Sewers are underground pipes that take away dirty water and human waste from homes, offices and many other places. Sanitary sewers lead to sewage treatment plants that remove the harmful and unwanted parts, returning clean water to the environment. Many rules and regulations exist for how clean the final discharge (effluent) must be. Storm sewers are usually simpler. Houses that do not have a connection to city sewer will have a septic tank.
Cleaning crews use special trucks and tools to help keep the sewers clear of grease, tree roots, and other blockages. More rural areas may have septic systems where sewers do not yet exist. In many urban areas, street gutters to carry rainwater are combined with sewers.
Sewerage |
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| Types |
- Combined sewer
- Decentralized wastewater system
- Drain-waste-vent system
- Effluent sewer
- Force main
- Gravity sewer
- Outfall
- Pressure sewer
- Sanitary sewer
- Simplified sewerage
- Storm drain
- Vacuum sewer
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| Construction materials |
- Asbestos cement pipe
- Brickwork
- Cast iron pipe
- Concrete pipe
- Culvert
- Interceptor ditch
- Plastic pipe
- Reinforced concrete
- Steel pipe
- Vitrified clay pipe
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| Related equipment |
- Chopper pumps
- Combined sewer overflow
- Grease trap
- Grinder pump
- Maceration
- Lift station
- Sanitary manhole
- Sewage pumping
- Sewer dosing unit
- Sewer gas destructor lamp
- Stormwater detention vault
- Submersible pump
- Sump pump
- Trap
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| Problems |
- Biogenic sulfide corrosion
- Blocked Sewer
- Fatberg
- First flush
- Infiltration/Inflow
- Sanitary sewer overflow
- Sewer fly
- Sewer gas
- Sewer rat
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| Liquids transported | |
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| Background |
- History of water supply and sanitation
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Template:Plumbing
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Sewers.