City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Drainage System
1 1.1 Introduction Types of Effluents 3 types of effluents according to their states - solid - liquid and slurry - gas or vapor 1.2 Types of Drainage system Drainage systems are intended to carry liquid and slurry effluents from buildings and convey them to suitable locations for discharge or treatment. Types of drainage systems in Hong Kong can be classified as: - storm water system - a collection of rain water - waste water system - a collection of wastes from laundries, from sanitary such as wash basins, sinks, showers, bath tubs - soil and waste water system - a collection of waste water plus human wastes from water closets and urinals - kitchen wastes system a collection of effluent from kitchen's sinks and floor drain Fig. 1 shows the general arrangements of storm water drainage and sanitary drainage systems for a building.

Fig. 1 Typical storm & soil and waste system

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City University of Hong Kong Division of Building Science and Technology 1.3 Connection to Government Public Drainage Networks In Hong Kong, there is a statutory requirement that storm water drainage systems must not be mixed with sanitary drainage systems. Public Works Department provides separate public sewer and drainage systems for them. Reasons: - storm water is relatively clean and does not require treatment before discharge - soil and waste water need elaborate treatment before discharge - public sewage treatment plant is designed to handle an anticipated amount of grey and black water - mixing storm water with soil and waste water overload the capacity of public sewage treatment plant - discharges from the public sewage treatment plant may contain excessive pollutants to contaminate the environment 2. Storm Water Drainage System Cater for rain water of roofs and paved areas. Storm water flows to the drain by gravity. 2.1 Roofs Storm Water Drainage System 2 types of roofs: pitched and flat 2.1.1 Pitched Roofs Eaves gutters are provided to catch rain running off of the pitched roofs and down pipes are provided to carry water to the ground level as shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 2 Typical eaves detail showing half round gutter, gutter outlet, swan-neck and rain water pipe
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City University of Hong Kong 2.1.2 Flat Roofs

Division of Building Science and Technology

Slightly fall on the flat roof is constructed to carry rain water directly to a roof outlet/channel formed on the roof leading to an outlet or an eaves gutter. Features: - rain water pipes may run either externally or internally in a building - pipe joints must be water tight to avoid leakage during full bore flow - sound insulation should be provided when rain water pipes are enclosed behind walls Fig. 3 shows the storm water drainage system for high rise building.

Fig.3 storm water drainage system for a high rise building 2.2 Paved Areas Storm Water Drainage System Features - paved areas must be laid to fall towards channels or gullies - all paved surfaces over 6m2 should be drained and with a minimum fall of 1 in 60 falls should run away from the building - paved areas may discharge to channels in site roads, or specially formed channels forming part of the paving

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City University of Hong Kong 3. Soil and waste Systems

Division of Building Science and Technology

Soil and waste system consists of soil pipe, waste pipe, vent pipes, traps and sanitary such as baths, sinks, lavatory basins, floor drains in lavatories urinals and water closets. General requirements of soil and waste system - satisfactory standard of materials and workmanship is required - pipes should be water tight with smooth internal bores - junctions should be tight and without risk of blockage - joints should be properly aligned with no ridges to catch solid matters - all pipes should discharge effluents they receive immediately - all pipes must fall continuously to ensure proper flow - no arches and dips are allowed along the pipe works - drainage system should convey effluents to manholes and from there to terminal manhole - the terminal manhole should be connected to Government public sewer or to the private sewage treatment plant - traps and vents should be provided to drainage systems - soil and waste water flow to the drain by gravity 3.1 Traps and Vents

3.1.1 Traps Function of traps - The major aims of traps are to separate unhealthy gases in a sanitary drainage system from coming out of the sanitary fittings. It can be achieved by the water caught in a trap after every discharge from a sanitary fitting Types and installation methods - traps can be bottle type (Fig. 4a),P-type (Fig. 4b) and S-type (Fig. 4c) - have standard seal with50mm or deep seal with 75mm (Fig. 4d) - traps are of steel, cast iron, copper, plastic or brass - traps for water closets and urinals are often of vitreous china cast integral with the fixtures - sanitary fittings can have individual traps or a common trap - traps are usually placed within 600mm of each fixture (individual trap), or of the nearest fixture to the vertical stack (common trap) - traps should be accessible for cleaning - overflow pipes from fixtures are to be connected to the inlet side of the trap Special attention - sanitary fixtures rarely use may have water in the trap being evaporated, thus breaking the seal - this is common for floor drains 3.1.2 Vents Functions of vents - allow air from the fresh air inlet to rise through the drainage system and carry away offensive gas - to break the possible siphonage of water out of the trap - to prevent the bubbling of foul gas through the trap seal

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City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Fig.4a Bottle type trap

Fig.4b P-type trap

Fig.4c S-type trap 4.0 Types of Soil and Waste Drainage System 4 main types of soil and waste drainage system - 2-pipe system - full ventilated 1-pipe system - modified 1-pipe system - single stack system 4.1 2-Pipe System (Fig. 5)

Fig.4d Depth of Seal

Drainage pipes - separate soil pipe and waste pipe - soil pipe connects to water closets, urinals, slope sinks and similar soil appliances - waste pipe connects to all other sanitary fixtures and drains through a trapped gully Traps - standard traps (50mm) are provided to all fixtures Vent pipes - soil pipe and waste pipe have its own vent pipes running through the full height of the building - all sanitary fixtures are connected to their respective vent pipes

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City University of Hong Kong Division of Building Science and Technology 4.2 Fully Ventilated 1-Pipe System (Fig. 6) Drainage pipes - soil and waste pipes are combined into one common stack - all sanitary fixtures are connected to the common stack Traps - deep seal traps (75mm) are provided to baths, basins and sinks - water closets and urinals are provided with integral standard traps (50mm) Vent pipes - a vent pipe runs through the full height of the building to which all sanitary fixtures are connected 4.3 Modified 1-Pipe System (Fig. 7) Drainage pipes - soil and waste pipes are combined into one common stack - all sanitary fixtures are connected to the common stack Traps - deep seal traps (75mm) are provided to baths, basins and sinks - water closets is provided with integral standard traps (50mm) Vent pipes - a vent pipe runs through the full height of the building to which only water closets are connected 4.5 Single Stack System (Fig. 8) Drainage pipes - soil and waste pipes are combined into one common stack - all sanitary fixtures are connected to the common stack individually and should be located close to the stack Traps - deep seal traps (75mm) are provided to all sanitary fixtures with 50mm or below stack - standard traps (50mm) are provided to all sanitary fixtures with stack larger than 50mm Vent pipes - no vent pipe be provided Drainage pipe size - 90mm for two storey buildings - 100mm for buildings up to 8 storeys - 125mm or 150mm for higher buildings

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City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Fig.5 2-pipe system

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City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Fig.6 Fully vented one-pipe system

Fig. 7 Modified 1-Pipe System

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City University of Hong Kong

Division of Building Science and Technology

Fig.8 Single stack system 5.0 5.1 Miscellaneous Drainage Systems Drainage of Basement Floors Operations - it is a pumped system, while ordinary drainage systems are operated by gravity - Surface water, waste and soil flow by gravity into separate sump tanks - liquids in the sump tanks are then lifted up by sewage pumps to a height at which they can fall by gravity into the main drainage pipes at ground floor 5.2 Kitchen Waste Drainage System Operations - it is similar to ordinary system - the waste has to travel through grease interceptors - as waste from kitchen sinks passes through the circuitous path of a grease interceptor, the grease floats to the top where it is trapped between baffles - other fluid waste passes through at a lower level - grease collected in these interceptors has to be removed frequently - Interceptors for as many as 25 different types of extraneous matters are provided by manufacturers. They include devices to catch hair, grease, plaster, lubricating oil, glass grindings, and troublesome unwanted materials from many industrial processes.
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City University of Hong Kong 6. Sewage Treatment 6.1 Introduction

Division of Building Science and Technology

Wastewater collected from communities must ultimately be returned to receiving water or to the land. The collection of wastewater includes sewage from residential and commercial facilities, chemical wastewater from industries and livestock waste from villages. The control of waste water disposal is executed by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance and the Waste Disposal (Livestock Waste) Ordinance. Under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, water discharge in Hong Kong is controlled according to the Technical Memorandum Standards for Effluents Discharge into Drainage and Sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters. The standards for effluents discharge is classified into the following categories: 6.2 Foul sewers leading into Government sewage treatment plants Foul sewers leading into Government sewage treatment plants with microbial treatment Group A, B, C, D inland waters Coastal waters, inshore waters and marine wastes of Water Control Zones

Processes of Sewage Treatment Works a) Preliminary Wastewater Treatment - It is defined as the removal of wastewater constituents that may cause maintenance or operational problems with the treatment operation, processes and ancillary systems. b) Primary Wastewater Treatment - In primary treatment, a portion of the suspended solids and organic matter is removed from wastewater. c) Secondary Treatment - It is directed principally towards the removal of biodegradable organic and suspended solids. Disinfection is frequently included. d) Tertiary or Advanced Treatment - This stage usually by filtering the secondary effluent to remove suspended solids or other constituents of concern including toxic material.

6.3

Plants of Sewage Treatment a) Cesspools - It is a watertight chamber below ground, its purpose is for temporary sewage storage without the intention of decomposing the settled materials. It should be sited at least 15 to 25m from dwelling and 15 to 25m from well/stream for drinking water. b) Septic Tank - Purpose of septic tank installation is to treat sewage of a domestic character from small group of houses or larger buildings where it is not possible to connect to a public sewage. It consists of a septic tank for primary treatment, the effluent from which is given secondary treatment in a biological filter. c) Sewage Treatment Plant - An advanced treatment process included preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary treatment

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