If you've wondered about the flushing of toilets on the upper floors of city skyscrapers, how do you suppose the plumbing is designed so that there is not an enormous impact of sewage arriving at the basement level?

Question

Kyler Adams

Engineering

20 July, 13:02

If you've wondered about the flushing of toilets on the upper floors of city skyscrapers, how do you suppose the plumbing is designed so that there is not an enormous impact of sewage arriving at the basement level?

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Answers (1)

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Malcolm Harper · Answer 1

The plumbing is designed to reduce the impact of pressure forces due to the height of skyscrapers. This is achieves by narrowing down the pipe down to the basement, using pipes with thicker walls down the basement, and allowing vents; to prevent clogging of the pipes.

Explanation:

Pressure increases with depth and density. In skyscrapers, a huge problem arises due to the very tall height of most skyscrapers. Also, sewage slug coming down has an increased density when compared to that of water, and these two factors can't be manipulated. The only option is to manipulate the pipe design. Pipes in skyscrapers are narrowed down with height, to reduce accumulation at the bottom basement before going to the sewage tank. Standard vents are provided along the pipes, to prevent clogging of the pipes, and pipes with thicker walls are used as you go down the basement of the skyscraper, to withstand the pressure of the sewage coming down the pipes.