BUILDING UTILITIES 1 | LESSON 1-4

PLUMBING SYSTEM
Plumbing System
The combination of supply and distribution pipes for hot water, cold water, and gas; and for removing liquid wastes in a building.

Includes:
- Water supply distribution pipes
- Soil, waste, and vent pipes
- Building drain and building sewer
- Storm drainage pipes
- With their devices, appurtenances, and connections all within or adjacent to the building

Drainage System
- To anyone, the word plumbing connotes a fixture and piping installation that will supply water and dispose waste in various forms
- Wastewater, however, is classified as:
o Solid waste: being discharged by water closet
o Liquid waste: coming from various fixtures

Grades or degrees of wastewater

1. Storm water: from the rain
2. Grey water: waste from laundries, basins, sinks, showers, bathtubs
3. Black water: water + human waste, solid and liquid, and urine, that is flushed out of toilets and urinals

Types of drainage piping

1. Soil pipes: the pipeline that conveys waste coming from water closet
2. Waste pipe: pipeline that conveys waste from various fixtures other than water closet

The drainage installation is sometimes referred to as DWV, which means: Drainage of solid waste, Waste from various fixtures other than water closet, and
Ventilation of the piping system.

Sewage Disposal System

- The collection and safe disposal of human waste are among the most critical problems of environmental health.
- Typhoid, diarrhea, and other intestinal disorders are some of the waterborne diseases caused by the contamination of drinking water. These are more
prevalent in the rural and in some urban areas where there are no proper and scientific plumbing installations more particularly the sewage disposal
system.
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- Harmful bacteria are present whether human waste is fresh or stale and most of these bacteria do not move by itself or horizontally in the soil; these are
carried through water flows, by flies, rodents, cockroaches and other vermin, thus, causing contamination.
- It is therefore important to know not just the different types of sewage disposal system but to understand as well the value of the system.

Types of sewage disposal system

1. Cesspool
o A hole in the ground with stones and bricks laid in such a manner as to allow raw contaminated sewage to leach into the under surface of the
ground
2. Privy
o A concrete vault sealed with a wooden shelter constructed for the collection of raw sewage
o Plumbing authorities do not recommend this type
3. Septic tank
o A receptacle or vault used to collect organic waste discharges from the house drain.
4. Public sewer line
o A public sewerage system consisting of a sewage treatment plant which conveys the raw sewage from buildings and houses to the disposal
system.

Septic tank
- Main function: to liquefy and precipitate solid wastes purifying odorous materials
- Combines two processes:
o Sedimentation in the upper portion of the tank
o Anaerobic decomposition of the accumulated sludge at the bottom

Sewage that are discharged into the tank is retained, and during the retention period, 60-70% of the suspended solids of the sewage is removed largely by
sedimentation to form a semi-liquid substance called sludge which accumulates at the bottom of the septic tank, and parts of the solid is formed into floating scum.

1st & 2nd: digestive chamber

3rd: leaching chamber

Process in digestive chamber is called digestion, because both scum and sludge
are processed by anaerobic bacteria forming liquid and gases, and the solid matter
is reduced in sizes and consequently changed in character.

Decomposition of organic matter from human waste is a bacteriological process

caused by:
- Aerobic bacteria: life process is in the presence of material oxygen
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- Anaerobic bacteria: functions in the absence of free oxygen

- Facultative bacteria: functions even with or without free oxygen available

These bacteria has no relation to diseases, they thrive normally in sewage and will function when conditions are favorable in terms of food supply, temperature,
and moisture.
However, even when conditions are favorable, these bacterial will cease to exist in the presence of antiseptics and disinfectants.

To discharge large amount or volume of waste; and water containing disinfectants, oil or grease into the septic tank will affect and disturb the bacterial activities
therein and may then destroy the purpose for which the septic tank is constructed.

Decomposition caused by anaerobic bacteria which are sometimes referred to as putrefaction is accompanied by bad odors and the sewage that turns dark and
smell unpleasantly is called septic.

On the other hand, aerobic decomposition is not accompanied by unpleasant odor and decomposition caused by aerobic bacteria is accomplished with no definite
time and could be within a matter of hours.

Gases that are produced in the septic tank

1. Methane (CH4): combination of hydrogen and carbon; a principal component of natural gas
2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2): a combination of carbon and oxygen; the simplest oxide of carbon
3. Carbon Monoxide (CO): by-product of methane; a poisonous gas
4. Hydrogen (H2): evolves as a moist gas from organic waste
5. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S): a colorless gas with offensive odor
6. Sulfur Dioxide (HO2): also a colorless as having an irritating odor

Materials used in construction

- Most popular and widely accepted: reinforced concrete, plastered CHB
- Have not gained acceptance due to cost and durability: prefabricated asbestos and think metal & plastic

General conditions in the construction of septic tank

- The concrete and masonry septic tank is usually constructed in rectangular form.
- The minimum inside width is 90 cm and the minimum length is 150 cm.
- A larger tank is not advisable because the bacterial activities would be retarded
- The size of the tank is proportionally based on the number of persons expected to be served.
- Depth for the liquid content in the tank is 120 cm.
o This depth is adequate for effective decomposition of the organic materials.
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o It is not impractical, however, to construct a tank of greater depth provided that the depth should not be deeper than the natural ground water
table.
- Inlet and outlet inverts are usually of long turn sanitary tee casted in the concrete wall of the tank.
o The inverts are installed in the wall of the tank at least 120 cm from its bottom.
- The invert extension into the liquid of the tank should not be more than 30 cm.
o The idea of extending the invert into the liquid of the tank not to exceed 30 cm is to assure delivery of the incoming sewage or effluent below the
scum line.
o Scum – refers to the lighter organic materials which rise to the surface of the water.
- The bottom of the digestion chamber should be sloped to one low point.
o The purpose is to gather the settled organic materials into one mass to favor the propagation of the anaerobic bacteria.
- The septic tank is provided with a manhole extended a few centimeters above the surface of the soil to overcome infiltration of surface water.
o Septic tank cover: elevated 0.15 m above the NGL.
- The manhole also serves the purpose of cleaning, inspection, and repair.
- Septic tank should be constructed near the surface because the correction of the waste depends upon the extent of oxidation.
- Another kind of bacteria that splits and digests the effluent is the aerobic bacteria which could only survive in the subsoil not more than 150 cm below the
surface. Oxidation of the effluent deeper than 150 cm would become extremely difficult.

Technical data in determining the volume of septic tank

- Minimum width: 90 cm
- Minimum length, including the leaching well: 150 cm
- Minimum depth of water: 120 cm

For residential buildings to serve larger number of people, allocate 0.14 to 0.17 cubic meter of liquid per person.

For a small residential house to serve up to 12 persons, the chamber should have a liquid content of not more than 2.0 cubic meters.

For school, commercial, and industrial establishments, the volume of the septic tank should not be less than 0.057 cubic meter nor more than 0.086 cubic meters
per person.

Where large amounts of waste water is coming from the shower, bath, laundry and others, it is advisable not to permit the entry of these waters into the septic
tank. More so, a downspout that collects water from the roof should not terminate into the septic tank. The aforementioned wastewaters should be conveyed to the
storm drain.
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Conditions to be observed for the location of septic tank

1. The septic tank may be located closer to the building it serves, providing a minimum distance of 2.0 meters from the outside wall.
2. As much as possible, septic tank should not be located closer to the doors and windows.
3. Septic tank should not be installed within or under a house.
4. Septic tank should be at least 15.0 meters away from any source of potable water supply. The farther, the better.

Public sewer line

A public sewerage system consists of a sewage treatment plant which conveys the raw sewage from buildings and houses to the disposal system.

Classification according to the kind of waste disposed

1. Combination public sewer
o Considered as the oldest type of sewer
o Conveys both storm water and sanitary wastes
o Use of this type of sewer is now being discouraged
2. Sanitary sewer
o A public sewer facility that only carries regular sanitary wastes and terminates in a modern sewage dispersal plant.
o Rainwater is not permitted to enter into this type of disposal system.
o Classification:
 Intercepting or trunk line sewer
 A sanitary sewer usually constructed of concrete pipes of sizes that varies from 60 to 300 cm in diameter which directly runs
through the dispersal plant. Laid underground to a minimum depth of about 3.0 meters depending upon the natural contour of
the ground.
 Tributary or contributing sewer
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 Classified as an intercepting sewer branch made of either vitrified clay or concrete pipe laid in an open trench. Generally, this
is smaller in diameter and is installed not more than 3.0 meters below the street grade and terminate at the intercepting sewer.
3. Storm drain
o Another kind of public sewer which carries storm water and terminates at natural drains such as canals, lakes, and rivers.

Manhole
- Considered as a device of a main and storm sewer and serves as access for: inspection, cleanout, and repair.
- Constructed out of either bricks, stone, adobe, and concrete installed in public sewer lines at an interval distance from 75 to 150 meters.
- Diameter of this ranges from 90 to 120 centimeters; provided with iron rungs that serves as a ladder for the maintenance crew to reach the bottom.
- Manhole’s cover is well-fitted and provided on the top level with the road surface.

Sewage treatment in the front yard

- Private on-site treatment of sewage from residences is a valid procedure in suburban areas, where sewers and treatment plants have yet been built.

Methods of treating the sewage and returning the partially purified effluent to the ground
1. Septic tank and seepage pit
o Not the best way to clean and recycle water
2. Septic tanka and tile drain field
o Better method but more expensive to install
3. Cesspools
o Fast becoming illegal because it puts raw sewage in direct contact with the earth
4. Filter system
o Used in low and marshy ground adjacent to a stream, requires careful design and frequent inspection and servicing.

A trickling filter which biologically purifies sewage or organic matter treatment. This process is also known as aerobic purification, because aerobic or air breathing
bacteria destroys the organic wastes.

Sewage passes in a spray through opening in four arms, thus becoming mixed with air. The sewage then trickles slowly through a filter of coarsely crushed rock in
the past and is nowadays a wide range of plastic fill media, where bacteria-carrying slimes break down the organic material into harmless substances.