A sewer line is a subsurface pipe system used to carry sewage from households or commercial buildings to a treatment plant or disposal facility. A sanitary sewer is a type of gravity sewer and is part of an overall system called a sewer. Sanitary sewers that serve industrial areas can also carry industrial wastewater. In areas with sewerage, separate storm drains may lead surface runoff directly to surface water.
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Sewer line: Types
Here are the different types of sewer lines found these days.
Conventional gravity sewers
In developed countries, a sewer is a pipe from a building to one or more levels of underground mains that carry sewage to a sewage treatment plant. Vertical pipes, usually made of precast concrete, called shafts, connect the main network to the surface. These vertical tubes can be cylindrical, eccentric, or concentric, depending on the application and site usage. Manholes are used to access sewer pipes for check and maintenance and to vent sewage gases.
Force mains
A force main or riser is a pumped sewer that is mandatory where the gravity sewer serves areas of lower elevation than the treatment plant or remote areas of similar elevation. A lifting station is a sewer pump that bears accumulated sewage to a higher level. It can also be used to prepare reverse syphons used for crossing rivers and other obstacles. The pump can discharge directly to another gravity sewer or sewage treatment plant. A forced main is very different from a pressurised sewer that serves an individual property and enables the discharge of wastewater to a local gravity main.
Effluent sewer
An effluent sewage system, also known as a septic tank drainage system (STED) or solids-free ser (SFS), has a septic tank that collects wastewater from households and other industries. Then the wastewater from the tank is transmitted to a centralised wastewater treatment plant or a decentralised wastewater treatment system for further treatment. Since septic tanks remove most solids, treatment plants can be much smaller than typical plants. The waste stream is pressurised to be laid just below the ground following the site’s contour.
Pressure sewer
If it is not possible or impractical to divert the wastewater from the facility to a gravity sewer, a pressure sewer can provide an alternative connection option. A macerator pump installed in a pumping well near the property discharges sewage through a small-diameter high-pressure pipe to the nearest gravity sewer.
Simplified sewer
Simplified sewers consist of small diameter pipes, usually about 100 mm (4 inches), and are often laid on fairly shallow slopes (1 in 200). Capital costs for simplified piping channels can be about half that of conventional channels. But the operating and maintenance requirements are typically higher. Simple sewers are most common in Brazil and used in many other developing countries.
Vacuum sewer
In lowland communities, sewage is often channelled through vacuum sewers. Pipeline sizes vary from 125 millimetres (4.9 inches) in diameter pipe to 280 millimetres (11 inches) in diameter pipe. This sewer system uses atmospheric pressure differences to move liquids to a central vacuum station.
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Sewer lines: Materials used in sewers
While selecting the materials for sewers, many factors should be checked beforehand. These include flow characteristics, water tightness, physical strength, cost, durability, resistance to acids, alkalies, gases, solvents, etc. No single material can satisfy all the requirements when developing a sewage system. The choice must be made for the specific application, and different materials can be designated for part of a single project.
Here is a list of materials which are usually used:
- Brick
- Concrete
- Precast concrete
- Cast-in-situ reinforced concrete
- Stoneware or vitrified clay
- Asbestos cement
- Cast iron
- Steel
- Ductile iron pipes
- Non-metallic non-concrete synthetic material pipes
- uPVC pipe
- High-density polyethylene (hdpe) pipes
- Structured wall piping
- Glass fibre reinforced plastic pipes
- Fibreglass reinforced plastic pipes
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Sewer lines: Advantages of sewer line and sewage treatment plants
- Traditionally, wastewater was drained and collected manually. Today, with the help of technology, wastewater can be extracted, sorted, transported, and treated with a minimal workforce. In addition, modern wastewater treatment plants can process large volumes of wastewater, reducing long working hours.
- Wastewater contains large amounts of organic matter that is used to generate energy. After pretreatment, the sludge is decomposed by anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion produces methane gas that powers the grid. It can provide energy to run sewage treatment plants and power residential areas. Sewage gas can also be configured as a combined heat and power plant (CHP).
- Sludge collected for treatment contains vast amounts of biodegradable substances, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Therefore, if the sludge is processed in the sludge drying process, it becomes a biodegradable fertiliser that can be used in agriculture.
- Wastewater treatment plants treat water at various stages to remove large solid particles, chemicals, toxins, and microorganisms. As a result, the treated water can be safely reused, reducing water demand and pollution.
FAQs
What is the difference between the sewer line and the drain line?
The drain line is inside your home or the area of the home. On the other hand, the sewer line is outside the home.
What are the variants of sewer systems?
Various sewer systems are sanitary sewers, storm sewers, and combined sewers.
Which is the most common sewage system in India?
In India, the most preferred sewage system is the combined sewage system.
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Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
Housing News Desk is the news desk of leading online real estate portal, Housing.com. Housing News Desk focuses on a variety of topics such as real estate laws, taxes, current news, property trends, home loans, rentals, décor, green homes, home improvement, etc. The main objective of the news desk, is to cover the real estate sector from the perspective of providing information that is useful to the end-user.
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