HOUSE DRAIN

CHAPTER 7
HOUSE DRAIN
• is that portion of the plumbing system that receives discharges of all soil and waste stacks within the building, and
conveys the same to the House Sewer.
• sometimes referred to as the Collection Line of a Plumbing System.
• It can be installed under- ground, or maybe suspended below the floor or inside the ceiling In large building, house
drain is usually suspended from the basement ceiling to avail of the gravity flow of waste to the Main Sewer

Four Classification

• Combined drain
• Sanitary drain
• Storm drain
• Industrial drain
 Combined Drain

is a type of house drain that receives discharges of sanitary waste as well as storm water. This is the oldest form of house drain when public
sewers are of the combination design.
This type of house drain however is already phase out and no longer permitted.

Sanitary Drain

This type of house dram receives the discharges of sanitary and domestic waste only The was conveyed to a public sewer of
septic tank, by the house sewer Storm water is not allowed in the sanitary drain

Industrial Drain

Is a house drain that receives discharges from industrial equipment that contain some objectionable acid wastes Industrial
drain that contains acid waste terminates into a separate drainage basin

Storm Drain

conveys all storm clear water, or surface water waste except sanitary wastes Storm drain terminates into lake, river, dry run of
natural basin
 DETERMINING THE SIZE OF HOUSE DRAIN

UNIT SYSTEM

the most practical method to use in determining the size of a house drain It has bee formulated from tests
conducted by the Uniform Plumbing Code Committee.

Uniform Plumbing Code Committee

• a body consisting of representatives of management, labor and government standard agencies.

• decided to adopt the washbasin discharge as One Fixture Unit

One Fixture Unit represents 30 liters of water.

Other fixtures discharges were also tested and

the corresponding results were established and
Fixture Unit Values listed in Table 5-1.
 Before finding the size of a house drain, its service
must be known first,

a. If the purpose is for sanitary wáste, the Fixture Unitload discharges will be the basis of computation with reference to Table
5-1.
[Link] the purpose is for storm drain, the roof area that accumulates the major rainfall water will be the basis in determining the
size of the pipe with reference to Table 9-1 and 9-2. It seems that the approach is quite complex, but simplified with the use of
charts and data compiled for years from the installation experiences recorded by the Code Committee.

On House Drain, the Plumbing Code Provides that:

• No water closet shall discharge into a drain less than 75 mm or 3 inches pipe diameter
• No more than two water closets shall discharge nto any 75 mm horizontal soil branch, house drain or house sewer
GRADE OR SLOPE OF THE HOUSE DRAIN

• Numerous tests proved that the sloped of a house drain has contributed much to the effectiveness of the plumbing system The house drain
being a horizontal pipeline must produce the necessary velocity and discharge capacity at certain inclination, to attain scouring action
House drain must function without abnormal or subnormal pressure the plumbing system This recommended under any circumstances
that, a 2 % slope for the house drain should be maintained
There are instances however, where less than 2% slope was adopted, under the following
circumstances

• When the depth of the sewer line in relation with the depth of the basement floor is low
• Long sewer line would require lower pitch but should not be less than 1%.
• In case the sewer line slope is very slight, installation of the pipe should be guided by leveling instrument for
accuracy to prevent sags or trapped piping
The grade or slope of the house drain could be estimated by dividing the total pitch
in centimeters (which is the distance between the house sewer and the elevation of
the basement) by the length of the longest branch in meter

For instance, if the longest branch of a house drain is 8 meters, and the total drop is 16 centimeters, dividing 16 by
meters the value is 2%

A pitch or slope more than 2% percent, will increase the velocity and discharge
capacity of the pipe, the effect could be:

1. A danger that it might decrease the depth of the water that is necessary to create
a scouring action
2. This might cause a minus pressure if the drain is over loaded to a flow capacity.
CHANGE OF HOUSE DRAIN DIRECTION

Changes of house drain direction is also governed by the following

conditions:

• All changes in directions from horizontal to horizontal, or vertical to horizontal low, should be
done with long radius fittings Short Tees, ¼ bends and short turn L fittings should not be
permitted
• Soil branch should be run Right Angle to the main.
• Fixture connection must run at Right Angle to branch
HOUSE DRAIN CLEANOUT
On House Drain Cleanout, the National Plumbing Code provides that

• The house drain shall be provided with adequate number of cleanouts to prevent breaking of the foo in case of drain
stoppage
• The location of the cleanout depends upon the good judgment of the plumber where it is readily accessible, in case of
line trouble
• Any branch of the house drain terminating at a floor drain or fixture, shall be provided with 100 mm diameter pipe,
extended at least 2 inches above the floor inserted in a 45 degrees Y branch in the direction of the drain flow
• The cleanout shall be equipped with threaded screw cover provided with a raised head that could be removed easily
with a wrench
• A cleanout extended above the floor, shall not be utilized as a floor drain.
• The trap of a floor drain shall be placed not more than S0 centimeters below the finished tloor line, to facilitate cleaning
in case of line trouble
• A cleanout shall be installed at every 20 meters interval distance, and also at the base of all soil a waste stack.
HOUSE DRAIN APPLIANCES
House Drain appliances includes the following

• 1. House Trap
a. House trap assembly b. Back flow valves c. Balanced valve d. Unbalanced valve
• 2. Area Drain
• 3 Floor Drain
• 4 Yard Catch Basin
• 5 Garage Catch Basin
a. Drain tile receptor b. Sewage ejector c. Automatic water siphon d. Sump pit. e. Grease basins
HOUSE TRAP Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon dioxide
Hydrogen
• House Trap is defined as a device installed in the house drain immediately Hydrogen sulfide
Methane
inside the foundation wall of the building It serves as a barrier and prevents
Carbon monoxide
the gases coming from the public sewer or septic tank in circulatns through
Sulfur Dioxide
the plumbing system
• For so many years, the use of house trap has been controversy that
divided sanitary authorities. Some say that, its use is not necessary Others
contend that, it is necessary for the protection of life

Gases
in
public
sewers
 Sanitary Authorities advocating for the use of house trap contended that:

"Whenever an element that is dangerous to health or life is

present, even though in small volume, adequate protective
measures must be taken. Thus, where nocious gases are present,
house trap must be installed on the house drain."

• However, Public Authorities favor the elimination of the house trap because its presence adversely
lessens the discharge capacity of the sewer Sanitary authorities established and an opinion that sewer
gases and the manner how they occur are not detrimental to health, provided, that the plumbing system
is properly installed They concluded further, that an aerated or ventilated sewer would not be gas-
producing agency. A liberal attitude relative to the house trap and the advisability of its installation is
recommended
BACK FLOW VALVE
is a device used in a drainage system to prevent the reversal of flow. It is installed in house drain or
branches of the house drain that are subjected to reversal flow of liquid The back flow valve is installed on
the house drain, just near the foundation wall or near the toilet room under floor. It is set in a level position
to attain its full effectiveness

Back flow valves are constructed in two patterns and are classified as

Balance Valve Unbalanced Valve

preferred, because it has the characteristics of non-

interferences in the movement of air ináde the drainage its appearance is similar to the balanced valve This type
system The interior mechanism consists of a brass-scat of valve is not preferred because of its recorded poor
into which fitted a gate counter balanced with an performance in the past.
adjustable cast iron weight.
AREA DRAIN

• The area drain assembly consists of a running trap installed under the
basement floor to protect it from freezing
• The trap is equipped with a cleanout.
• The minimum size of an area drain is 10 mm or 4 pipe to drain basement
entryways, loading platforms, or driveway
FLOOR DRAIN
defined as a receptacle used to receive water to be drained from the floor into the plumbing tem Sanitary authorities
recognized floor drain as plumbing fixture property designed and located where to receive liquid floor waste

On Floor Drain, the Plumbing Code Recommended the Following

• An average residence is provided with two floor drains . One located near the heating equipment, and the other in the
vicinity of the laundry In most instances one floor drain is provided to serve the entire basement because of this false
economy, the resuit is an annoying wet floor
• Every room where laundry equipment is used, shall be provided with adequate floor drain
• The drain proper must be located where the overflowing water will not travel a great distance over the floor before t enters
the drain It is recommended that the floor drain be located at one end of the laundry tub This will assure a dry floor where
one stands when using the fixture
• Every floor drain shall he supplied with running water from a fixture located nearby If the fixture I less than 1 50 meters from
the drain, it should be tapped but not necessarily vented
• Fixture drains which supply water to a floor drain should be connected to the house side and never the sewer side of the
trap
 Reminders in Installing Floor drain

• Floor drain is usually installed on basement floor near the heating equipment below the kitchen sink. and vicinity of
the laundry
• The 75 mm or (3”) P- Trap is recommended minimum size for floor drain It should be installed not
• more than 20 centimeters below the floor line
• The P-trap should be Deep Seal type
• The low inlet hub pattern P-trap s commonly used as floor drain.

Basement Floor Drain

The National Plumbing Code on Basement floor drain provides that

"Cellar or basement floor drains shall connect into a trap so constructed that it can readily be cleaned and of a size to
serve the purpose efficiently for which it is intended. The drain outlet should be so located that it is at all times in full
view. When subjected to back flow pressure, such drains shall be equipped with an adequate Back Flow Valve"
 Yard Catch Basin

Is defined as a receptacle used to catch surface water drained from cemented courts, driveway and yards it could he a
terminal for drain tile installation used to drain water from athletic fields

Garage Catch Basin

• Garage catch basin is a device designed to convey wastes from garage. wash rack, grease pits and repair floors
into the house drain
• Wastes coming from these areas contain objectionable elements like grease, oil grit and gasoline that are
detrimental to the drainage installation as well the sewage disposal system. These sediments cause stoppage and
affect the operation of the sewage disposal plant.
• Oil and grease adhere to the mechanical devices used inThe treatment of sewage These kinds of wastes may
reduce the bacterial activity necessary to the process. The function of garage basin is to retain these noxious
materials and discharge the associated water into the house drain. The efficiency of the garage catch basin
depends on how it is regularly cleaned
GREASE BASINS
• Most stoppage in the plumbing system were found to be caused by grease and oil contained in the waste discharges. This is more
prevalent in large kitchens serving hotels, dining rooms, clubhouses and restaurants. To overcome this problem, a device known as
a grease trap is installed on the waste pipe. The efficiency of a grease trap is dependent on the attention given to it Removal of the
grease is done regularly to obtain the full benefit of the device, But removal of the grease is a disagreeable work, and, in most
instances is done only when the trap ceases to function Big establishments clean their grease trap almost daily.

Installing the Grease Basin

• The grease trap shall be installed as close to the fixtures as possible. More than one fixture can discharge into the same
trap provided that the waste pipe is not very long and the trap has sufficient size.
• A grease trap placed on the ground is earth-cooled . Earth-cooled Grease Trap is used on large installation and is most
desirable type.
• The basin width should not be less than 60 centimeters. The length should be from 3 to 4 times its width to attain a smooth
and non-agitated flow
• The minimum depth of concrete grease trap should not be less than 120 cm below the outlet invert.
• The size of a grease trap is measured through the volume of fixture units to be discharged. It could be sized according to
the number of meals served estimated at 4 to 5 gallons of liquid capacity for each meal. Experienced sanitarians estimated
double the actual volume of waste to which the trap will serve.
 THE END
OF
CHAPTER 7
PREPARED BY ;
DONNA MELGAR
JENNIELOU DELIMA