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Page 4 of 4
Indoor Installations
As strange as it sounds to us today, when flush toilets were first invented, they were installed in the outhouse. Now, more than a century later, the flush toilet and other convenient water using fixtures are firmly ensconced as not only necessities, but also beautiful adjuncts to the modern American home.
However, we still seem to have a residual mental block from those days which whispers, "anything to do with sewage goes out in the yard." Some manufacturers have systems specifically designed to be installed indoors in basement areas.
Elimination Of Infiltration/Inflow
Pressure sewers are constructed of pressure pipe and leak tested to the same American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards used for potable water supply; thus, they are, for all practical purposes, watertight. This eliminates most infiltration problems so characteristic of old gravity sewers.
New collection systems consisting entirely of pressure lines fed by grinder pumps have been shown to be entirely free of extraneous water flows.
Conclusions
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It has taken three decades for pressure sewer systems to begin to take their proper place within the public health engineering field. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of grinder pumps in routine daily operation in systems ranging in size from a single pump to thousands of pumps.
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Extremely low operating and maintenance (O&M) costs have been documented. Data is now available from many successful systems - some in operation for more than 20 years. By taking advantage of the experience which these systems offer, a new system can be planned which will have good performance, high reliability, and reasonable O&M costs.
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Pressure sewer systems using grinder pumps are particularly useful in new construction of subdivisions and second home communities, and in existing communities with failing septic tanks. The problems of failing septic tanks, unsatisfactory soil conditions, and an increased emphasis on environmental issues can be economically solved with pressure sewers. Pressure sewers are compatible with other collection system techniques. The advantages of each technology can be blended into site-specific designs using grinder pumps, gravity, large submersible pumping stations, and force mains. There is virtually no limit to the type discharge point to which a pressure sewer using grinder pumps can be connected.
References
1 Adapted from "The Secret Life of Pressure Sewers" by R. Paul Farrell, Consulting Engineer Niskayuna, NY, USA. Presented at the Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems Conference, January 12-15, 2000 Phoenix, AZ
Pressure Sewer System Technology Bibliography
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Almquist, Carl, Chief Operator, Town of Groton, CT, personal communication, December 1991
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Bendixen, T.W., and Weibel, S. R., "Study on Septic Tanks and Septic Tank Disposal Systems", NTIS Report Number PB-216 760, 24p, 1951
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Carcich, ltalo G.; Farrell, R. Paul and Hetling, Leo, "A Pressure Sewer System Demonstration", EPA R2-72-091, 218p, November 1972
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Coulter, J.B., "Sewage Disposal Systems Applicable to Subdivisions", NTIS Report number PB-217 475, 12p, 1957
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Eblen, J.B. and Clark, L.K., "Pressure and Vacuum Sewer Demonstration Project - Bend, Oregon", EPA 600/2-78-166, 1978
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Environment One Corporation, "GP Report", Summer 1988
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Fair, Gordon M., "Converted Sewer System" - US Patent 3,366,339, filed Nov. 26, 1965, issued June 30, 1968, assigned by the inventor to the public
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Gray, Donald D., "TN Community's Grinder Pumps Provide Positive O&M Statistics", Small Flows Clearing House, 5(4), October 1991
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Gray, Glenn C., ‘Environmental Constraints Challenge Designers of Shoreline Community Near Kansas City", Professional Engineer 45(6) pp42-44, 1975
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Ierley, Merrit, "The Bathroom an Epic", American Heritage magazine, 50.3, May 1999, 76(1)
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Mayhew, Chuck and Fitzwater, Richard, "Grinder Pump Sewer System Saves Beach Property", Water Engineering and Management, 4p, September 1999
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Mekosh, G. and Ramos, D., ‘Pressure Sewer Demonstration at the Borough of Phoenixville, PA", EPA-R2-73-270 (NTIS PB-224456/4), 71 p, 1973
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Milnes, Thomas R. and Smith, Nacky, "Community Action at Quaker Lake", WPCA of Pennsylvania Magazine, 6p, November/December 1978
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Palmer Lynn H., "Preserving the Antietam Battlefield at Affordable Cost" in WEF Specialty Conference on Collection System Operation and Maintenance, Tucson, AZ, pp377-383, 1993
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Sanson, R.L., "Design Procedure for a Rural Pressure Sewer System", Public Works, (I 04)1 0, pp86-87, 1973
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Wetsel, David A., "The O&M History of the Low Pressure Sewer Systems for the Towns of Parish, West
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Monroe, and Cleveland, New York", at NYWEA Environmental Technical Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY, 11 p, June 12-14, 1995
Charles G. Stolberg is the executive director of the Submersible Wastewater Pump Association (SWPA), 1866 Sheridan Road, Suite 201, Highland Park, IL 60035-2545, 847-681-1868, Fax: 847-681-1869, http://www.swpa.org/.
Historical Timeline of Pressure Sewers
- ASCE-sponsored project (mid 1960s) inspired by Professor Gordon M. Fair of the Harvard School of Public Health (Fair 1968)
- Development (1963-66) at General Electric of world's first prototype grinder pump. Field test of first pressure sewer system (1969-70) by Environment One Corp.. in cooperation with NYDEC and the US EPA (Carcich 1972)
- Introduction of first commercial grinder pump at WEF (then WPCF) Annual Conference in Boston, 1969
- Other EPA-sponsored demonstration projects (early 1970s) in Pennsylvania (Mekosh 1973), Oregon (Eblen 1978) and Indiana (Sanson 1973)
- Earliest projects approved by state regulatory agencies (1970-72) in Indiana, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia
- Federal Construction grant eligible (c. 1970s) as an Alternative Technology
- Adopted (early 1980s) into "Ten States Standards," as well as most individual state guidelines.
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Joe Evans, PhD
Dr. Lev Nelik
Robert Perez 
