d a r ea pr ob- In t h is for mu la, n is t he Man n in g coef cient , wh ich va r ies
ably h as sever a l pr im a r y br a nch es an d cer t a in ly at least on e wit h t he r ou gh ness of t he pipe a n d t he pipe diamet er.
secon dar y br anch . Aft er t he wat er ent er s t he bu ildin g dr ain , The ow quant it y is equ al t o t he cr oss-sect ion al ar ea of
t h e su r ge cont inues t o level off, becom in g mor e an d mor e t he ow t imes t he ow velocit y obt ained fr om t he above t h r ee
nea rly u n ifor m , pa r t icu la rly a ft er t he hydr au lic ju mp h as equ at ion s. Th is can be expr essed as:
occu r r ed. If t he secon da r y br a n ch is lon g en ou gh a n d if t he E q u a t i on 1-5 a
dr ain ser ves a la r ge nu mber of xt u r es, t he ow m ay become Q = AV
su bst an t ia lly u n ifor m befor e it r eaches t he st r eet sewer.
wh er e
S t e a d y, Un ifo r m F low C o n d it io n s in S lop in g Q = Qu an t it y r at e of ow, cu bic feet per secon d (cfs) (cu bic
Dr a in s m et er s per secon d)
Alt hou gh t he equ at ion s of st eady, u n ifor m ow in slopin g A = Cr oss-sect ion al ar ea of ow, squ ar e feet (squ ar e
dr ain s shou ld n ot be u sed t o det er m in e t he capacit ies of slop- m et er s)
V = Velocit y of ow, fps (m et er s per secon d)
in g dr a in s in wh ich su r gin g ow exist s, ow comput at ion s
ba sed on t hese for mu la s a ffor d a r ou gh check on va lues ob- By su bst it u t in g t h e valu e of V fr om Man n in g’s for m u la,
t a in ed by t he mor e complicat ed met h ods t h at a r e applicable t h e qu an t it y of ow in var iou sly sized dr ain s of t h e same
t o su r gin g ow. Hen ce, t h r ee of t he com mon ly u sed for mu las m at er ial can be calcu lat ed as:
for ow in pipes will be con sider ed: H a zen a n d Willia m s,
Da r cy-Weisbach , an d Ma n n in g.
Table 1-4 Values of R, R2/3, AF , and AH
H a zen -Wi l l i a m s F or m u l a AF (Cross- AH (Cross-sectional
Th is for m u la u su ally is wr it t en as follows: Pipe Size, sectional Area for Area for Half-full
in. (mm) R= 1⁄4, ft (mm) R2/3, ft (mm) Full Flow), ft 2 (m2) Flow), ft2 (m2)
E q u a t i on 1-3 1½ (40) 0.0335 (1.02) 0.1040 (3.17) 0.01412 (0.0013) 0.00706 (0.00065)
V = 1.318 x C x R 0.63 x S 0.54 2 (50) 0.0417 (1.27) 0.1200 (3.66) 0.02180 (0.0020) 0.01090 (0.0009)
2½ (65) 0.0521 (1.59) 0.1396 (4.24) 0.03408 (0.0031) 0.01704 (0.0015)
wh er e 3 (80) 0.0625 (1.90) 0.1570 (4.78) 0.04910 (0.0046) 0.02455 (0.0023)
V = Mean velocit y of ow, fps (m et er s per 4 (100) 0.0833 (2.54) 0.1910 (5.82) 0.08730 (0.0081) 0.04365 (0.0040)
secon d) 5 (125) 0.1040 (3.17) 0.2210 (6.74) 0.13640 (0.0127) 0.06820 (0.0063)
6 (150) 0.1250 (3.81) 0.2500 (7.62) 0.19640 (0.0182) 0.09820 (0.0091)
C = H azen an d Williams coef cien t 8 (200) 0.1670 (5.09) 0.3030 (9.23) 0.34920 (0.0324) 0.17460 (0.0162)
R = H ydr au lic r adiu s of pipe, feet (m et er s) 10 (250) 0.2080 (6.33) 0.3510 (10.70) 0.54540 (0.0506) 0.27270 (0.0253)
S = Slope of pr essu r e gr adien t 12 (300) 0.2500 (7.62) 0.3970 (12.10) 0.78540 (0.0730) 0.39270 (0.0364)
15 (380) 0.3125 (9.53) 0.4610 (14.05) 1.22700 (0.0379) 0.61350 (0.0570)

6 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012

E q u a t i on 1-5b ef uen t . All ef uent is a liqu id wit h solids su spended in it ,
Q = A x 1.486 n x R x S½ but it h as t he sa me hydr au lic ch a r act er ist ics a s wat er.
Bu ildin g dr a in s t h at ca n n ot ow dir ect ly in t o a sewer by
T h is is t h e for mu la u sed by m a ny plu mbin g en gin eer s t o
gr avit y mu st be disch a r ged int o a cover ed basin . F r om t her e,
dea l wit h slopin g dr a in pr oblem s. T he sign i ca nt hydr au lic
t he u id is lift ed int o t he bu ildin g’s gr avit y dr a in age syst em
pa r a met er s u sed in t he above equ at ion a r e list ed in Table
by aut om at ic pu mp equ ipment or by a ny equ a lly ef cien t
1-4.
met hod appr oved by t he adm in ist r at ive aut hor it y.
S lop e of H or i on t a l D r a in a ge P ip i n g An eject or basin mu st be of air t ight con st r uction and mu st
Hor izont al dr ain s a r e design at ed t o ow at h a lf-fu ll capacit y be vent ed. It is air t ight t o pr event t he escape of fou l odor s
u nder u n ifor m ow con dit ion s t o m in im ize t he gen er at ion gen er at ed by sa n it a r y wa st e fr om t he sub-dr a in age syst em .
of pn eu m at ic pr essu r e uct u at ion s. T he m in imu m slopes Since it is a ir t ight , a vent is r equ ir ed t o r elieve t he a ir in t h e
a r e as follows: basin as wast es disch ar ge int o it a nd a lso t o supply a ir t o t he
• P ipe 3 in ch es (80 m illimet er s) an d sm aller : ¼ in ch basin wh ile t he cont ent s ar e bein g disch ar ged t o t he sa n it ar y
per foot (6.4 m illimet er s per m et er ) gr avit y dr a in a ge syst em . A duplex pu mp syst em sh a ll be
• 4- t o 6-in ch (100- t o 150-m illim et er ) pipe: ⅔in ch per u sed. If on e pu mp br ea ks down , t he cont r ol syst em will a ler t
foot (3.2 m illim et er s per m et er ) t he second pu mp t o st a r t . T hu s, t he syst em will r em a in in
• P ipe 8 in ches (200 millimeter s) an d lar ger : 1/16 in ch oper at ion , a n d n o dam age will be cau sed by t he cessat ion of
per foot (1.6 millimet er s per meter) syst em oper at ion . When a duplex u n it is u sed, each pu mp
These slopes ar e not a h a r d and fast r u le and m ight be less
u nder u nu su a l condit ion s. T he design er mu st con r m
t he r equ ir ed slopes wit h t he loca l code aut hor it y. These
m in imu m slopes a r e r equ ir ed t o m a int a in a velocit y of
ow gr eat er t h a n 2 fps for scou r in g act ion . Table 1-5
gives t he appr oxim at e velocit ies for given ow, slopes,
an d dia met er s of hor izont a l dr a in s based on t he Ma n -
n in g for mu la for h a lf-fu ll pipe a nd n = 0.015.
A ow velocit y of 2 fps will pr event t he solids wit h in
a pipe fr om set t lin g out and for m in g a syst em st oppage.
Table 1-6 h as been pr epa r ed t o give t he size of a pipe
in conju n ct ion wit h t he ow r at e t o m a int a in a self-
clea n sin g velocit y of 2 fps.
L oa d s for D r a in a ge P ip i n g
The r ecom mended loads for bu ildin g dr ain s and sewer s
a r e t abu lat ed in Table 1-7. T h is t able shows t h e m a xi-
mu m nu mber of xt u r e u n it s t h at m ay be con n ect ed t o
an y por t ion of t he bu ildin g dr a in or bu ildin g sewer for
given slopes a n d diamet er s of pipes. For exa mple, a n
offset below t h e lowest br an ch wit h 1,300 fu at a slope
of ¼ in ch per foot (6.4 m illimet er s per met er) r equ ir es
an 8-in ch (200-m illimet er) pipe.
For devices t h at pr ovide cont inuou s or sem i-con -
t inuou s ow int o t he dr a in age syst em , such as su mp
pu m ps, eject or s, a n d a ir -con dit ion in g equ ipm en t , a
va lue of 2 xt u r e u n it s ca n be assign ed for each gpm
(lit er per second) of ow. For exa mple, a su mp pu mp
wit h a disch a rge r at e of 200 gpm (12.6 lit er s per second)
is equ iva lent t o 200 x 2 = 400 xt u r e u n it s.

COM P ON E N T S OF S AN I TAR Y
DR AI NAGE S YS T E MS
S u m p s a n d E je c t or s
T he dist in ct ion bet ween su mp an d eject or pu mps is
mor e t er m in ology t h an act u a l fact . A su mp pu mp is
design ed t o t r an spor t clea r, non -sa n it a r y wa st ewat er
wit h some t u r bidit y an d su spen ded solids n o la r ger
t h an sand gr ain s. An eject or pu mp is designed t o tr an s-
por t sa n it a r y wast e an d la r ger solids su spen ded in t he
Figure 1-2 Typical Ejector Pump Installation
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 7
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems

Table 1-5 Approximate Discharge Rates and Velocities in Sloping Drains, n = 0.015a
Actual Inside Actual Inside Half-full Flow Discharge Rate and Velocity
Diameter of 1⁄16 in./ft (1.6 mm/m) Slope ⁄8 in./ft (3.2 mm/m) Slope
1 1
⁄4 in./ft (6.4 mm/m) Slope ⁄2 in./ft (12.7 mm/m) Slope
1

Pipe, Discharge, Velocity, fps Discharge, Velocity, fps Discharge, Velocity, fps Discharge, Velocity, fps
in. (mm) gpm (L/s) (mm/s) gpm (L/s) (mm/s) gpm (L/s) (mm/s) gpm (L/s) (mm/s)
1¼ (31.8) 3.40 (0.21) 1.78 (45.5)
13⁄8 (34.9) 3.13 (0.20) 1.34(0.41) 4.44 (0.28) 1.90 (48.3)
1½ (38.9) 3.91 (0.247) 1.42(0.43) 5.53 (0.35) 2.01 (51.1)
15⁄8 (41.28) 4.81 (0.30) 1.50(0.46) 6.80 (0.38) 2.12 (53.9)
2 (50.8) 8.42 (0.53) 1.72(0.52) 11.9 (0.75) 2.43 (61.8)
2½ (63.5) 10.8 (0.68) 1.41(0.43) 15.3 (0.97) 1.99(0.61) 21.6 (1.36) 2.82 (71.7)
3 (76.3) 17.6 (1.11) 1.59(0.49) 24.8 (1.56) 2.25(0.69) 35.1 (2.21) 3.19 (81.1)
4 (101.6) 26.70 (1.68) 1.36(34.6) 37.8 (2.38) 1.93(0.59) 53.4 (3.37) 2.73(0.83) 75.5 (4.76) 3.86 (98.2)
5 (127) 48.3 (3.05) 1.58(40.2) 68.3 (4.30) 2.23(0.68) 96.6 (6.10) 3.16(0.96) 137 (8.64) 4.47(113.7)
6 (152.4) 78.5 (4.83) 1.78(45.3) 111 (7.00) 2.52(0.77) 157 (10) 3.57(1.09) 222 (14.0) 5.04(128.2)
8 (203.2) 170 (10.73) 2.17(55.2) 240 (15.14) 3.07(0.94) 340 (21.5) 4.34(1.32) 480 (30.3) 6.13(155.9)
10 (256) 308 (19.43) 2.52(64.1) 436 (27.50) 3.56(1.09) 616 (38.9) 5.04(1.54) 872 (55.0) 7.12(181.0)
12 (304.8) 500 (31.55) 2.83(72.0) 707 (44.60) 4.01(1.22) 999 (63.0) 5.67(1.73) 1,413 (89.15) 8.02(204.0)
a
n = Manning coef cient, which varies with the roughness of the pipe.
For full ow: Multiply discharge by 2.
For full ow: Multiply velocity by 1.
For smoother pipe: Multiply discharge and velocity by 0.015 and divide by n of another pipe.

Table 1-6 Slopes of Cast Iron Soil Pipe Sanitary Sewer Required to Obtain Self-cleansing
Velocities of 2.0 and 2.5 ft/sec. (based on Manning formula with n = 0.012)
Pipe 1/4 Full 1/2 Full 3/4 Full Full
Size Velocity Slope Flow Slope Flow Slope Flow Slope Flow
(in.) (ft/sec.) (ft/ft) (gpm) (ft/ft) (gpm) (ft/ft) (gpm) (ft/ft) (gpm)
2.0 2.0 0.0313 4.67 0.0186 9.34 0.0148 14.09 0.0186 18.76
2.5 0.0489 5.04 0.0291 11.67 0.0231 17.62 0.0291 23.45
3.0 2.0 0.0178 10.71 0.0107 21.46 0.0085 32.23 0,0107 42.91
2.5 0.0278 13.47 0.0167 26.62 0.0133 40.29 0.0167 53.64
4.0 2.0 0.0122 19.03 0.0073 38.06 0.0058 57.01 0.0073 76.04
2.5 0.0191 23.79 0.0114 47.58 0.0091 71.26 0.0114 95.05
5.0 2.0 0.0090 29.89 0.0054 59.79 0.0043 89.59 0.0054 119.49
2.5 0.0141 37.37 0.0085 74.74 0.0067 111.99 0.0085 149.36
6.0 2.0 0.0071 43.18 0.0042 86.36 0.0034 129.54 0.0042 172.72
2.5 0.0111 53.98 0.0066 101.95 0.0053 161.93 0.0066 215.90
8.0 2.0 0.0048 77.20 0.0029 154.32 0.0023 231.52 0.0029 308.64
2.5 0.0075 96.50 0.0045 192.90 0.0036 289.40 0.0045 385.79
10.0 2.0 0.0036 120.92 0.0021 241.85 0.0017 362.77 0.0021 483.69
2.5 0.0056 151.15 0.0033 302.31 0.0026 453.46 0.0033 604.61
12.0 2.0 0.0028 174.52 0.0017 349.03 0.0013 523.55 0.0017 678.07
2.5 0.0044 218.15 0.0026 436.29 0.0021 654.44 0.0026 612.58
15.0 2.0 0.0021 275.42 0.0012 550.84 0.0010 826.26 0.0012 1101.68
2.5 0.0032 344.28 0.0019 688.55 0.0015 1032.83 0.0019 1377.10

Table 1-7 Building Drains and Sewersa

Maximum Permissible Fixture Units for
Sanitary Building Drains and Runouts
Diameter from Stacks
of Pipe, in. Slope, in./ft (mm/m)
(mm) 1
⁄16 (1.6) 1⁄8 (3.2) 1⁄4 (6.4) 1⁄2 (12.7)
2 (50) 21 26
2½ (65) 24 31
3 (80) 20 42b 50b
4 (100) 180 216 250
5 (125) 390 480 575
6 (150) 700 840 1,000
8 (200) 1400 1600 1,920 2,300
10 (250) 2500 2900 3,500 4,200
12 (300) 2900 4600 5,600 6,700
15 (380) 7000 8300 10,000 12,000
a
On-site sewers that serve more than one building may be sized according to the current
standards and speci cations of the administrative authority for public sewers.
b
No more than two water closets or two bathroom groups, except in single-family
dwellings, where no more than three water closets or three bathroom groups may be
installed. Check the local codes in the area served for exact requirements or restrictions.

8 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012

shou ld be sized for 100 per cent ow, a n d it is good pr act ice clean out s a r e r ecom mended t o a llow for a la r ger va r iet y of
t o aut om at ica lly a lt er n at e t he oper at ion of t he pu mps. access n eeds such as for sewer video equ ipmen t .
A su mp ba sin n eed n ot be a ir t ight or vent ed becau se of Clea n out s sh ou ld be pr ovided at t he followin g locat ion s:
t h e lack of object ion able odor s. In com in g wat er is collect ed • F ive feet (1.5 m et er s) ou t side or in side t h e bu ildin g
in t he su mp befor e it is pu mped t o t he gr avit y dr a in pipe. at t h e poin t of exit
Heavy- ow dr a in s r equ ir e la r ge su mps t o r et a in gr eat er - • At ever y ch an ge of dir ect ion gr eat er t h an 45 de-
t h a n -u su a l a mou nt s of wat er, t her eby cr eat in g mor e head gr ees
pr essu r e on t he pipe in let . It is good pr act ice t o in st a ll t he • At ever y ch an ge of dir ect ion an d ever y 150 feet (45.7
su mp basin’s r im a m in imu m of 1 in ch above t he n ished met er s)for u n der gr oun d san it ar y sewer pipin g lar ger
oor in case t he sa n it a r y bu ildin g dr a in backs up. T h is will t h an 10 in ch es (250 millim et er s) in diam et er
pr event sewer age in lt r at ion int o t he clea r wat er syst em . • At t h e base of all st acks—it is good pr act ice t o in st all
Most m a nu fact u r er s m a ke t heir basin s wit h bot t om , side, or clean ou t s a min im u m of 6 in ch es above t h e ood r im
an gle in let s and wit h in side cau lk, no-hub, pu sh-on , spigot , or of t h e h igh est xt u r e ser ved on t h e lowest level
scr ewed con n ect ion s. Out let con n ect ion s a r e m ade t o accept • To com ply wit h applicable codes
pr essu r e-t ype pipe joint s. No-hu b pipe a n d t t in gs a r e n ot • Opt ion al locat ion s in clu de:
accept able on pu mped disch a r ge pipin g due t o t h e pr essu r e • At t h e r oof st ack t er m in al
lim it at ion s of t h e pipe joint s. • At t h e en d of h or izon t al xt u r e br an ch es or wast e
Su mp an d eject or syst em s n or m a lly u se a wet pit , wit h lin es
t h e pu mps eit h er above t h e slab or submer ged. T hey a r e
cont r olled wit h a oat swit ch or elect r on ica lly wit h
cont r ol swit ches mou nt ed in side t he basin . A t ypica l
eject or pu mp in st a llat ion is illu st r at ed in F igu r e 1-2.
A t ypica l submer ged su mp pu mp in st a llat ion is illu s-
t r at ed in F igu r e 1-3.
C le a n o u t s
A clea n out pr ovides access t o hor izont a l an d ver t ica l
lines t o facilit at e in spect ion a nd pr ovide a mea n s of
r em ovin g obst r uct ion s such a s solid object s, gr ea sy
wast es, a n d h a ir. Clean out s, in gen er a l, mu st be gas-
an d wat er -t ight , pr ovide qu ick a nd easy plu g r emova l,
a llow a mple space for t he oper at ion of clea n in g t ools,
h ave a mea n s of adju st men t t o n ished su r faces, be
at t r act ive in appea r an ce, a nd be designed t o suppor t
wh at ever t r a f c is dir ect ed over t hem.
Some clea nout s a r e design ed wit h a neopr ene sea l
plu g, wh ich pr even t s it fr om “fr eezin g,” or bin din g, t o
t h e fer r u le. All plu gs a r e m ach ined wit h a st r a ight or
r u n n in g t h r ead an d a a r ed shou lder for t h e n eopr en e
gasket , per m it t in g qu ick a nd cer t a in r emova l wh en
necessa r y. A m a ximu m open in g is pr ovided for t ool
access. Recessed cover s a r e ava ilable t o accom modat e
ca r pet , t ile, t er r a zzo, an d ot h er su r face n ishes an d
a r e adju st able t o t h e exact oor level est ablished by
t h e adju st able hou sin g or by t he set scr ews.
Wast e lin es t ypica lly ar e la id beneat h t he oor slabs
at a dist a nce su f cient t o pr ovide adequ at e back ll
over t h e joint s. Clea nout s t hen a r e br ou ght up t o oor
level by pipe ext en sion pieces. Wher e t he sewer lin e is
at some dist an ce below gr ade a n d not easily accessible
t h r ou gh ext en sion s, sm all pit s or m an holes wit h access
cover s mu st be in st alled. When clean out s a r e in st a lled
in t r a f c a r eas, t he t r af c load mu st be con sider ed
when t he con st r uct ion m at er ia ls a r e select ed.
T he size of t he clea nout wit h in a bu ildin g shou ld
be t he same size a s t he pipin g, up t o 4 in ch es (100
m illimet er s). For la r ger size int er ior pipin g, 4-in ch
(10 0 -m illim et er) clea n ou t s a r e a dequ at e for t h eir
int en ded pu r pose; h owever, 6-in ch (150-m illim et er)
Figure 1-3 Typical Submerged Sump Pump Installation
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 9
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
• At xt u r e t r aps, wh ich can be pr e-m an u fact u r ed will dr am at ically r educe t he evapor at ion r at e of in fr equent ly
wit h clean ou t plu gs, alt h ou gh som e codes pr oh ibit u sed oor dr a in s a nd oor sin ks.)
t h e in st allat ion of t h is kin d of t r ap F igu r e 1-4 shows t h e basic compon en t s of a oor dr a in .
• A m axim u m dist an ce bet ween clean ou t s of 50 feet F loor dr a in s sh a ll con nect t o a t r ap t h at can be r eadily
(15.1 m et er s) sh ou ld be m ain t ain ed for pipin g 4 clean ed a nd sized t o ef cient ly ser ve t he pu r pose for wh ich it
in ch es (100 m illim et er s) an d sm aller an d of 75 feet is int en ded. A deep-sea l t r ap or a n appr oved aut om at ic pr im -
(22.9 met er s) for lar ger pipin g. Gr easy wast e pipin g in g device sh ou ld be pr ovided. T he t r ap sh a ll be accessible
sh all h ave a maximu m dist an ce of 40 feet (12.2 m e- eit h er fr om t he oor -dr a in in let or by a sepa r at e clea n out
t er s) bet ween clean ou t s. wit h in t h e dr a in . F igu r e 1-5 illu st r at es sever a l t ypes of
dr a in s t h at meet t hese con dit ion s.
F lo o r D r a i n s a n d F lo o r S i n k s
A la r ge-dia met er dr a in wit h a deep su mp con n ect ed t o a G r a t e s/S t r a in e r s
la r ge-dia met er pipe pa sses mor e wat er fast er t h a n a sm a ller T he select ion of gr at es is based on u se a nd t he a mou nt of
dr a in . However, econ om ics do n ot a llow t he design er t o a r - ow. Light -t r a f c a r ea s m ay h ave a n ickel-br on ze gr at e,
bit r a r ily select t he la r gest ava ilable dr a in when a sm a ller, wh ile mech a n ica l ar eas m ay h ave a lar ge, heavy-dut y, duct ile
less-expen sive u n it will do a sat isfact or y job. H igh -capacit y ir on gr at e.
dr a in s a r e int ended for u se pr im a r ily in locat ion s wher e t h e T he wea r in g of spike-heeled sh oes pr ompt ed t he r eplace-
ow r eaches h igh r at es, such as m a lls, wash-down a r eas, and men t of gr at es wit h a heel-pr oof, ¼ -in ch (6.4-m illimet er)
cer t a in indu st r ia l applicat ion s. Table 1-8, wh ich shows t he squ a r e gr at e design in public t oilet r oom s, cor r idor s, pas-
m in imu m r at io of open gr at e a r ea based on pipe diamet er, is sa geways, pr om en ade deck s, pat ios, st or es, t h eat er s, a n d
offer ed as a gu ide for t he select ion of dr a in s wher e t he dr a in m a r ket s. T h ou gh t h is t ype of gr at in g h a s less dr a in a ge
pipe diamet er is k n own . capacit y t h an t ypica l gr at es, it s sa fet y feat u r e m a kes it well
T he on ly dr awback t o u sin g t he open -a r ea, pipe-dia met er wor t h t he ch an ge.
r at io met hod is t h at a ll dr a in m a nu fact u r er s do n ot list t he
t ot a l open a r eas of gr at es in t heir cat a logs. However, t h is
in for m at ion u su a lly ca n be obt a in ed upon r equest . Table 1-8 Recommended Grate Open Areas
Wh en sizin g oor dr a in s for most in door applicat ion s, for Various Floor Drains with Outlet Pipe Sizes
t h e capacit y of a dr a in is n ot ext r emely cr it ica l becau se t he Recommended Minimum Grate
dr ain’s pr imar y fu nction is t o h andle m inor spillage or xt u r e Open Area for Floor Drains
over ow. T he except ion s a r e, of cou r se, ca ses wh er e equ ip- Nominal Transverse Area Minimum Inside
Pipe Size, in. of Pipe, in.2a Area, in.2
ment disch arges t o t he dr ain , wher e aut om atic r e spr in kler s
(mm) (× 10 mm2) (× 10 mm2)
m ay delu ge a n a r ea wit h la r ge a mou nt s of wat er, a n d wher e 1½ (40) 2.04 (1.3) 2.04 (1.3)
u sh in g of t h e oor is r equ ir ed for sa n it at ion . 2 (50) 3.14 (2.0) 3.14 (2.0)
F loor dr a in s or dr a in s in st a lled t o an t icipat e a fa ilu r e 3 (80) 7.06 (4.6) 7.06 (4.6)
m ay not r eceive su f cien t wat er ow t o pr even t t he pr ot ec- 4 (100) 12.60 (8.1) 12.06 (8.1)
5 (125) 19.60(12.7) 19.60(12.7)
t ive wat er sea l or plu m bin g t r ap fr om evapor at in g. If t he 6 (150) 28.30(18.3) 28.30(18.3)
sea l does evapor at e, sewer gases will ent er t he space. T hu s, 8 (200) 50.25(32.4) 50.24(32.4)
aut om at ic or m a nu a l t r ap pr imer s sh ou ld be in st a lled t o aBased on extra-heavy soil pipe, nominal internal diameter.

m a int ain a pr oper t r ap seal. (A sm a ll amou nt of veget able oil

Figure 1-4 Basic Floor-Drain Components:

(A) Removable Grate; (B) Rust-resistant Bolts; (C) Integral, One-piece Flashing Ring;
(D) Cast Drain Body with Sump; (E) Sediment Bucket (optional)
10 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012

Figure 1-5 Types of Floor Drain:
(A) Typical Drain with Integral Trap
that May Be Cleaned Through Removable Strainer at
Floor Level;
(B) Floor Drain with Combination Cleanout and
Backwater Valve, for Use Where
Possibility of Back ow Exists;
(C) Drain with Combined Cleanout,
Backwater Valve, and Sediment Bucket
Gr at es or st r a iner s shou ld be secu r ed wit h st ain less-st eel
scr ews in n ickel-br on ze t ops. If t he public m ay access the r oof,
con sider at ion mu st be given t o pr ot ect in g vent open in gs fr om
vanda ls, and vandal-pr oof fast ener s ar e available fr om most
m anu fact u r er s.
In school gym n asiu m shower r oom s, wh er e t he block in g
of at -t op shower dr a in s wit h paper t owels ca n cau se ood-
in g, dome gr at es in t he cor ner s of t he r oom or a n gle gr at es
aga in st t h e walls ca n be speci ed in addit ion t o t he r egu la r
shower dr ain s. Shower -r oom gut t er s a nd cu rbs h ave become
u ndesir able becau se of code r equ ir ement s a nd t he obviou s
da n ger s involved. T her efor e, t h e pa ssageways fr om shower
a r eas int o locker ar ea s n eed ext en ded-len gt h dr a in s t o pr e-
vent r u n off wat er fr om ent er in g t he locker a r eas.
Wher e gr at es a r e n ot secu r ed an d a r e subject t o veh icu la r
tr af c, it is r ecom mended t o in st all non-tiltin g and/or t r act or -
t ype gr at es. Wit h t hese gr at es, wh en it moves out of posit ion
t h e sk ir t cat ches t he side of t he dr a in body, an d t he gr at e
slides back int o it s or igin a l posit ion . Ra mp-dr a in gr at in gs
shou ld be slight ly convex becau se r apidly owin g r amp wat er
h as a t en den cy t o ow acr oss at gr at es. A bet t er solut ion t o
t h is pr oblem is t o place at -t op gr at es on a level su r face at
t h e bot t om of t he r a mp, r at h er t h an on t he r a mp slope.
F la sh in g R i n g
T h is compon en t m a kes a n effect ive sea l, wh ich pr even t s
wat er fr om passin g a r ou n d t he dr a in t o t he a r ea below.
S ed im en t Bu ck et
A sediment bucket is an addit ion a l int er n a l st r ainer designed
t o collect debr is t h at get s by t h e r egu la r st r a iner. It is r e-
qu ir ed wher ever t he dr a in ca n r eceive solids, t r ash , or gr it
t h at cou ld plu g pipin g, such a s t he followin g sit u at ion s:
• Toilet r oom s in in du st r ial/m an u fact u r in g bu ildin gs
sh ou ld be equ ipped wit h oor dr ain s wit h sedim en t
bu cket s t o facilit at e clean in g.
• F loor dr ain s wit h sedim en t bu cket s m u st be pr o-
vided in mechan ical equ ipmen t r oom s, wh er e pumps,
boiler s, wat er ch iller s, h eat exch an ger s, an d H VAC
equ ipmen t r egu lar ly disch ar ge an d/or m u st be per i-
odically dr ain ed for m ain t en an ce an d r epair s. HVAC
equ ipmen t r equ ir es t he dr ain age of con den sat e fr om
coolin g coils u sin g in dir ect dr ain s.
• Boiler s r equir e dr ain s wit h sedimen t bucket s. Str a-
t egically locat ed oor dr ain s also ar e r equ ir ed in
buildin gs wit h wet spr in kler syst ems t o dr ain wat er
in case t he spr in kler heads ar e activat ed. Th e maxi-
m u m t emper at u r e of liqu ids disch ar ged sh ou ld be
140°F (60°C).
• Wh er e a r esiden t ial gar age r equ ir es a oor dr ain , a
sedimen t bu cket sh all be u sed.
Ac c e s s or ie s
A va r iet y of a ccessor ies a r e ava ilable t o m a ke t h e ba sic
dr a in adapt able t o va r iou s t ypes of st r uct u r es. T he design er
mu st k n ow t he con st r uct ion of t he bu ildin g, pa r t icu la rly t he
oor a nd deck st r uct u r es, t o specify t he appr opr iat e dr a in
accessor ies.
B a c k w a t e r Va lve s
A backwat er va lve can be in st alled on a bu ildin g sewer/hou se
dr a in when t he dr a in is lower t h a n t he sewer lin e, wh en
u nu su a l sewer disch a r ges m ay occu r due t o combin ed st or m
wat er a n d sa n it a r y sewer syst em s, or when old mu n icipa l
sewer s in cu r h igh r at es of in lt r at ion .
A ba ck wat er va lve r eact s sim ila r ly t o a ch eck va lve.
T he device con sist s of a mech a n ica l apper or disc, wh ich
r equ ir es a cer t a in a mou nt of m a int en a nce; t her efor e, t hese
devices mu st be placed t o pr ovide a fr ee a r ea a n d access for
m a int en an ce. Sediment ca n accu mu lat e on t he apper va lve
seat , pr event in g t he apper fr om closin g t ight ly. Also, m a ny
va lves employ a spr in g or mech a n ica l device t o exer t a posi-
t ive pr essu r e on t he apper device, wh ich r equ ir es occasion a l
lubr icat ion . Most m anu fact u r er s of backwat er valves pr ovide
a n access cover plat e for m a int en a n ce, wh ich a lso m ay be
u sed a s a bu ildin g sewer clea n out .
F igu r e 1-6 illu st r at es t wo t ypes of backwat er va lves t h at
m ay be in st a lled wh er e t her e is a possibilit y of back ow.
Figure 1-6 Types of Backwater Valve
O il I n t e r c e p t or s
In com mer cia l est ablish ment s such a s ser vice st at ion s, ga-
r ages, aut o r epa ir shops, dr y clea n er s, lau n dr ies, in du st r ia l
pla nt s, an d pr ocess in du st r ies h avin g m ach ine shops, met a l-
t r eat in g pr ocess r oom s, chem ica l pr ocess or m ixin g r oom s,
et c., a m m able or volat ile liqu ids m ay ent er t he dr a in age
syst em , wh ich ca n cont a m in at e t he sewer lin e a nd cau se a
ser iou s r e or explosion .
Oil in t er cept or s a r e design ed t o sepa r at e a n d collect
oils a n d ot her light -den sit y, volat ile liqu ids, wh ich wou ld
ot her wise be disch a r ged int o t h e dr a in a ge syst em . An oil
in t er cept or is r equ ir ed wher ever lubr icat in g oil, cut t in g oil,
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 11
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
ker osen e, gasoline, diesel fuel, a ir cr aft fuel, n apht h a, pa r a f- pou n d wit h copper pipes. Ot her pipin g mu st be u sed, or t h e
n , t r i-sodiu m phosph at e, or ot her light -den sit y a n d volat ile sodiu m a zide mu st be kept out of t he syst em.)
liqu ids a r e pr esent in or a r ou n d t he dr a in age syst em . T he m at er ia ls u sed for t he pipe t t in gs mu st be compat -
T h e in t er cept or is fu r n ish ed wit h a sedim en t bu cket , ible wit h t h e pipin g m at er ia ls. F it t in gs sh ou ld slope in t h e
wh ich collect s debr is, sm a ll pa r t s, ch ips, pa r t icles, a n d dir ect ion of ow an d h ave smoot h in t er ior su r faces wit hout
ot her sediment fr equent ly pr esent in in du st r ia l wast e a n d ledges, shou lder s, or r educt ion s t h at m ay obst r uct t he ow
cou ld clog t he dr a in age syst em . A gasket ed, r emovable cover in t he pipin g.
per m it s access for clean in g. To elim in at e pr essu r e bu ildup Dr a in s speci ed wit h ca st ir on or P VC bodies sh ou ld
in side t h e in t er cept or, a con n ect ion on each side of t he body be su it able for most in st a llat ion s. Wher e ext r a cor r osion
a llows vent in g of t he int er cept or. r esist a n ce is r equ ir ed, h igh -silica ca st ir on , polypr opylen e,
O il in t er cept or s a r e sized in a ccor d a n ce w it h t h e bor osilicat e glass, st a in less st eel, ga lvan ized ir on , or ot her
m a ximu m a nt icipat ed gpm (lit er per secon d) ow r at e of acid-r esist in g m at er ia l shou ld be select ed. Wher e a sediment
wast ewat er t h at cou ld be disch ar ged t h r ou gh a t a ilpiece an d bucket is u sed, it sh ou ld be br on ze, ga lva n ized, or st a in less
t ypically a r e pr ot ect ed fr om back-siphon a ge by a vacuu m st eel. En a meled sediment bucket s a r e impr act ica l becau se
br ea ker mou nt ed at t he t a ilpiece en t r a n ce. t hey ch ip when clea ned.
In t h e select ion of m at er ia ls for t op su r faces, such a s
F i x t u r e Wa st e w a t e r T y p e gr at es, wher e oor dr a in s a r e visible in n ished a r eas, ap-
These devices ar e mou nt ed on t he t r ap of fr equent ly used x- pea r a n ce is a pr ime con sider at ion . As cast ir on will r u st an d
t u r es. A t appin g at t he over ow line will a llow sm all amou nt s ga lva n izin g a nd ch r ome plat in g event u a lly will be wor n off
of wast ewat er t o ent er an adjacent , in fr equent ly used dr ain by t r a f c, t he pr efer r ed m at er ia l is solid, ca st n ickel-br on ze,
as t he t r ap su r ges du r in g u se. wh ich m a int a in s it s at t r act ive appea r a nce. In a swim m in g
Aut omatic tr ap pr imer s can be obt ained as pr e-en gineer ed pool, h owever, ch lor in e n ecessit at es t h e u se of ch lor in e-
devices, wh ich h ave widely accept ed appr oval. All dir ect con - r esist a nt m at er ia ls. For la r ge gr at es t h at will be subject t o
nect ion s bet ween t he sewer syst em a n d t he pot able wat er h a nd-t r uck or fork lift t r a f c, a duct ile ir on gr at e wit h or
syst em mu st be pr ot ect ed fr om pot en t ia l con t a m in at ion . wit hout a n ickel-br on ze veneer is r ecom men ded.
P r imer s ca n be m a nu fact u r ed or t t ed wit h devices t h at a r e P olished br ass or br on ze for oor ser vice will discolor
appr oved t o pr event cr oss-cont am in at ion . u n less t her e is con st a nt t r a f c over it . Cast a lu m inu m h a s
Su p p or t s a lso been fou n d in adequ at e for cer t a in oor -ser vice applica-
T he locat ion of pipe suppor t s u su a lly is speci ed by code. t ion s due t o excessive oxidat ion and it s in abilit y t o wit h st a nd
T h ey a r e locat ed t o m a in t a in a slope t h at is a s u n ifor m abr asion .
as possible an d will n ot ch an ge wit h t ime. In t h is r ega r d, J OI N I NG M E T H ODS
t h e r igidit y of pipe a nd joint s a n d t h e possibilit y of cr eep
Dr a in a n d clea n out out let s a r e m a nu fact u r ed in ve ba sic
an d beddin g set t lement a r e pr im a r y con sider at ion s. Wh en
t ypes.
bu ildin g set t lement m ay be sign i ca nt , specia l h an gin g a r -
r an gement s m ay be n ecessa r y. Un der gr ou n d pipin g sh ou ld
be con t inuou sly an d r m ly suppor t ed, but block in g below
met a l pipe is u su a lly accept able. Con su lt t h e m a nu fact u r er
for r ecom mendat ion s for pipin g m at er ia ls n ot cover ed in t he
code a n d for specia l pr oblem s.
H a n ger s sh ou ld b e design ed a dequ a t ely. To pr ot ect
t h em fr om dam age by bu ildin g occupa nt s, a llow at lea st a
250-pou n d (113.4-k ilogr a m) sa fet y fact or wh en design in g
h a n ger s. See P lu m bin g E n gin eer in g Design H a n d book,
Volum e 4, Ch apt er 6 for fu r t h er in for m at ion on h a n ger s
an d suppor t s.
Seism ic r est r a int a lso mu st be con sider ed.
Figure 1-7 Inside Caulk Drain Body
P I P I NG M AT E R I AL S
T h e m at er ia ls r ecom m en ded for soil a n d wa st e pipin g,
in st a lled abovegr ou n d wit h in bu ildin gs, a r e copper a lloy,
copper, ca st ir on (hu b-a n d-spigot or hu bless), ga lva n ized
st eel, a n d P VC. Un der gr ou n d bu ildin g dr a in s shou ld be cast
ir on soil pipe, h a r d-t emper copper t u be, ABS, P VC, P VDF,
or DWV pat t er n Sch edu le 40 wit h compr ession join t s or
couplin gs, in st a lled wit h a m in imu m cover of 12 in ches (300
m illimet er s). Cor r osive wast es r equ ir e su it ably acid-r esist ant
m at er ia ls such as h igh -silicon cast ir on , bor osilicat e glass,
or polypr opylen e. (Not e: Some blood a n a lyzer s disch a r ge
sodiu m azide, wh ich for m s a ver y da n ger ou s, explosive com - Figure 1-8 Spigot Outlet Drain Body
12 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012

Figure 1-9 No-hub Outlet Drain Body
Figure 1-10 IPS or Threaded
Outlet Drain Body
In si d e C a u lk
In t h e in side cau lk a r r a n gement , t he pipe ext en ds up int o
t h e dr a in body, a n d oa ku m is packed a r ou nd t he pipe t ight ly
aga in st t he in side of t he out let . Molt en lead t hen is pou r ed
int o t h is r in g a n d lat er st a mped or cau lked t o cor r ect for
lead sh r in k age. Cu r r ent in st a llat ion met hods u se a exible
gasket for t h e cau lk in g m at er ia l. See F igu r e 1-7.
S p i got O u t l et
T he spigot out let ut ilizes t he cau lk in g met h od as out lined
above for t he in side cau lk, except t h at t he spigot out let is
cau lked int o t he hub or bell of t he down st r ea m pipe or t -
t in g. See F igu r e 1-8.
P u sh -sea l G a sk et ed O u t l et
T he pu sh -sea l gasket ed out let ut ilizes a n eopr ene ga sket
sim ila r t o st a n da r d AST M C564 n eopr en e gasket s appr oved
for hu b-a n d-spigot ca st ir on soil pipe. A r ibbed n eopr en e
gasket is applied t o t he accept in g pipe, t hu s a llowin g t he
dr a in out let t o be pu shed ont o t he pipe.
N o-h u b O u t l et
T he n o-hub t ype ut ilizes a spigot (wit h n o bead on t he en d)
t h at is st u bbed int o a n eopr en e couplin g wit h a st a in less-
st eel bolt in g ba nd (or ot her t ype of cla mpin g device), wh ich ,
in t u r n , accept s a down st r eam piece of pipe or headless t -
t in g. See F igu r e 1-9.
I P S or T h r ea d ed O u t l et
T he t h r eaded t ype is a t aper ed fem a le t h r ead in t he dr a in
out let design ed t o accept t he t aper ed m a le t h r ead of a down -
st r ea m piece of pipe or t t in g. See F igu r e 1-10.
Noise T r a n sm is sio n
Avoidin g dir ect met al-t o-met al con nect ion s m ay r educe noise
t r an sm ission a lon g pipes. Usin g heavier m at er ia ls gener a lly
r educes noise t r an sm ission t h r ou gh pipe walls. Isolat in g pip-
in g wit h r esilient m at er ia ls, such as r u gs, belt s, pla st ic, or
in su lation may r educe noise tr an sm ission t o t he bu ildin g. See
Table 1-9 for r elat ive n oise-in su lat ion absor pt ion va lues.
BU I L DI NG S E WE R I NS TAL L AT ION
T he in st a llat ion of bu ildin g sewer s is ver y cr it ica l t o t h e
oper at ion of t he sewer. In adequ at e beddin g in poor soils m ay
a llow t h e sewer t o set t le, cau sin g dips a n d low point s in t he
sewer. T he set t lement of sewer s in t er r upt s ow, dim in ishes
m in imu m clea n sin g velocit y, r educes capacit y, a n d cr eat es a
point wher e solids ca n dr op out of su spen sion a n d collect .
Followin g a r e som e gu idelin es for in st a llin g bu ildin g
sewer s.
• Wher e n at ur al soil or compact ed ll exists, th e t ren ch
m u st be excavat ed in align men t wit h t h e pr oposed
pit ch an d gr ade of t h e sewer. Depr ession s n eed t o be
cu t ou t alon g t h e t r en ch lin e t o accept t h e addit ion al
diam et er at t h e pipin g join t or bell h u b. A layer of
san d or pea gr avel is placed as a bed in t h e excavat ed
t r en ch becau se it is easily com pact ed un der t h e pipe,
allowin g m or e accur at e align m en t of t h e pipe pit ch .
Th e pipe set t les in t o t h e bed an d is r mly su ppor t ed
over it s en t ir e len gt h .
• Wh er e sh allow am ou n t s of ll exist , t h e t r en ch can
be over -excavat ed t o accept a bed of san d, cr u sh ed
st on e, or similar m at er ial t h at is easily com pact ed.
Beddin g should be in stalled in lift s (layer s), with each
lift com pact ed t o en sur e opt im u m compact ion of t h e
beddin g. Th e bed m ust be compact ed in align m en t
wit h t h e pr oposed pit ch an d gr ade of t h e sewer. It is
r ecommen ded t hat pipe join ts or bell h ub depr ession s
be h an d-pr epar ed du e t o t h e coar se cr u sh ed st on e.
Th e soil-bear in g weigh t det er m in es t r en ch widt h s
an d beddin g t h ickn ess.
• Wher e deep am oun t s of ll exist , t h e en gin eer shou ld
con sult a geotechn ical en gin eer, wh o will per for m soil
bor in gs t o det er m in e t h e dept h s at wh ich soils wit h
pr oper bear in g capacit ies exist . Solu t ion s in clu de
com pact in g exist in g ll by ph ysical m ean s or r em ov-
in g exist in g ll an d r eplacin g it wit h cr u sh ed st on e
st r u ct u r al ll.
• Back llin g of t he t r en ch is just as cr it ical as t h e com -
pact ion of t h e t r en ch bed an d t h e st r en gt h of exist in g
soils. Im pr oper back ll placem en t can dislodge pipe
an d cau se u n even sewer set t lem en t , wit h ph ysical
depr ession s in t h e su r face. Th e t ype of back ll m at e-
r ial an d com pact ion r equ ir emen t s m u st be r eviewed
t o coor din at e wit h t h e t ype of per m an en t su r face.
Lan dscaped ar eas ar e m or e for givin g of im pr oper
back ll placem en t t h an h ar d su r face ar eas su ch as
con cr et e or bit u m in ou s pavin g.
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 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
• Car e mu st be t aken wh en usin g m echan ical mean s t o In applicat ion s su ch a s h ospit a l mor gu es, cyst oscopic
compact soils above piping. Mechan ical compaction of r oom s, aut opsy labor at or ies, slau ght er hou ses, a n d a n im a l
t h e r st layer above t h e pipe by vibr at in g or t ampin g den s, wher e blood or ot her object ion able m at er ia ls m ight
devices sh ou ld be don e wit h cau t ion . Compact in g t h e clin g t o t he sidewa lls of t he dr a in , it is r ecom men ded t o t
soil in 6-in ch (150-millimeter ) layer s is r ecommen ded t he en a meled dr a in wit h a u sh in g r im .
for a good back ll. Wh er e t h e wast e bein g dr a in ed can clog t h e t r ap, a heel
P r oper sewer beddin g an d t r en ch back ll will r esu lt in in let on t he t r ap wit h a u sh in g con n ect ion is r ecom men ded
an in st a llat ion t h at ca n be cou nt ed on for lon g, t r ou ble-fr ee in addit ion t o t he u sh in g r im, wh ich mer ely keeps t he dr ain
ser vice. sides clean . (Th is opt ion m ay not be allowed by cer t ain codes.)
A 2-in ch (50-m illimet er) t r ap u shes mor e effect ively t h a n
Table 1-9 Relative Properties of Selected a 3-in ch (80-m illimet er) t r ap becau se it a llows t he u sh in g
Plumbing Materials for Drainage Systems st r ea m t o dr ill t h r ou gh t he debr is r at her t h an complet ely
Noise Corrosion u sh it out . A va lve in t he wat er lin e t o t he dr a in is t he best
Materials Absorption Resistancea way t o oper at e t he u sh in g-r im dr ain . Flush valves h ave been
ABS Fair Good
Cast iron Excellent Good u sed a nd can save wat er ; however, t hey ar e not as conven ient
Clay b
Excellent or effect ive as a shut off va lve. In a ny u sh in g wat er -supply
c
Concrete Faird line t o a dr a in , a vacuu m br ea ker in st a lled accor din g t o code
Copper Fair Good mu st be pr ovided.
b
Glass borosilicate Excellent
Polypropylene Fair Excellent
PVC Fair Excellent K I T CH E N AR E AS
Silicon iron c
Excellent Wh en select in g k it ch en dr a in s, t h e design er mu st k n ow
Steel, galvanized Good Fair t h e qu a n t it y of liqu id a n d solid wa st e t h e dr a in s will be
a
This refers to domestic sewage. Consult manufacturer for r equ ir ed t o accept , a s well a s wh ich equ ipmen t em it s wa st e
resistance to particular chemicals.
b
Since these materials are used only aboveground for chemical on a r egu la r ba sis a n d wh ich pr odu ces wa st e on ly by acci-
waste systems, this is not applicable. den t a l spilla ge. Dishwa sh in g m ach in es, st ea m er s, boost er
c
This material is usually allowed only belowground. h eat er s, a n d ot h er k it ch en equ ipmen t m ay disch a r ge wa st e
d
Susceptible to corrosion from hydrogen sul de gas.
of 180°F or h igh er in t o t h e sa n it a r y dr a in , so ca st ir on pip -
in g or cooler s m ay be r equ ir ed in t h ese ca ses.
S AN I TAT ION F loor -clea n in g pr ocedu r es sh ou ld be a scer t a in ed t o de-
t er m in e t h e a m ou n t of wat er u sed. If a n y a m ou n t of solid
All d r a in s sh ou ld be clea n ed p er iod ica lly, pa r t icu la r ly
wa st e is t o be dr a in ed, r ecept or s mu st be speci ed wit h
t h ose in m a rket s, h ospit a ls, food-pr ocessin g a r eas, an im a l
r emovable sediment bucket s m ade of galva n ized or st a in less
shelt er s, mor gues, a n d ot her locat ion s wh er e san it at ion is
st eel. Also, su f cien t ver t ica l clea r a n ce over t h ese dr a in s
impor t a nt .
m u st be pr ovided t o con ven ien t ly r em ove t h e sed im en t
For sa n it at ion pu r poses, a n acid-r esist in g en ameled in -
bucket s for clea n in g.
t er ior in oor dr a in s is widely accept ed. T he r ou gh su r faces
Ma ny k it chen pla n n er s mou nt k it chen equ ipment on a
of br ass a nd ir on ca st in gs collect a n d hold ger m s, fu n gu s-
5-in ch (125-m illimet er) cu r b. P lacin g t he dr a in on t op of t h e
laden scu m , a n d n e debr is t h at u su a lly accompan y dr a in
cu r b a n d u nder t he equ ipment m a kes con n ect ion of in dir ect
wast e, a n d t h er e is no easy or sat isfact or y way t o clean t hese
dr a in lines dif cu lt a n d t he r ecept or in accessible for in spec-
r ou gh su r faces. T he most pr act ica l appr oach is t o en amel
t ion an d clea n in g. Mou nt in g t he r ecept or in fr ont of t he cu r b
t h em , a n d t h e impr oved sa n it at ion compen sat es for t h e
t a kes up oor space, a n d t h e myr iad of in dir ect dr a in s t h at
added expen se. However, pipe t h r eads ca n not be cut int o
disch a r ge int o it cr eat e a pot ent ial h a zar d for employees who
en ameled met a ls becau se t h e en a melin g will ch ip off in t he
m ay t r ip over t hem . The solut ion r equ ir es close coor din at ion
a r ea of t he m ach in in g. Also, pipe t h r eads t hem selves ca n n ot
bet ween t he en gin eer a nd t he k it chen design er. F igu r e 1-11
be en ameled; t her efor e, cau lked joint s shou ld be speci ed
shows an a r r an gement wher eby a ny spillage in fr ont of t he
on en a m eled dr a in s. Most adju st able oor dr a in s ut ilize
cu r b ca n be dr a in ed by h a lf of t he r ecept or, wh ile indir ect
t h r eaded adju st ment s, so t hese dr a in s ca n not be en a meled.
dr a in s a r e n eat ly t ucked away.
However, adju st able dr a in s t h at u se slidin g lu gs on a cast
Wher e equ ipment is on t h e oor level a n d an in dir ect
t h r ead m ay be en a meled.
wast e r ecept or must be pr ovided under t he equ ipment , a sh al-
A gr at e or t he t op ledge of a dr a in can be en a meled, but
low bucket t h at ca n be r emoved easily is r ecom men ded.
t h e en a mel will n ot t oler at e t r af c abr asion wit hout show-
in g scr at ch es a nd, even t u a lly, ch ippin g. T he solut ion t o t h is WAT E R P R O OF I NG
pr oblem is a st a in less-st eel or n ickel-br on ze r im a n d gr at e
Whenever a ca st -ir on dr a in is cement ed int o a slab, sepa r a-
over t h e en ameled dr a in body, a com mon pr act ice on in di-
t ion due t o expa n sion a n d cont r act ion occu r s an d cr eat es
r ect wast e r ecept or s, somet imes r efer r ed t o as “ oor sin k s.”
sever a l pr oblem s. On e is t he con st a nt wet a r ea in t he cr ev-
Speci er s seem t o favor t he squ a r e, in dir ect wa st e r ecept or,
ice a r ou n d t he dr a in t h at pr omot es m ildew odor a n d t h e
but t he r ou n d r ecept or is ea sier t o clea n an d h a s bet t er an t i-
br eedin g of bact er ia. Seepage t o t he oor below is a lso a pos-
splash ch a r act er ist ics. For cases wh er e t he choice of squ a r e
sibilit y. A seepage or ash in g an ge can cor r ect t h is pr oblem.
or r ou nd is in uen ced by t he oor pat t er n , r ou n d sin k s wit h
Weep holes in t he a sh in g an ge dir ect moist u r e int o t he
squ a r e t ops a r e ava ilable.

14 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012


Figure 1-11 Combination Floor Drain
and Indirect Waste Receptor
dr a in . Also, t h is a n ge accept s mem br a n e m at er ia l, a n d
when u sed, t he ash in g r in g shou ld lock t he mem br a n e t o
t h e a n ge.
One pr eva len t m isconcept ion about t he ash in g an ge
is t h at it can h ave weep holes when u sed wit h clea nout s;
however, t her e ca n be n o weep holes int o a clea n out t o wh ich
moist u r e can r u n . Weep holes a lso shou ld be elim in at ed fr om
t he ash in g a n ges of dr a in s, such as r e ect ion -pool dr a in s,
wher e a n over ow st a ndpipe t o m a int a in a cer t a in wat er
level shut s off t he dr a in ent r an ce.
T he t er m “non -pu n ct u r in g,” u sed in r efer en ce t o mem -
br a n e- a sh in g, r in g-secu r in g m et h ods, is n ow obsolet e,
as secu r in g bolt s h ave been moved in boa r d on a sh in g L
a n ges, a nd t he membr a n e n eed n ot be pu n ct u r ed t o get a
seal. Of t he var ious ar r an gement s, th is bolt in g met hod allows
t h e gr eat est squeeze pr essu r e on t h e mem br a ne.
F L O OR L E VE L I NG
A m ajor pr oblem in set t in g oor dr a in s an d clea n out s occu r s
when t he concr et e is pou r ed level wit h t h e t op of t he u n it ,
ign or in g t he fact t h at t he addit ion of t ile on t h e oor will
cau se t he dr ain or clean out t o be lower t h a n t he su r r ou ndin g
su r face. To solve t he pr oblem, cleanout s can be speci ed wit h
t appin gs in t he cover r im t o jack t h e t op pa r t of t h e clea n out
up t o t he n ish ed oor level. F loor dr a in s ca n be fu r n ished
wit h adju st able t ops t o at t a in a n in st a llat ion t h at is u sh
wit h t he n ished oor.
T H E R M AL E XP ANS ION
When excessive t her m al expan sion is ant icipat ed, pipe move-
ment should be contr olled to avoid dam agin g ch an ges in slope.
Anchor ing, usin g expan sion joints, or usin g expan sion loops or
bends m ay accomplish t h is. When anchor in g, avoid excessive
st r ess on t he st r uct u r e and t he pipe. P ipin g or mech an ical
en gineer in g h andbooks shou ld be con su lt ed if st r ess an alysis
is t o be per for med due t o excessive st r esses or t o t he differ in g
expan sion ch ar act er ist ics of m at er ials.
P R O T E C T I O N F R O M DAMAGE
Following ar e some common h azar ds t hat may damage drain s
an d dr ain pipin g an d som e m et h ods of pr ot ect ion .
• Abr asion : Use plast ic or r u bber sleeves or in su lat e
wh er e copper pipe leaves t h e slab.
• Con den sat ion : In su lat e t h e pipin g.
• Cor r osion : Use m et h ods r ecom m en ded in P lu mbin g
E n gin eer in g Design H a n d book Volu m e 1, Ch apt er
8: “Cor r osion .”
• H ea vy ea r t h loa d s: U se st r on ger p ip e or p ip e
sleeves.
• Expan sion an d con t r act ion : Use exible join t s, loops,
swin g join t s, or offset s.
• F ir e: U se a n a ppr opr ia t e bu ildin g con st r u ct ion
ar ou n d t h e pipe. Som e ju r isdict ion s r equ ir e m et al
pipin g wit h in 2 feet (0.6 met er ) of an en t r y in t o a
r ewall. All m at er ials m u st con for m t o t h e appr opr i-
at e r e r at in gs.
• H eat : Keep t h er moplast ic pipe away fr om sou r ces of
h eat or u se in su lat ion .
• Nails: Use fer r ou s pipe, st eel sleeves, or st eel plat es
or do n ot locat e pipe n ear possible n ail pen et r at ion
ar eas.
• Seism ic act ivit y: Br ace pipe an d pr ovide exible
join t s at con n ect ion s bet ween pipin g br aced t o walls
or t h e st r u ct u r e an d pipin g br aced t o t h e ceilin g an d
bet ween st or ies (wh er e differ en t ial m ovem en t s will
occu r ).
• Sett lemen t : Use sleeves or exible join t s. When em-
bedded in con cr et e, cover pipin g with t hr ee layers of
15-poun d (6.8-kilogr am) felt .
• Su n ligh t : P r ot ect t h er m oplast ic pipe by in su lat ion
an d a jacket or sh ade it t o avoid war pin g.
• Vandals: In st all pipe above reach or in areas prot ected
by buildin g con str uction. P ipin g must be suppor t ed t o
withst and 250 pou nds (113.4 kilogr ams) h angin g from
the movin g pipe.
• Wood sh r in kage: P r ovide slip join t s an d clear an ce
for pipe wh en wood sh r in ks. Appr oxim at ely s in ch
(16 m illim et er ) per floor is adequ a t e for t ypica l
fr am e con st r u ct ion s, based on 4 per cen t sh r in kage
per pen dicu lar t o wood gr ain . Sh r in kage alon g t h e
gr ain u su ally does n ot exceed 0.2 per cen t .
ALT E R N AT E S AN I TAR Y S YS T E MS
The design an d in st allat ion of alt er n at ive en gineer ed plu mb-
in g syst em s a r e per m it t ed in a ll codes, so lon g a s t hey a r e
design ed by a licen sed pr ofession a l en gineer who is r espon -
sible for t he pr oper oper at ion of t he syst ems. If an a lt er n at ive
syst em is con t emplat ed, su bm ission t o a nd appr ova l by t h e
aut hor it y h avin g ju r isdict ion mu st be obt a ined. To expedit e
appr ova l, t h e followin g st eps a r e su ggest ed.
1. In dicat e on th e design document s t hat the plumbin g
syst em (or par t s ther eof) is an altern at ive design .
2. Submit enough technical data to support the proposed
altern ative design and pr ove that the system confor ms
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 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
to t he in t en t of t he code. This shall in clude suit ability
for t he in t en ded pur pose, st ren gth, equivalen t level
of per for man ce compar ed to t r adit ion al in st allat ion s,
safety, and qualit y of mat er ials.
3. In clude oor plan s, r iser diagr ams, an d an in dicat ion
of th e pr oposed ow.
4. P r ovide assur an ce th at th e man ufactur er’s in stalla-
tion inst ru ction s will be followed.
5. If approval is given , indicat e on t he permit and all con -
st r uct ion application s t hat an alter n at ive engin eer ed
design is par t of t he appr oved in stallation .
6. Alt er n at ive syst em s ar e ch ar act er ized by, bu t n ot
limit ed to, usin g a sin gle stack for bot h san it ar y an d
ven t or n o ven t at all. On e except ion is a con ven t ion al
drain age, r educed-ven t syst em. All of t he followin g
syst ems have been used successfully in th e Un it ed
St ates an d ar oun d th e wor ld for man y year s an d have
pr oven effect ive in actual use. All of th e alt er n ative
systems discussed have combin ed san itar y an d ven t
systems.
S OVE N T AN D P R OVE N T
The Sovent syst em was developed in 1959 in Swit zerland. It is
a pat ent ed, combin at ion dr ain age and vent syst em th at uses a
sin gle st ack in st ead of a convent ion a l t wo-pipe dr a in age a n d
vent st ack. T he Soven t syst em u ses cast ir on an d/or copper
pipe a n d is su it able on ly for mu lt ist or y bu ildin gs becau se it
a llows su bst a nt ia l economy in pipin g in st a llat ion .
T he P r ovent syst em is sim ila r t o t he Sovent syst em , but it
u ses P VC. Alt hou gh in st a lled in m any cou nt r ies t h r ou ghout
t h e world, it r em a in s a n a lt er n at ive, u nconvent ion a l syst em
wit h on ly lim it ed u sa ge in t h e Un it ed St at es.
It is not t he int ent of th is ch apt er t o pr ovide speci c design
cr it er ia for a Sovent or P r ovent syst em , but r at her t o discu ss
t h e in dividu a l compon ent ch a r act er ist ics t h at will en able a
plu mbin g en gineer t o obt a in a work in g k n owledge of how
t h ese syst em s work . A t ypica l Sovent sin gle-st ack syst em is
illu st r at ed in F igu r e 1-12.
A Sovent or P rovent system consists of three pr incipal par ts:
pipin g for all branch wast es and st acks, an aerat or t t in g at
each oor level wher e t he branch wast e lines con nect t o t he
st ack, and a deaerat or t tin g at t he base of t he st ack wher e it
ent er s the house dr ain.
T h e st a r t in g p oin t is t h e h or izon t a l soil a n d wa st e
br a n ches. Th e xt u r e u n it s a nd br a n ch sizes ar e sim ila r t o
t h ose gu r es fou n d in convent ion a l syst em s. T he m a ximu m
xt u r e u n it s t h at m ay be con n ect ed t o a br a n ch or st ack a r e
a lso sim ila r t o t h at of convent ion al syst em s.
Br a n ch sizes mu st be adju st ed accor din g t o t he follow-
in g.
• A secon d ver t ical dr op or a ver t ical dr op of m or e
t h an 3 feet (0.9 met er ) r equ ir es an in cr ease in t h e
down st r eam side of t h e con n ect ion .
• Wh en t h r ee 90-degr ee ch an ges in dir ect ion occu r in
a h or izon t al br an ch , t h e h or izon t al br an ch sh all be
in cr eased in size at t h e u pst r eam side of t h e t h ir d
ch an ge.
• Wh en a br an ch ser ves t wo wat er closet s an d on e
or m or e addit ion al xt u r es, t h e soil lin e sh all be
16 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012
in cr eased t o 4 in ch es (100 m illim et er s) at t h e poin t
wh er e on e wat er closet an d on e addit ion al xt u r e
ar e con n ect ed.
• Th e br an ch m u st be in cr eased on e size wh en a soil
br an ch exceeds 12 feet (3.7 m et er s) in h or izon t al
len gt h .
• T h e br an ch m u st be in cr ea sed on e size wh en a
wast e lin e exceeds 15 feet (4.6 met er s) in h or izon t al
len gt h .
St acks mu st be ca r r ied fu ll size t h r ou gh t he r oof. T wo
st ack s can be con nect ed at t he t op above t he h ighest x-
t u r e or at t h e bot t om pr ior t o ent er in g t he bu ildin g dr a in .
T he size is based on t he t ot a l xt u r e u n it s. F ixt u r es m ay
be con n ect ed int o a hor izont a l offset in a st ack below t he
deaer at or t t in g.
An aer at or t t in g is r equ ir ed at each level wher e a soil
br a n ch , a wast e lin e t he sa me size a s t he st ack , or a wast e
br a n ch on e size sm a ller t h a n t h e st ack is con n ect ed. Th e
aer at or con sist s of a n upper st ack in let , a m ixin g ch am ber,
a n d a ba f e in t h e cent er of t h e t t in g. T h is pr ovides a
ch a mber wher e t he ow fr om t h e br a n ches m ay gr adu a lly
m ix smoot h ly wit h t he a ir a nd liqu id a lr eady owin g in t he
st ack. It a lso lim it s t he t u r bu len ce a n d velocit y of t he incom -
in g wat er. A 2-in ch (50-m illimet er) hor izont a l br a n ch m ay
en t er t he st ack wit h n o t t in g. T wo basic st yles of aer at or
t t in g meet t he needs of most design con dit ion s: t he dou ble-
side ent r y t t in g a nd t he sin gle-ent r y t t in g. Face ent r y a nd
t op ent r y a r e u sed in specia l ca ses.
A deaer at or t t in g is r equ ir ed at t he bot t om of t he st ack
an d is designed t o over come t he t endency of t he fallin g wast e
t o bu ild up excessive back pr essu r e at t he bot t om of t he st ack
when t he ow is deceler at ed by t he ben d in t o t he hor izont a l
dr a in . Th e deaer at or con sist s of a n a ir sepa r at ion ch a m ber,
a n ose piece, a pr essu r e r elief out let at t he t op con n ect ed t o
t he bu ildin g dr a in , a n d a st ack out let at t he bot t om . T he
pu r pose of t he deaer at or is t o sepa r at e t h e a ir ow fr om t he
st ack t o en su r e t he smoot h ow of liqu id int o t he bu ildin g
dr a in a nd t o r elieve t he posit ive pr essu r e gen er at ed at t he
st ack’s ba se. T he con gu r at ion of t he t t in g cau ses pa r t of
t he a ir fa llin g wit h t he liqu id t o ow t h r ou gh t he pr essu r e
r elief lin e, a n d t he r em a in der of t he a ir goes dir ect ly int o
t he bu ildin g dr a in .
T he plu mbin g en gin eer mu st expla in t h e specia l r equ ir e-
m en t s of t h e Soven t or P r oven t syst em t o t h e in st a llin g
con t r act or. T h e en gin eer a lso sh ou ld m a ke r egu la r in spec-
t ion s of t h e pr oject t o en su r e t h at t h e design con dit ion s a r e
met . A complet e set of cont r act docu ment s sh a ll be pr ovided
t o t h e own er t o a llow pr oper a lt er at ion or expa n sion of t h e
pr oject in t h e fut u r e.
S I NGL E -S TACK S YS T E M
T he sin gle-st ack syst em is a combin at ion dr a in age a nd vent
syst em con sist in g of a sin gle st ack in st ead of conven t ion a l
sepa r at e dr a in age a nd vent st acks. In t h is dr a in age syst em ,
t he dr a in a ge st ack ser ves as bot h a sin gle-st ack dr a in age
a n d vent syst em when pr operly sized. To r elieve in t er n a l
a ir pr essu r es, t h e on e-pipe syst em mu st be la r ger t h a n t h at
r equ ir ed for dr a in a ge pu r poses a lon e. T h e dr a in age st ack
a nd br a nch pipin g sh all be con sider ed vent s for t he dr a in age

Figure 1-12 Typical Sovent Single-stack System
syst em as a whole. Alt hou gh t he pipe sizin g is la r ger in a
sin gle-st ack syst em t h a n in a convent ion a l on e, in st a llat ion
savin gs a r e ach ieved by r educin g t h e a mou n t of vent pipin g
r equ ir ed.
T he m ajor compon ent s of t h e on e-pipe syst em ar e over -
size, u nven t ed S t r aps in st ead of t he conven t ion a lly sized
an d vent ed P t r aps an d xt u r es t h at a llow wat er t o r u n off
aft er t he t ap is closed t o ll t he t r aps wit h wat er t o m a int ain
t h e t r ap sea l. T he t r ap a r m len gt h is lim it ed t o r educe a ny
suct ion bu ildup, a n d t he st ack is over sized t o lim it in t er n a l
a ir pr essu r e a nd vacuu m bu ildup.
Oft en r efer r ed t o a s t he P h iladelph ia st ack, t h is u n con -
vent ion al syst em h as oper at ed successfu lly for mor e th an 100
year s wit h no pr oblems. Con sider at ion h as been made by code
bodies t o in clude t h is syst em as a n en gin eer ed design , wh ich
a llows it t o be u sed pr ovidin g t he en gineer h as design ed it
in accor da n ce wit h code.
R E DUCE D -S I z E VE N T I NG
In 1974, t he Nat ion a l Bu r eau of St a ndar ds (N BS) conduct ed
a labor at or y st udy of one-st or y a n d split -level exper iment a l
dr a in age syst em s wh er e t h e vent s va r ied fr om on e t o six
pipe sizes sm aller t h an t hose for convent ion a l syst em s. T hey
showed sat isfact or y hydr au lic an d pn eu m at ic per for m a n ce
u n der va r iou s loadin g con dit ion s. At t h e sa m e t im e, t h e
10-st or y wet vent syst em at t h e St even s In st it ut e Bu ildin g
Tech n ology Labor at or y h ad been modi ed by r educin g t he
vent s one t o t h r ee pipe sizes in accor da n ce wit h t he plan s
a n d speci cat ion s of t h e N BS. T he r esu lt s a lso in dicat ed
t h at t he vent s in a t wo-st or y h ou sin g u n it ca n sa fely be
m ade sm a ller t h a n pr eviou sly a llowed wit hout jeopa r dizin g
t he t r ap sea ls.
T h is syst em m ay a llow econ om ies of pipe size in t he vent -
in g design of low-r ise r esident ia l bu ildin gs, a lt hou gh t h is
pa r t icu la r syst em h as n ot been accept ed by aut hor it ies. It
is lim it ed t o specia l con dit ion s a n d r equ ir es t he vent pipes
t o be of a m at er ia l such a s copper or pla st ic t h at will r esist
t he bu ildup of cor r osion pr oduct s.
VACU U M DR AI NAGE S YS T E M
Vacuu m dr a in age oper at es on t he pr in ciple t h at t h e m ajor -
it y of t he syst em is u n der a cont inuou s vacuu m . Th e syst em
is pr opr iet a r y a n d is m ade by va r iou s m a nu fact u r er s, a ll of
wh ich h ave differ ent n ames for devices per for m in g sim ila r
oper at ion s, so gen er ic ident i cat ion is u sed h er e. Va r iou s
design s a r e capable of san it a r y a n d wa st e disposa l, eit h er
separ at e or in combin at ion , an d ar e u sed for var iou s pr oject s
such as pr ison s, super m a rket s, a n d sh ips. T her e is no dir ect
con nect ion fr om t he san it a r y wa st e t o t he vacuu m syst em .
T he one big advan t age is t h at pipin g is in st a lled overhead
a n d n o pipe is r equ ir ed t o be placed u nder gr ou n d.
T he syst em con sist s of t h r ee ba sic component s: a vacuu m
n et work of pipin g a nd ot h er devices t h at collect s a nd t r a n s-
por t s wa st e fr om it s or igin , vacuu m gener at ion pu mps, an d
a vacuu m int er face device at t he point of or igin t h at isolat es
t he vacuu m pipin g fr om at mosph er ic pr essu r e. When t he
syst em ser ves wat er closet s, t he wat er closet s mu st be pu r -
pose m ade, design ed t o r in se a n d r e ll wit h 0.5 ga llon (2.2
lit er s) of wat er.
T he pipin g n et work for a vacuu m wast e syst em is held
u n der a con st a nt vacuu m bet ween 12 a nd 18 in ches of mer -
cu r y (in H g) (40 –65 k ilopasca ls) an d gen er a lly is fabr icat ed
fr om P VC, copper, or ot her n onpor ou s, smoot h -bor e m at e-
r ia l. Hor izont a l pipin g sh a ll slope at a r at e of 8 in ch per
foot (1.18 m illimet er per met er) t owa r d t h e vacuu m cent er.
T h is pipin g slope is t h e sa me as in conven t ion a l syst em s. If
t h is slope ca n not be m a int a ined, t he t r aps cr eat ed in t he
pipin g r u n s when r out ed a r ou n d obst acles wou ld be clea r ed
becau se of t he differ en t ia l pr essu r e t h at exist s bet ween t he
vacuu m cen t er a nd t he point of or igin . T he disch a r ge of t he
pipin g syst em is in t o t he wast e st or age t a n ks.
MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 17
 READ, LEARN, EARN: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems
T he vacuu m gen er at ion syst em in cludes vacuu m pu mps,
wh ich cr eat e a vacuu m in t he pipin g an d st or age t a n k s t h at
collect a n d disch a r ge t he wa st e int o t he sewer syst em . T he
vacuu m pu mps r u n on ly on dem an d, a n d r edu nda ncy is pr o-
vided. They a lso h ave sewage pu mps t h at pu mp t he dr a in age
fr om t he st or a ge t an k s int o t h e sewer.
T he vacuu m int er face is differ ent for sa n it a r y dr a in age
t h a n for clea r wast e. Vacuu m t oilet s oper at e in st an t ly upon
u sh in g, a n d when a vacuu m t oilet is cycled, a disch a r ge
cont r ol pan el assembly is act ivat ed, sendin g t he disch ar ge t o
t h e t a n k. A va lve act s as an int er face bet ween t he vacuu m
an d t he at mospher e. T he t an k will disch a r ge in t o t he sewer
when a pr edet er m ined level of disch a r ge is r eached.
When clea r wat er is disch a r ged, t he wat er goes int o a n
accu mu lat or. Wh en a cont r oller sen ses t h at su f cient wa st e
is pr esent , it open s t he n or m a lly closed ext r act ion va lve,
wh ich sepa r at es t h e at mospher ic pr essu r e fr om t he vacuu m
an d r emoves t he wast e fr om t he accu mu lat or.
18 Read, Learn, Earn MAY 2012
Becau se vacuu m t oilet s u se 0.5 ga llon per u sh , t he hold-
in g t a n k s ca n be sm a ller t h an t h ose for convent ion al t oilet s.
A u sh cont r ol pa n el is design ed t o pr ovide a ll of t he con t r ol
fu n ct ion s associat ed wit h t he vacuu m t oilet . T he con t r ol
pa nel con sist s of a u sh va lve, u sh cont r oller, wat er va lve,
a n d vacuu m br ea ker. All cont r ols a r e pn eu m at ica lly oper -
at ed. T he u sh cont r oller cont r ols t he open in g of t he u sh
va lve a n d t h e r in se va lve as well as t he du r at ion of t he t ime
t he u sh va lve is open .
R E F E R E NCE S
1. Dau gh er t y, Rober t L., J oseph B. F r an zin i, an d E .
J ohn Fin n emor e, Flu id Mech anics with Engin eer in g
Applications, McGr aw-Hill, 1985.
2. Dawson, F.M. and A.A. Kalinske. Report on Hydraulics
and Pneumatics of Plumbing Drainage Systems, State
Un iver sit y of Iowa St udies in Engin eerin g, Bulletin
No. 10, 1937.
 CONTINUING EDUCATION: Sanit ary Drainage Syst ems

ASPE Cont inuing Educat ion Applicat ion Form

This form is valid up to one year from date of publication. Expiration date: Continuing education credit will be given for this examination
through May 31, 2013. Applications received after that date will not be processed.
Submit this form with payment via mail (ASPERead, Learn, Earn, 2980 S. River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018), fax (847-296-2963), or email
aspeeducation@aspe.org.

Please print or type; this information will be used to process your credits.
Name______________________________________________________________________ ASPE Membership No. ______________
Organization ___________________________________________________ Daytime telephone _____________________________
Billing Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________ State/Province ________________________ Zip ______________________
E-mail _______________________________________________________________________ Fax ____________________________
PE State _____________________________________________ PE No. _________________________________________________
Notice for North Carolina Professional Engineers: State regulations for registered PEs in North Carolina now require you to complete ASPE’s online CEU validation form
to be eligible for continuing education credits. After successfully completing this quiz, just visit ASPE’s CEU Validation Center at aspe.org/CEUValidationCenter.

Reading the article and completing the form will

CE Questions —
allow you to apply to ASPE for CEU credit. If you “ Sanitary Drainage Systems” (CEU 187)
earn a grade of 90 percent or h igh er on th e test,
Circle the correct answers below.
you will b e n otified th at you h ave logged 0.1
CEU, which can be applied toward CPD renewal 1. A _______ is t he main vert ical pipe t hat 7. A t ypical eject or pump inst allat ion
or numerous regu latory-agency CE program s. carries clear w at er w ast e f rom non- cont ains w hich of t he f ollow ing?
(Please note that it is your responsibility to deter- sanit ary xt ures. a. oat
m ine the acceptance policy of a particular agency.) a. soil st ack b. discharge pipe
b. building drain c. gat e valve
CEU information will be kept on le at the ASPE
c. w ast e st ack d. all of t he above
o ce for three years.
d. vent st ack 8. Cleanout s should be inst alled no more
2. What is t he recommended drainage t han _________ apart f or 3-inch piping.
I certify that I have read the article indicated xt ure unit value f or a kit chen sink? a. 50 f eet
a. 2 b. 75 f eet
above.
b. 3 c. 100 f eet
c. 4 d. 150 f eet
d. 5 9. A ________ prevent s w at er f rom passing
Signature
3. How many drainage xt ure unit s around a drain t o t he area below .
maximum may be connect ed t o one a. grat e
Payment: 3-inch sanit ary st ack w it h t w o branch b. gasket
int ervals? c. ashing ring
Member: Free a. 20 d. cleanout
Nonmember: Each examination: $35 b. 42 10. The recommended mat erial f or
Personal Check (payable to ASPE) c. 48
aboveground soil w ast e piping w it hin a
d. 72 building is ________.
Business or government check
4. An off set is sized and sloped like a a. PVC
DiscoverCard VISA MasterCard AMEX ________. b. cast iron
a. building sew er c. galvanized st eel
If rebillingof acredit cardchargeisnecessary, a$25 b. building drain d. all of t he above
processingfeewill becharged. c. horizont al branch 11. In a Sovent syst em, t he branch must be
d. vert ical st ack increased one size w hen a w ast e line
ASPE is hereby authorized to charge my CE
5. The equat ion Q = AV calculat es w hat ? exceeds ________ in horizont al lengt h.
examination fee to my credit card a. 12 f eet
a. ow velocit y
b. ow quant it y b. 15 f eet
c. f rict ion loss c. 18 f eet
Account Number d. 20 f eet
d. area of ow
6. The minimum slope of a 2-inch horizont al 12. The horizont al piping in a vacuum w ast e
Expiration date drain is ________. syst em shall slope ________ inch per f oot
a. 1/8 inch per f oot t ow ard t he vacuum cent er.
b. ¼ inch per f oot a. 1/16
Signature c. ½ inch per f oot b. 1/8
d. 1 inch per f oot c. ¼
d. ½
Cardholder’s name (Please print)

MAY 2012 Read, Learn, Earn 19