Vacuum Sewer Systems: A Complete Guide on How This System Functions

Moving raw sewage from its source to a sewage treatment plant is a pneumatic or a vacuum sewer system.

In the past, a vacuum sewerage system was only employed in specific settings, such as trains, planes, and in flat locations with sand-based soil and high groundwater table.

Vacuum sewer technology advanced significantly in the 20th century; fault-locating sensors have lower maintenance and operational costs.

This article aims to give readers a thorough introduction to vacuum sewers. The usage and maintenance, and their benefits and drawbacks, are covered in the following sections.

What Are Vacuum Sewer Systems?

Traditional gravity system requires a lot of maintenance and harm the environment; vacuum sewers offer dependable and effective sewage collection.

The sewage is never exposed to the operators. There is no problem in confined spaces. The sewage is transported into the vacuum main.

The vacuum sewer system is commonly used for the following purposes:

• Flat terrain
• Expanded municipalities, residential, tourist, industrial, and commercial areas, harbors, marinas
• High-ground water tables
• Trenching in a rocky and sandy environment
• Trenching in archaeological sites
• Environmentally sensitive areas (restricted construction conditions, etc.)

Vacuum systems have a long history of reliability and operate using straightforward physics principles.

Most ships with plumbing, buses, airplanes, and trains typically feature vacuum systems, including vacuum toilets.

What Is the Main Function of Vacuum Sewer Systems?

The function of a vacuum sewer system is comparable to that of a water distribution system. The flow direction is the only difference.

Vacuum sewers use negative pressure to "pull" wastewater from the point of generation to the wastewater treatment facility.

Water supply uses positive pressure to "push" water from the wastewater treatment plant to the point of consumption.

Water is pushed by force main from the collection tank to the wastewater treatment facility. The Roediger vacuum valve assembly is housed in the collection chamber.

How Does a Vacuum Sewer System Work?

One vacuum station, a vacuum pipeline system, collection chambers, and interface valve units make up vacuum sewerage systems.

The vacuum technology also considerably reduces the water used, enabling flexible installations regardless of geography or water supply.

Building a new separated vacuum sewer network can convert mixed to separate sewer systems. It is possible to collect stormwater using the old combined sewer lines.

During power outages, the backup generator of the vacuum station keeps operations running normally. No power is required at the house/valve pit.

The vacuum's vertical and horizontal routing flexibility prevents cost overruns. It makes it simple to avoid unforeseen underground utility conflicts.

NOTE: Thousands of water quality specialists who purify water and safely release it back into the environment get technical education and training from the nonprofit Water Environment Federation.

What Are the Advantages of Vacuum Sewerage Systems?

The following are a few benefits of vacuum sewerage systems.

1. Lower costs: Gravity sewer systems must effectively transport wastewater from homes, buildings, factories, and streets to the water treatment facility.
   The vacuum sewer line is laid in a saw-tooth (length-) profile to provide dependable transmission.
   On the other side, one or more pumping stations are used to draw the waste through this system from a central vacuum station.
   To save money on construction, vacuum sewer systems might be installed in the same trench as the water supply lines.
2. Less water waste: The vacuum sewer system should be taken into consideration at a time when cities all over the world are struggling with a water shortage.
   The vacuum system uses differential air pressure to move wastewater rather than gravity-driven water flow. Big amounts of flushing water can be saved.
   As a result, vacuum sewage systems outperform older gravity sewers in water utilization.
3. No water pollution: When maintained properly, a vacuum system lessens the chance that leaks may cause water to become contaminated.
   There is almost no danger of sewage coming into contact with groundwater or stormwater because of the closed system.
4. Manholes are not required: These systems experience conduit-level failures, demanding routine maintenance and replacement.
   In contrast to manholes, the vacuum system is flood-proof. Floodwaters are kept out of the sewage system thanks to it.
5. Quick fault detection: For adequate flow, gravity systems require installation at very deep levels. Hence, it is challenging to pinpoint the location of a defect in a gravity sewer.
   Sewage vacuum pumps are simple to install and run since they can be installed in existing channels. Vacuum pumps need to be properly maintained to resume operating as intended.
   Multiple lift stations can be replaced. A single vacuum station can replace six to eight gravity lift stations. Additionally, only the center site needs electricity.
   All of this results in low installation and maintenance costs.

What Are the Disadvantages of Vacuum Sewerage Systems?

Listed below are a few more drawbacks of vacuum sewerage systems.

• Skilled design is required
• Energy is required to create an endless vacuum
• Relatively high capital costs
• Network length is limited
• Recycling nutrients and energy is becoming challenging
• Inadequate for self-help; needs experienced engineers and operators. All actor groups, including end users, operators, planners, and construction companies, were uneasy with the system, which led to distrust.
• Faults at individual valves or collection pits can affect the entire system.
• It still functions as a flushing system to remove waste. The environment may be contaminated without a treatment plant and with improper discharge.

Conclusion

Vacuum sewers are considered an alternative wastewater collection system, but whether they should be the best technology depends on various factors and service area conditions.

The pipe network is the primary advantage of the vacuum sewer system. The advantages for the environment are also substantial.

The article presented is intended to give decision-makers and other stakeholders in wastewater service provision enough information to enable them to decide for themselves.

You may count on your selected business for anything, including sewage rehabilitation, replacement of septic tanks, and sanitation technology for buildings.