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A Guide From Your Reliable Plumbing Company On The Different Types of Home Sewer Systems | Katy, TX
We get it; sewer systems are disgusting. But we cannot deny that they are a critical part of your home plumbing system. Like some homeowners, you rarely think about your sewer system until it has problems.
It’s important to know the type of sewer pipe in your home to understand what could be the issue when the sewer system acts up. Also, having a basic knowledge of your sewer system in Katy, TX, helps you better explain what’s wrong with your sewer line when you reach out to a plumbing company.
In addition, materials used to build drain pipes have changed over the years. In the past, clay pipes were mainly preferred, but materials such as steel and plastic have become popular over time. Plus, some pipes are better suited to certain climates and places. In this blog post, you’ll learn about various sewer pipes used in most residential homes.
Asbestos Cement Sewer
The asbestos cement sewer consists of asbestos cement pipes manufactured through a mixture of asbestos fiber and cement. They are more suitable for domestic sanitary sewage.
The advantages of the asbestos cement sewer are that they are smooth and light in weight, and the plumbing company plumbers can easily cut, fit, and drill them. Also, they are durable against soil corrosion.
However, they cannot withstand hefty loads since they are brittle and can be easily broken by plumbing company technicians when handling or transporting them.
Cast Iron Sewers
Cast iron sewers possess high strength. They are tough to resist extensible, compressive, and bending stresses. Cast iron sewers are suitable for cases such as:
- When the sewer line is subject to a bulky external load
- When the sewage is conveyed under high pressure
- When there is a significant difference in temperature
- where there is a danger of contamination of groundwater due to the leakage of sewage from the sewers
Cast iron pipes are known for their corrosion resistance in most natural soils and can tolerate extremely high internal compression and external pressure. However, cast iron pipes are expensive and are susceptible to corrosion by highly septic sewage, acids, and acidic soils.
Steel Sewers
Steel sewers consist of steel pipes manufactured by rolling the steel plates to the proper diameter and welding or riveting the edges. The plumbing company technicians use the welded pipes mostly since they are smoother and more robust than the riveted ones.
The steel sewers are flexible, light, waterproof, and suitable in the following cases when:
- The sewage has to be conveyed across a river underwater
- The sewage is held under pressure
- The sewer has to pass under a railway track
Steel pipes are built to endure pressure inside the pipes, vibrations, and impact load; thus, they are preferred over cast iron pipes. Also, they are flexible and are designed to endure higher water hammer pressures.
However, steel pipes cannot withstand the high external load, unlike cast iron pipes. In addition, they are likely to collapse if exposed to negative pressures.
Cement Concrete Sewers
Cement concrete sewers are widely used in homes. They are manufactured using cement concrete with or without reinforcement. They can either be constructed at the site or manufactured in the factories and then transported to the place, referred to as precast.
The cast-in-situ sewers are constructed where they are more economical or in cases where:
- Non-standard sections are required
- When the working space and headroom are limited
- When a particular shape is required.
While the precast concrete sewers consist of precast concrete cement pipes, which can either be pressure or non-pressure pipes, the non-pressure pipes can either be plain or reinforced.
Homeowners in Katy, TX, prefer cement concrete sewers because they are pretty resistant to abrasion and erosion and strong enough to withstand internal pressure when carrying sewage under pressure and external loads.
They are also economical for medium and large sizes, so technicians from a plumbing company use them widely for branch and main sewers.
In addition, they can be built of any desired strength by proper concrete mix design, wall thickness, and the percentage of reinforcement and shape of the reinforcement cage.
Despite having so many advantages, cement concrete can easily be eroded and scarred by the corrosive actions of the contents in the sewage.
Stoneware or Vitrified Clay Sewers
The stoneware sewers are comprised of vitrified or stoneware clay pipes manufactured from shales and clay of unique qualities. These pipes have a diameter of 10 to 90 cm and are joined by a bell and spigot joint. The plumbing company professionals mainly use stoneware sewers for house drainage and laterals.
If you need a sewer system that’s highly impervious, resistant to corrosion, cheap, and readily available, you should contact a plumbing company to install this system in your home. Also, these sewer lines are smooth and hydraulically efficient.
On the downside, these pipes are brittle and weak in tension; hence, they cannot be used where sewage is to be carried under pressure. Also, they are bulky and weighty, making it difficult for plumbing company technicians in Katy, TX, to handle, transport, and lay them.
Plastic Sewers
Plastic sewers consist of plastic pipes that are commonly used for carrying sewage. They are most popular because they are resistant to corrosion, are available in long lengths, and have excellent flow characteristics that permit flatter gradients.
Also, plastic pipes are not fragile; therefore, in case of an accident during loading or unloading, they can’t be damaged. However, these pipes are unsuitable in hot areas because they have a high coefficient of thermal expansion.
Call bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of West Houston for Outstanding Sewer Line Services
Are you experiencing any issues with your sewer line? If yes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of West Houston. We are a certified plumbing company with a team of licensed and skilled plumbers who offer sewer and water line inspections as well as repair and replacement.
Our technicians also provide drain cleaning, gas leak detection and repair, video inspections, water heaters, and emergency plumbing.
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