1. Oil Cleanouts. Catch basin. Manhole.

SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 4

Introduction- In order to make the process of construction easy and to have efficient working
and maintenance, the sewer system requires various additional other structures. These are
called as sewer appurtenances. Sewer system requires various types of appurtenances for
their proper functioning and maintenance, because simply sewers are laid, the sewage
cannot flow in it continuously for longer time .After some time it will be chocked up and
requires cleaning of sewers. If sewerage system is not properly maintained silt, ashes, grit,
oil, fats, etc. will chock the sewer lines. Therefore, for proper operation and maintenance of
sewerage system various devices are required. These are the appurtenances are as follows.
& Valves. Storm water regulators. Sewer ventilators. Inverted siphons. Flushing tanks.
Drop manholes. Lampholes. Inlets. grease trap.
2. 5. When the sewer length is straight for a considerable distance beyond the usual spacing
between manholes, the provision of a lamphole is advisable. If the construction of manhole
is difficult, a lamphole may be constructed in its place. In narrow lanes change of gradient
and slight curves where space is insufficient for the construction of manholes. If the cover
at the top of lamphole is perforated, the ventilation of sewers is achieved. such lamp hole is
known as fresh air inlet. Location - Under some circumtences, the lampholes may be also
used as flushing device. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 5 LAMPHOLES - A lamphole is
an opening or hole constructed in a sewer for the purpose of lowering a lamp inside.
Description - The lamphole consist of vertical stoneware or concrete pipes which are
connected to the sewer line through a tee junction. The pipes are surrounded by concrete
make them stable. At the ground level, the manhole cover with frame is provided to take up
the load of traffic. Purpose 3. 6. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 6 MANHOLES- A manhole is an opening constructed
on the alignment of sewer for facilating a person access to the sewer for the purpose of
inspection, testing, cleaning & The manholes facillate the laying of sewers lines in
convenient lengths. Location - Manholes should be built at every change of alignment,
gradient and diameter. At the head of all sewers and branches and at every junction of two or
more sewers. On sewers which are to be cleaned manually which cannot be entered for
cleaning or inspection, the maximum distance between the two manholes should be 30 mt.
If manholes covers are perforated, the manholes may allow the escape of undesirable gases
and thus, ventilation of sewers can be achieved. A manhole sometimes receives the
contribution of sewage from sewers of various sizes and coming from various directions.
The manholes allow the joining the sewers or changing the direction or alignment or both.
They permit inspection, cleaning, maintenance of sewer line. The obstructions in the sewage
flow are collected in manholes and then they brought to the surface. removal of obstruction
from the sewer line. Object - The following are the objects of the construction of manholes4. 7. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 7 Square manhole cover Rectangular manhole cover
Constructional details - The manholes are constructed directly over the centre line of the
sewer. They are circular & rectangular in shape. Manholes should be of such size as will
allow necessary cleaning & inspection of manholes. A) Rectangular manholes- These are
the manholes of sizes like 1) For the depth of manholes less than 0.90mtr, 900x800mm. 2)

For the depth of manholes 0.90 up to 2.5 mtr, 1200x900mm. B) Arch type manhole - For the
depth of 2.5 & For depth above 9m and up to 14m, 1800mm diameter. For depth above
2.30m and up to 9.0m, 1500mm diameter. For depth above 1.65m and up to 2.30m,
1200mm diameter. For depth above 0.90m and up to 1.65m, 900mm diameter. above arch
type of manhole can be provided and the internal sizes of chambers between brick faces
shall be 1400x900mm.the width of manhole chamber on bends and junction of pipes with
dia. greater than 450mm, should be suitably increased to 900mm or more so that benching
width on either side of channel is at least 200mm. C) Circular manholes- The circular
manholes may be constructed as a alternative to rectangular as well as arch type manholes.
These are the manholes are provided for all the depth starting from 0.90 m. circular
manholes are straight down in lower portion and slanting in top portion so as to narrow down
the top opening equal to dia. of manhole cover. Depending upon the depth of manhole the
diameter of manhole changes. The internal diameter of circular manholes may be kept as
following depths.
5. 8. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 8 Circular manhole cover If the sewers are constructed
in tunnel the manhole should be located at the access of working shafts and the manhole
chamber must be constructed of a size to suit the working shaft or vice-versa. The openings
for entry into the manhole (without cover) should be of such minimum dimensions as to allow
workman with a cleaning equipments to access into the manhole without any difficulty. A
circular opening is generally preferred. A minimum clear opening of 60cm is recommended.
Suitable steps usually of cast iron shall be provided at entry. Access shaft for large sewers
Access shaft shall be circular in shape and shall have a minimum internal dia. of 750mm.
Where the depth of shaft exceeds 3m suitable dimensions shall be provided to facilitate
cleaning and maintenance. Access shaft where built of brickwork should be controlled on
three sides it to the size of the opening in the cover frame, and to provide easy access on the
forth side to step irons or ladder in determining sizes, the dimension of maintenance
equipment likely to be used in the sewers shall be kept in view. Where the dia. of sewer is
increased, the crown of the entering and leaving pipes shall be fixed at the same level and
necessary slope is given in the invert of the manhole chamber. A slab, generally of plain
cement concrete at least 150mm thick should be provided at the base to support the walls of
the manholes and to prevent the entry of ground water. The thickness of the base also shall
be suitably increased up to 300mm for manholes on large dia. with reinforcement. in case of
large manholes ,the flow in the sewer should be carried in U shaped smooth channel
constructed integrally with the concrete base of manhole. The side of the channel should be
equal to the dia. of largest sewer pipe. The side walls of the manhole are usually constructed
of cement brick work 250mm thick and corbelled suitably to accommodate the frame of the
manhole cover.
6. 9. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 9 The inside & outside of the brickwork should be
plastered with cement mortar 1:3 (1 cement & 3 corse sand) and inside should be finished
with the coat of cement. Covers & Side entrance manhole In larger sewers or where it is
difficult to obtain direct access to the sewers from ground level, owing to existing service,
gas, water etc. the success shaft should be constructed in the nearest convenient position of
line of sewer and connected to the manhole chamber by a lateral passage. Junction

manholes- A manhole should be built at every junction of two or more sewers and the curved
portions of the inverts of tributary sewers should be formed within the manhole. To achieve
this with the best economy of the space, the chamber may be built of shape other than
rectangular. The soffit of the smaller sewer at a junction should be not lower than that of the
larger sewer in order to avoid the surcharging of the former when the latter is running full.
Straight-Through manholes - The simplest type of manhole is that built on straight run of
sewer with no side junctions. Where there is change in the size of sewer, the soffit or crown
level of the two sewers should be the same, except where special conditions require
otherwise. frames - The size of manhole covers should be such that there should be clear
opening of not less than 560mm dia. for manholes exceeding 0.90m depth. The frames of
manhole shall be firmly embedded to correct alignment and level in plain concrete on the top
of masonry. After completion of work the manhole cover should be sealed with grease. Types
of manhole 7. 10. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 10 House drainage Gully traps - A gully trap is
usually made of stoneware and cast-iron grating is provided at its top. The gully trap is
provided inside a masonry chamber. A water seal about 60 to 70mm is provided in gully trap.
The gully traps forms the starting point of horizontal flow of sewage. It is usually situated near
the external face of the wall and kept slightly higher or even in line with ground level. The
gully trap leads the sewage either to the sewer or to inspection chamber or to manhole. A
well designed gully trap may serve two or three connections from the nahani trap. But it is
advisable to provide separate gully trap for sullage and soil waste. The top of the gully trap is
provided with a cover cast iron which can be taken out easily for cleaning purpose.
Inspection chamber - The trap has a water seal of about 100mm and it is provided in the last
manhole house drainage system. It thus conveys sewage from house to the public sewer.
The main idea of providing the intercepting sewer trap is to prevent the entry of sewer gases
from public sewer line to house drainage. Hazards of manhole work - The element of the
sewer maintenance ignored very often and which requires careful attention and protective
measures is the manhole work. The staf should be trained for comparatively easy act of
removing a manhole cover, not only to avoid smeshed toes and fingers, but also to prevent
more serious back injuries. In addition, the approaching drivers on
8. 11. Use safety harnessSEWER APPURTENANCES Page 11 the road should be warned
from a distance about the manhole work in progress by the installation of suitable signals or
lights. The most serious hazard of manhole work are however flammable gas and oxygen
deficiency. The staf should be thoroughly trained to carry out simple tests on every manhole
before entry for oxygen deficiency, combustible, carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulphide. If
however an emergency demands to enter a gas-filled manhole or one where oxygen may be
lacking, the worker should wear a self contained air breathing mask and a safety harness
with lifetime. The extra two other employees should be stationed at the manhole opening
because one individual cannot life an unconscious person out of a manhole. Manhole safety
- & Lower all the tools into the manhole through buckets only. The lighting material should
be fire proof. Test the ladders of manhole before entering into the manholes. No material
should be kept near to the manhole as it can fall into the manhole which cause the accident.
Use the mask when man have to into the sewer line. The manhole should be opened

before one hour of the work. The care should be taken that it should be fenced to prevent
any person, children in to the manholes. The dummy covers should be provided. Test for
the hazardous gases before entering into the manhole. life line before entering into the
sewer line. The two persons should stand at the top and they should give the signals to the
person in manholes.
9. 12. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 12 Drop manhole - When a sewer connects with
another sewer, where the diference in level between water lines of main line and the invert
level of branch line is more than 600mm or a drop of more than 600mm is required to be
given in the same sewer line and it is uneconomical and impracticable to arrange the
connection with in 600mm, a drop connection shall be provided for which a manhole may be
built incorporating a vertical or near vertical drop pipe from the higher sewer to lower sewer.
This pipe may be outside the shaft and encased in concrete or supported on brackets inside
the shafts. which should be suitably enlarged. If the drop pipe is outside the shaft the
continuation of sewers should be built through the shaft wall to form a rodding and inspection
eye. Which should be provided with a half blank flange. If the drop pipe is inside the shaft, it
should be in cast iron and it would be advantageous to provide adequate means for rodding
and water cushion of 150mm depth should also be provided. The diameter of the back drop
should be atleast as large as that of incoming pipe. The drop pipe should terminate at its
lower end with a plain or duck foot turned so as to discharge its flow at 45 degrees or less to
the direction of the flow in main sewer and the pipe unless of cast iron, should be surrounded
with 150mm of concrete. In case of sewers over 450mm in diameter the drop in level may be
accomplished by one of the following methods- a) A cascade- This is a steep ramp
composed of steps over which the flow is broken up and retarded. A pipe connecting the two
levels is often concreted under the steps to allow small flows to pass without trickling over the
steps. The cascade steps may be made of heavy duty bricks of class I quality cement
concrete with granolithic finish or dressed granite. b) A ramp- A ramp may be formed by
increasing the grade of the last length of the upper sewer to about 45 degree or by
constructing a steeply graded channel or culvert leading from the high level to the low level.
In order to break up the flow down the ramp and minimise the turbulence in the main sewer.
The floor of culvert ramp should be obstructed by raised transverse ribs of either brick or
concrete at 1.15 m intervals and a stilling pool provided at the bottom of the ramp. c) By
drops in previous successive manholes - Instead of providing the total drop required at the
junction manhole , the same may be achieved by giving smaller drops in successive
manholes preceding the junction manhole. Thus, for example, if a total drop of 2.4 m is
required to be given, 0.6 m drop may be given in each of the previous three manholes and
the last 0.6m may be given at the junction manhole.
10. 13. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 13 Scrapper or service type manholes- All sewers
above 450mm in diameter should have one manhole at intervals of 110 to 120 m of scrapper
type. The manhole should have clear opening of 1200 x 900mm at the top to facilate
lowering of buckets.
11. 14. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 14 OIL AND GREASE TRAP - These are the traps or
chambers which are provided on the sewer line to exclude grease and oil from sewage
before it enters the sewer line. Principle- The principle on which grease and oil traps work is

simple. The grease and oil are the light in weight float on the surface of sewers. Hence, if
outlet draws the sewage from lower level, the oil & grease are excluded. Thus, the outlet level
is near the bottom of the chamber & inlet level is near the top of the chamber. If sand is
desired to be excluded from the sewage, the space should be kept at bottom of chamber for
sand to be deposited. Location- The oil & grease traps are to be located near the source
contributing grease & oil to sewage. They are thus located at places like automobile garage,
grease & If the greaseoil producing industries, kitchens of hotels. The following are reasons
for excluding grease and oil from the sewage. & The presence of greaseoil are allowed to
enter the sewer, they stick to sides of sewer and consequently the capacity of sewers are
reduced. & The presence of greaseoil in the sewage also adds to the possibilities of
explosion in sewers. & The suspended matter which would otherwise have been conveyed
also sticks to the side of sewers due to sticky nature of oiloil in the sewers is also
objectionable from view point of treatment of sewage. & grease. Cleaning- The oil & grease
traps should be carefully inspected & properly cleaned at regular intervals. If it is not done
they will not functioned properly & there will not be a free flow of sewage.
12. 15. To prevent the sewer gas. Maintenance - The catch basins provided a temporary storage
of impurities contained in the rain water. Hence, it requires a periodical cleaning. Otherwise
the organic matter decomposes and gives out bad smell. It also then forms a breeding place
for mosquitoes and causes annoyance to the person passing or living nearby. Use The
catch basins are adopted for the combined sewerage system. But at present the trend is to
lay sewers with such a gradient that self-cleaning velocity is achieved and to construct paved
streets which contribute little debris or grit. Hence, it is not required to provide the catch
basins in the modern separate sewarage system. To prevent the entry of silt, grit, debris,
etc. contained in the rain water. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 15 CATCH BASIN - A
catch basin or catch pit is a structure in the form of a chamber which is provided along the
sewer line to admit or allow the clear rain water free from silt, grit, debris etc. into the
combined water. These are the small masonary chambers (75 to 90 cm in dia. And 75 to 90
cm in deep) which are constructed below the street inlets to prevent the flow of grit sand,
debris, etc. in the sewer lines. When storm water enters these basin the grit, sand settles in
the bed and storm water free from all these enters the sewers. The outlet pipe of catch basin
is fixed about 60 cm above the bottom of catch basin. The catch basins collect the solids
from storm water. These solids are to be removed at frequent intervals for the proper
functioning of the catch basins, otherwise they will block the passage of storm water to the
sewers resulting in flooding of streets creating nuisance. Purpose 13. 16. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 16 FLUSHING TANKS - A flushing tank is a device or
an arrangement which is made to hold and then to through water into the sewer for the
purpose of flushing it. Where it is not possible to obtain self cleaning velocities due to
flatness of gradient espically at the top ends of branch sewers which receive very little flow.It
is essential that some form of flushing device be incorporated in the system. This can be
done by making grooves at intervals of 45 to 50 m in main drains in which wooden planks are
inserted and water allowed to head up and which will rush on with great velocity when planks
are removed. Alternately, an overhead tank is built from which a connections are made
through pipes and flushing hydratants to rush water to the sewers. The flushing can be

conveniently accomplished by the use of a fire hydradant or tanker & hose. The flushing
manholes are provided, they are located generally at the head of the sewers. Sufficient
velocity shall be imparted in the sewer to wash away the deposited solids. There are two
types- 1. Hand operated flushing tank. 2. Automatic flushing tank. The automatic systems
which are operated by mechanical units get often corroded by the sewer gases and do not
generally functions satisfactory and hence not recommended. In case of hard chokage of in
sewers, care should be taken to ensure that there is no possibility of backflow of sewage into
the water supply mains. Quality of waters- The water required for the working of flushing
tanks are untreated. There is no need of treated water. Approximate water to be needed for
the flushing given below- Slope 200mm 250mm 300mm 0.050 2300 lits. 2500 lits. 3000 lits.
0.075 1500 1800 2300 0.0100 1300 1500 2000 0.0200 500 800 1000 0.0300 400 500 700
14. 17. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 17 VENTILATORS IN SEWERS - Various gases are
produced in the sewers due to decomposition of organic materials of sewage. These gases
are foul in nature, cause harm to human health and corrode the sewers reducing their life.
The gases so produced are highly explosive and in high concentration may cause fatal
accidents to the maintenance people on duty due to their explosive and poisonous
characters. Due to the above difficulties, ventilation is provided to the sewers lines at every
80-100 meters which will provide fresh air to the workers working in the manholes. It may be
of RCC or cast iron 15 to 23 cm in diameter with a cowl provided at the top. The ventilating
shaft is generally connected to the manholes by 15 cm in diameter pipe. In open areas, the
manhole covers may provided with vent pipes, but in crowed areas they should be air tight
and connected with ventilating shaft. In modern, well designed sewerage system, there is no
need to provide ventilation on such elaborate scale considered necessary in the past
specially with the present day to omit intercepting traps in house connections. The ventilating
columns are not necessary where intercepting traps are not provided. It is necessary
however to make provision for the escape of air to take care of the exigencies of full flow and
also to keep the sewage as fresh as possible espically in outfall sewers. In storm water this
can be done by providing ventilating manhole covers. CLEAN OUTS - A clean out is an
inclined pipe which is connected to the underground sewer. The other end of the clean out
pipe is brought up to ground level & cover is placed at ground level. A clean out is generally
provided at the upper ends of lateral sewers in place of manholes. Working - The working of
a clean out is simple. The cover is taken out and the water is forced through clean out pipe to
the lateral sewers to remove the obstacles in the sewer lines. If the obstructions are large
enough, a flexible rod may be inserted through the clean out pipe and pushed backward and
forwarded to remove such obstacles.
15. 18. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 18 STORM WATER INLETS Street inlets- An inlet is
an opening through which storm water and surface wash flowing along the streets are
admitted and conveyed to the storm water sewer by means of pipe. Location- The inlets are
located or placed by the sides of roads at a distance of about 30 to 60 m. The inlets are so
located that the storm water is collected in a short period and there is no flooding or
accumulation of huge quantity of storm water on the roads. The inlets are connected to
nearby manholes by pipe line. The clear opening should not be more than 25mm. The dia. of
connecting pipe to street to main street sewer should not be less than 200mm. Types- The

inlet is simply a concrete box. It may have gratings or openings in vertical direction or
horizontal direction. The former is known as vertical inlet or curb inlet and the latter is known
a Gutter or horizontal inlet. Openings- The inlet leads the storm water directly to the sewer
and hence, its design should be made in such a way that the least opportunity is given for the
storm water to stop. The openings of
16. 19. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 19 inlet therefore should be of such pattern that the
chances of clogging are brought down to minimum possible extent. The objects that are
cause most of the troubles at the openings of an inlet are sticks, waste papers, leaves etc.
the cleanliness of footpaths and streets is therefore most essential for the successful and
efficient functioning of inlets. STORM WATER REGULATORS - The structures constructed to
divert part of sewage in case of combined sewers are known as the storm water regulators
and they come into operation when discharge exceed certain value. Object- The main object
of providing a storm water regulator is to divert the excess storm water to natural stream or
river. The excess sewage will be mainly composed of storm water and it will therefore be not
foul in nature. It will further result in the decrease in load on the treatment units or pumping
stations. The following are the three types of storm water regulators- 1) Leaping weir. 2)
Overflow weir. 3) Siphon spillway. Leaping weir- The term leaping weir is used to indicate the
gap or opening in the invert of a combined sewer. The intercepting sewer runs at right angles
to the combined sewers. When the discharge is small, the sewage falls directly into the
intercepting sewer through the opening. But when a discharge exceeds a certain limit, the
excess sewage laps or jumps across the weir and it is carried to natural stream or river. The
leaping weir has no moving parts. A grating may be provided at the gap level to prevent the
entry of small stones, debris etc. into the intercepting sewer.
17. 20. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 20 Overflow weir- In this type of arrangement, the
excess sewage is allowed to overflow in the channel made in the manhole. When the
quantity of sewage exceeds the capacity of the combined sewer, it overflows and falls in This
arrangement has no moving parts and thus low maintenance. However it is likely to be
clogged due to narrow passages. It is automatic in functioning and this is the most efective
in all other methods. It works on the principle of siphon action and it operates automatically.
The rise of sewage in combined sewer is thus controlled in a better way. This arrangement
of diverting excess sewage from the combined sewer is the most efective because of
following- to the channels and it is conveyed to the storm water sewer. In order to prevent
the escape of floating matter from the combined sewer channel, the adjustable plates, are
sometimes provided. Siphon spillway18. 21. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 21 INVERTED SIPHON An inverted siphon is a
sewer section which is constructed lower than the adjacent sewer sections and which runs
full under gravity with pressure greater than the atmosphere. It is however to be noted that
the term inverted siphon as such is misnamed as it is not a siphon. It will be more
appropriate to refer it as a depressed sewer or a sag pipe. To ensure the self cleaning
velocities for wide variations in flow the two or more pipes not less than dia. 200mm are
provided so that up to the average flow the pipe is used and when the flow exceeds the
average the balance flow is taken by second or subsequent pipes. The siphon should not
have any sharp bends as it should be cleaned by self cleaning velocity. Velocity- It is

necessary to have the self cleaning velocity 1.0 mps for minimum flow to avoid the deposition
in the line. Inlet and outlet chamber- The inlet and outlet chambers should allow the sufficient
room for entry and maintenance of siphon. The outlet chamber is so designed so that to
prevent the backflow of sewage into the pipes which are not used at a time of minimum flow.
Hydraulic calculations- As the inverted siphon is pipe under pressure, a diference in the level
at the inlet and outlet is the head under which the siphon operates. This head should be
sufficient to cover the entry, exit and frictional losses in the pipes. The hazen Williams
formula can be used to calculate the head loss. Size and arrangement of pipes- In the
multiple pipe siphon,the inlet should be such that the pipes come into action successively as
the flow increases. This may be achieved by providing lateral weirs with heights kept in
accordance with the depth of flow at which one or more siphon pipes functions. The fig
shows the general arrangement of siphons. In two pipe siphon, the first pipe should take 1.25
to 1.5 times the average flow and second should take the balance of the flow. Purpose- The
main purpose of installation of inverted siphons is to carry the sewer line below obstructions
such as ground depression, streams, rivers, railway etc.
19. 22. SEWER APPURTENANCES Page 22 Float actuated gates and valves - Control of the
flow in sewers can be regulated by means of automatic mechanical regulators. These are
these are actuated by the water level in the sump interconnected to the sewers. These
regulators involve moving parts which are actuated by the varying depths of flow in the
sewers. They required periodic maintenances and inspection. Flap gates and Flood gates Flap gates or backwater gates are installed at or near sewer outlets to prevent backflow of
water during the or at high stages in the receiving stream. Such gates should be designed so
that the flap should open at a very small head diferential. With a properly operated flap gate
it is possible to continue to pump a quantity equivalent to the sanitary sewage flow from the
combined sewer to the treatment plant even though flood conditions prevail in the stream at
the sewer outlet. Many flap or back water gates are rectangular and may consist of wooden
planks .circular or rectangular metallic gates are commercially available. Flat gates may be of
various metals or alloys as require. Flap gates are usually hinged by a link type arrangement
that makes it possible for the gate shutter to get seated more firmly. Hinge pins, linkage and
links should be of corrosion resistance material. The maintenance of the flap gates requires
regular inspection and removal of debris from the pipe and outlet chamber. Lubrication of
hinge pins and cleaning also it requires.