Department of Technical Education

Andhra Pradesh
Name : A. Madhuri
Designation : Lecturer
Branch : Civil Engineering
Institute : Govt. Polytechnic, Kothagudem
Year/Semester : VI Semester
Subject : Environmental Engineering II
Subject Code : C 605
Topic : Sanitation In Buildings
Duration : 50 minutes
Sub Topic : Procedures involved in the
inspection, testing and
maintenance of sanitary fittings
Teaching aids : PPT
Revised by : G.Appa Rao
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 OBJECTIVES
On completion of this period you would be able to :

• Inspection of building drainage system

• Testing of drainage system

• Maintenance of building drainage system

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 RECAP

What are the different types of sanitary fitting used in a

building drainage system ?

• Traps • Wash basins

• Water closets • Sinks

• Flushing Cisterns
• Bath tubs
• Urinals
• Anti-syphonage pipes
• Inspection chambers

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 Inspection Of Building Drainage System

The points to be kept in mind during the inspection of

drainage system are :

• Detailed servey of entire system should be made

• Complete check of entire system should done

• Flow through the drains should be observed by opening

the C.I. covers of inspection chambers and gully traps

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Inspection Of Building Drainage System

• Damp spot's should detected, to know the leakages

• Water closets, flushing cisterns, traps etc. should be

examined

• Bad smell if any, from the sanitary block should be

detected

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 Testing Of Drainage System

Generally conducted tests to check the leakages in drains

1. Air test
2. Water test

3. Smoke test

4. Coloured test

5. Smell test

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 Air Test

• Air is blown into the drain after plugging the ends

• Then soap solution is applied

• Formation of bubbles indicates the leakage

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 Water Test
• Drain is plugged at the lower inspection chamber

• Water is filled under a pressures of 0.015 N/mm2

• There should not be any visible drop in water level within

10 min

• Pipe is subjected to at least 1.5 m of head of water at the

highest point of the section under test

• Pressure is maintained at the upper end by means of a

hose pipe with a funnel, which can be raised to the
needed height
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 Smoke Test

• Conducted to detect leakage of rain water pipes and

vertical waste pipe

• Smoke is forced into the pipe

• Leakage can be detected by smell or vision of

smoke through the joints

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 Colour Water Test

• Colour water is added from one side

• Leakage of colour water can be easily observed, which

indicates leakage of the drain

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 Smell Test

• Air is mixed with some smelling gas and is allowed to

pass through the drainage system

• Leaky joints are detected by smelling

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 Maintenance Of Building Drainage System

• There should be constant watch on the drainage system

• Maintenance should be periodical

• If once the system fails, the repair work is very difficult

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Points to be kept in mind in the maintenance of
Building Drainage System

• Replacement of washers of leaky taps at regular

intervals

• Cleaning of entire drainage system once in a month

• Collection of sand, grit etc. separately and not allowing

into sewers

• Regular use of phenol or any other disinfectant to

maintain sanitary conditions
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 SUMMARY

We have discussed about

• The inspection of building drainage system

• Tests conducted to check the leakages in drains

• Maintenance of building drainage system

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 QUIZ

Following is not a leakage test

1) Smoke test

2) Pumped o2 test

3) Water test

4) Color water test

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 Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the significance of air test ?

2. What are the points to be borne in mind during

inspection of drainage system ?

3. Explain the tests which can be conducted on house

drainage system ?

4. How do you maintain the building drainage ?

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