In the Northeast, towns, villages and cities are all experiencing a distinct infiltration problem that is costing the taxpayer and townships thousands of dollars. The problem is ground water entering the sewer system. The sewer system is considered a sealed system. The amount of excess ground-water, due to heavy rains and winter thaws should not have a drastic impact on the flows of a sealed sewer system.
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Ground water entering a system through a vent pipe.
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Frost lifting the vent pipe.
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A broken seal alowing water to enter.
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The entrance of ground water or melted snow into the sewer system is known as influent infiltration. A large percentage of the influent infiltration problem is caused by leaking sewer vents and riser pipes. The frost actually lifts the vent pipe causing it to break its seal underground, allowing the ground water to enter the sewer system.
One leaking vent pipe allows several thousand gallons per day to enter the sewer system. Once this water has entered, it is treated as sewage water. It is then processed unnecessarily at waste water treatment plants, thus drastically increasing the number of work hours placed on pumps and equipment.
SEWER LINE VENT PIPE ASSEMBLY SEPARATION TEST:
The following are the results of tests performed at our facility in Newfane, NY October 15, 2001.
| SAMPLES TESTED: Four sewer line vent pipe joint assemblies. |
| 1) Normal Joint |
4 inch SDR-35 pipe to cast iron trap with pipe joint lubricant and rubber sleeve gasket |
| 2) Normal Joint |
4 inch SDR-35 gasketed Tee with adhesive lubricant bond (Black HX-123-6) and rubber sleeve gasket |
| 3) "A" Clamp joint |
4-inch SDR-35 pipe to cast iron trap with pipe joint lubricant, rubber sleeve gasket and "A" Clamp Assembly |
| 4) "A" Clamp joint |
4 inch SDR-35 gasketed Tee with adhesive lubricant bond (Black HX-123-6), rubber sleeve gasket and "A" Clamp Assembly |
| OBJECT: Vertical pull test to determine joint strength |
| METHOD: The cast iron trap (or SDR-35 Tee) was secured to the base of a load frame and the free end of the SDR-35 pipe was secured to a 1 ½ ton hoist so as to allow for an axial applied load. Load force was determined via an electronically calibrated load cell (Enerpac TM 5 hydraulic load cell) situated between the SDR-35 pipe and the hoist. |
| RESULTS: |
| Joint Type: |
Maximum Load (lbs.) without joint failure: |
| Normal (# 1 above) |
60 lbs. |
| Normal (#2 above) |
290 lbs. |
| "A" Clamp Assembly (# 3 and # 4 above) |
In excess of 1500 lbs. |
TESTING EQUIPMENT: Enerpac TM-5 Hydraulic load cell |
PRODUCT INSTALLED: REPAIR RESULTS:
| 1) PUMP STATION #10 - DALE ROAD, Newfane, NY |
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Pump #1 |
Pump #2 |
| March, April, May 1994 |
1378.6 hr |
642.8 hr |
| March, April, May 1997 |
318.9 hr |
531.0 hr |
| SAVED |
1059.7 hr |
111.8 hr |
a) Saved approximately 72,000 gallons of ground water from entering the sanitary sewer system per a 24 hour period.
b)
Stopped all by-passing operations. |
| 2) PUMP STATION #13 - AT ZEHR'S, Newfane, NY |
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Pump #1 |
Pump #2 |
| March, April, May 1994 |
1125.7 hr
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771.5 hr
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| March, April, May 1997 |
645.0 hr |
467.3 hr |
| SAVED |
480.7 hr
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304.2 hr
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a) Saved approximately 200,000 gallons of ground water from entering the sanitary sewer system per a 24 hour period.
b)
Stopped all by-passing operations. |
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