HOUSE PLUMBING 1

DRAINAGE, WASTE and VENT SYSTEM

SAMPLE PROJECT: A TWO STOREY
RESIDENTIAL HOUSE
 The 4 Major Components of the Drainage System:
• Sanitary or Soil Drainage
System – the piping that
conveys the discharge of water
closets or fixtures having
similar functions (containing
fecal matter), with or without
the discharges from other
fixtures.
• Waste Drainage System – the
piping that receives the liquid
discharge from plumbing
fixtures other than water
closets. It is free of fecal
matter.
• Vent System – The piping installed to
provide a flow of air to or from a
drainage system or to provide a
circulation of air within such system to
protect trap seals from siphonage and
back pressure.
• Storm Drainage System - the piping
system that receives clear water
drainage from leaders, downspouts,
surface runoff, ground water, subsurface
water, condensate water, cooling water
or other similar discharges and conveys
them to the point of disposal. All
sanitary wastes must not be included in
this system.

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 7

 GRAY WATER

Storm Drainage System:

Downspout, Catch Basin &
Storm pipe
BLACK WATER

Vent System: Main Vent

Stack & Vent Stack Thru Waste Drainage System:
Roof (VSTR) Waste pipe from Kitchen sink

Sanitary Drainage System:

Soil pipe from water closet
and other fixtures

Points of Disposal for Storm

water
Private Treatment Facility:
Septic Tank

Point of Disposal for

Sanitary Waste

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 8

 Terms and Definitions in the DWV System:
• Building Drain – is that part of the lowest horizontal
piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge
from soil, waste & other drainage pipes inside the walls of
the building & conveys it to the building sewer beginning
600 mm outside the building wall. It is also known as
House Drain.
• Building Sewer – is that part of the horizontal piping of a
drainage system which starts from the end of the building
drain & receives the discharge of the building drain &
conveys it to the public sewer, private sewer, individual
sewage disposal system or other point of disposal.
• House Sewer – is that part of a plumbing system
extending from the house drain at a point 600 mm from
the outside face of the foundation wall of a building to the
conjunction with the street sewer or to any point of
discharge, and conveying the drainage of one building site.

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 9

• Waste pipe – a pipe which conveys only wastewater or liquid waste, free of
fecal matter.
• Soil pipe – any pipe which conveys the discharge of water closet, urinal or
fixtures having similar functions, with or without the discharges from other
fixtures to the building drain or building sewer.
• Soil Stack pipe – A vertical soil pipe conveying fecal matter and wastewater.
• Vent pipe – a pipe or opening used for ensuring the circulation of air in a
plumbing system and for relieving the negative pressure exerted on trap
seals.
• Vent Stack – the vertical vent pipe installed primarily for providing
circulation of air to and from any part of the soil, waste of the drainage
system.
• Stack Vent – the extension of a soil or waste stack above the highest
horizontal drain connected to the stack.
• Stack Vent Through Roof (SVTR) – the uppermost end of the stack vent
above the roof.
• Branch Vent – a horizontal vent connecting one or more individual vertical
back vents with the vent stack or stack vent.

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 10

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 11
TRAPS permit
waste & wastewater
to enter the
drainage system &
prevent any sewer
gases from entering
the house. The
water seal utilizes a
portion of the
wastewater to act as
a barrier.
Cleanout
WASTE LINES
carry wastes such as hair,
lint, grease, food scraps,
etc. Because of this
function, cleanouts
should be located so that
the entire system can be
opened up if necessary.
VENTS protect the water
seals in traps and permit them
to operate effectively. By
admitting air to the system,
vents permit atmospheric
pressure on both sides of the
trap seal to be maintained,
and permit air to enter at the
same time as gases escape the
drainage system.
Cleanout
SOIL STACKS &
LINES are bigger in
Cleanout diameter than the waste
lines, except at ground
floor or basement
The DWV System combines the use of
TRAPS, VENTS, WASTE LINES and SOIL
STACKS & LINES
Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 12
 VSTR or SVTR

Branch Vent Vent Stack

Individual Vent
or Back Vent
Wall Cleanout
Lavatory
Water Waste Pipe
600 mm from Closet
foundation wall
Auxiliary
Floor Drain Shower Floor Drain
Floor
Cleanout House Drain
or Building
Drain

Sanitary or Soil Pipe

Cleanout
House Sewer or
Building Sewer
Cleanout
Cleanout

Digestive
Chamber
Holding
Chamber
The DWV SYSTEM
To point of Disposal Septic Tank

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 13

 GENERAL Each plumbing fixture trap shall be
REQUIREMENTS provided with vent pipes
FOR A PROPERLY
DESIGNED
DRAINAGE
SYSTEM
Each plumbing fixture, except those with
All horizontal piping shall be integral traps, shall be separately trapped by
supported & anchored at an approved type watersealed trap.
intervals not to exceed 3
meters.

Vertical piping shall be

secured at sufficiently close
intervals to keep the pipes in
alignment. Stacks shall be
A cleanout, easily accessible, shall be
properly supported at their
provided for inspection or cleaning of
bases.
the pipe run.

All horizontal piping shall run in

practical alignment & at a uniform
grade of not less than 2% (20 mm per
meter) toward the point of disposal

Danilo V. Ravina NAMPAP - CEBU 14

DRAINAGE TRAPS
 What is a Drain?
• A Drain is a pipe, which carries ground and surface
waters, storm water or wastewater into a building
drainage system.
• The common types of drains are the floor drains and
the roof drains.
• The 2 types of drain connections are the direct drain
connection and the indirect drain connection.
 What is a Trap?
• A Trap is a fitting or device designed and constructed to provide,
when properly vented, a liquid seal which prevents the backflow of
foul air or methane gas without materially affecting the flow of
sewage or wastewater through it.
• The types of watersealed traps are:
1. P-trap – is the most widely used for fixtures, common diameter sizes are
32mm (1-1/4”) and 38mm (1-1/2”).
2. Drum trap – is used mostly for bathtubs. It has the advantage of
containing a larger volume of water & discharging a greater volume of
water than a P-trap.
3. Grease Interceptor / Grease Trap – Grease interceptor is an
interceptor of at least 3 cubic meter capacity to serve one or more fixtures
and which is remotely located. Grease trap is a device designed to retain
grease from one to a maximum of four fixtures.
4. House Trap/Running trap – a device installed to prevent circulation of
air between the drainage of the building and the building sewer.
 Types of Waterseal Traps:
Crown Weir – the highest
point of the bottom of the
internal surface of the trap

51 – 102 mm

Dip – the lowest portion

of the inside top surface of
the channel through the
trap
Trap seal –the vertical distance or depth of liquid that a
trap will retain, measured between the crown weir and
the top of the dip of the trap.
Grease Trap:
DRAINAGE VENT
 What is a Vent?
• A Vent is a pipe or opening that brings outside air into the
plumbing system and equalizes the pressure on both sides of
a trap to prevent trap seal loss.
• Inadequate ventilation usually causes the loss of trap seal.
• At sea level, atmospheric pressure is about 102 kPa (14.75
psi). Any difference between this pressure and the pressure
on the discharge side forces the water seal into the direction
of less pressure. Venting the discharge side of the trap to the
atmosphere tends to equalize these pressures.
 Causes of Trap Seal Loss:
• Siphonage – the withdrawal of a liquid from a trap due to a suction
caused by liquid flow in a pipe without proper ventilation.
1. Direct or Self – siphonage
2. Indirect or Momentum siphonage
• Back Pressure or Back Siphonage – pressure developed in
opposition to the flow of liquid in a pipe due to friction, gravity or some
other restriction to the flow of the conveyed liquid.
• Evaporation – occurs when a fixture is not used for a long time.
• Capillary Attraction – a foreign object lodged in the trap causes loss
of trap seal by capillary action by acting as a wick.
• Wind Effect
Causes of Trap Seal Loss:
 What are the Types of Vents?
• Soil and Waste Vent • Relief Vent
• Main Vent • Yoke Vent
• Individual Vent or Back • Wet Vent
Vent • Looped Vent
• Unit Vent • Local Vent
• Circuit Vent or Loop • Utility Vent
Vent
 Vents and Venting: VENT TERMINATION

Section 906 VENT TERMINATION

VERTICAL SURFACE

300 mm
(minimum)
906.1 Each vent pipe or stack through roof
(SVTR) shall extend its flashing all around and
150 mm the stack vent shall terminate vertically not less
(minimum) than 15 cm above the roof nor less than 0.3
meter from any vertical surface nearby.

905. 4 … the vent through roof (VSTR) shall be

increased 1 pipe size above the reconnection
point of stack vent and horizontal vent.

DANILO V. RAVINA NAMPAP - CEBU

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Vents and Venting

2100 mm
(minimum)

DANILO V. RAVINA NAMPAP - CEBU

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 Vents and Venting: AIR ADMITTANCE VALVE (STUDOR SYSTEM)

Air admittance valves offer a substitute for
running vent pipes to the outside of
buildings. These valves open automatically
to let fresh air into the sanitary system if
there is a decrease in air pressure within
the system. The valves close automatically,
to avoid the discharge of foul air, whenever
the pressure in the system is equal to or
greater than the external pressure.
You can use air admittance valves for:
•trap vents
•group vents
•stack vents
•branch drains.
These are not suitable for upstream
venting of a main drain (unless there are
two upstream vents, in which case one
may be an air admittance valve). They
should be installed in the same location
and using the same method as the vent
they are replacing.

DANILO V. RAVINA NAMPAP - CEBU

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