CATEGORY VACUUM DRAINAGE HANDBOOK 1.4 An Interfaces installation and system guide boundaries for buildings Updated and extended version (July 2019) THE HANDBOOK Authors Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Oldenburg, Dr.-Ing. Raphael Rohde, Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, Höxter, Germany Department of Environmental Engineering and Applied Computer Science Department of Biological Wastewater Treatment and Wastewater Recycling Dipl.-Ing. Maika Wuttke, Wolfgang Kuck, HAMBURG WASSER company Quality & Energy Management Department of Energy Management and Projects THE HANDBOOK Contact Questions about the handbook and the HAMBURG WATER Cycle® M. Sc. Narne Hinrichsmeyer HAMBURG WASSER company Quality & Energy Management Department of Energy Management and Projects Billhorner Deich 2, 20539 Hamburg (Hamburg), Germany Telephone (+49) (0)40 78 88 82 629 [email protected] Questions about project operation and technical questions Wolfgang Kuck HAMBURG WASSER company Quality & Energy Management Department of Energy Management and Projects Billhorner Deich 2, 20539 Hamburg (Hamburg), Germany Telephone: (+49) (0)40 78 88 82 619 [email protected] THE HANDBOOK Contents 1 The HAMBURG WATER Cycle® in the Jenfelder Au 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Why this handbook is needed 1 1.3 Notes on the handbook 2 1.4 Interfaces and system boundaries 2 1.5 The stakeholders 3 2 Function of a vacuum drainage system 5 2.1 Advantages of the system 5 2.2 Functional operation of the vacuum sewer system 6 2.3 Layout of the vacuum drainage system in the Jenfelder Au 9 2.4 How a vacuum toilet works 9 2.5 Available models and manufacturers of vacuum toilets 10 3 Planning and construction instructions 13 3.1 Installation example 13 3.2 Space requirements and connections 14 3.2.1 Inside the building 14 3.2.2 Outside the building 15 3.3 Soundproofing 15 3.3.1 Sound sources in building technology 16 3.3.2 Coordinative measures and arrangement of living spaces 16 3.3.3 Measures in sanitary engineering 17 3.3.4 Important instructions for planning and acceptance 19 3.4 Installation and layout 20 3.4.1 General instructions for sound and fire protection 20 3.4.2 Pipe materials and dimensions 21 3.4.3 Marking of the pipes 21 3.4.4 Pipe fixing 21 3.4.5 Horizontal pipe layout 22 3.4.6 Pipe connections 22 3.4.7 Wall breakthroughs 24 3.4.8 Changes of direction 24 3.4.9 Connection of several pipes 25 3.4.10 Connection to the vacuum system 25 3.4.11 Shut-off valve 26 3.4.12 Inspection openings 27 3.4.13 Installation of the vacuum toilets 27 3.4.14 Special case: transport pockets 28 3.4.15 Special case: risers 29 THE HANDBOOK 3.5 Leak testing and test report 30 3.6 Maintenance instructions for specialist companies 32 3.7 Notes on tender texts for vacuum drainage 33 4 Usage 35 4.1 Instructions for use 35 4.2 Cleaning and maintenance 35 4.3 Procedure in case of breakdown 35 4.4 That does not belong in the toilet! 36 Imprint 37 THE HAMBURG WATER CYCLE® 1 The HAMBURG WATER Cycle® in the Jenfelder Au 1.1 Introduction The HAMBURG WATER Cycle® (HWC) is a holistic ap- Further information about the HWC can be found on proach to sewage disposal and energy supply in ur- the Internet at www.hamburgwatercycle.de or can ban areas. In the process, the water and energy infra- be obtained from HAMBURG WASSER. structure sectors are considered to be interlocking and complementary fields of activity. This protects 1.2 Why this handbook is needed the valuable resource drinking water and simultane- ously helps to use wastewater to generate energy. The novelty of the HWC with its vacuum system for Furthermore, material circulation cycles in the direct blackwater drainage applies to all stakeholders and living environment are closed. The most important requires good coordination between planning and component of the HWC is the so-called partial flow execution of the construction project in the Jenfelder treatment of waste water. Rainwater, sewage from the Au. This handbook is intended to appeal to all stake- toilet (blackwater) and wastewater from kitchen and holders and has the goal of: bath, e.g. from washing hands or laundry (greywater) are separated from one another and processed differ- • remedying information deficits regarding the ently. In order to make it possible to utilise the valu- functioning of the sewage system in the HWC. able resources (nutrients and energy) contained in • eliminating reservations about a different sanitary blackwater, in addition to separate drainage the least technology. possible dilution with rinsing water is required. This • providing instructions on planning, construction is made possible by the use of vacuum toilets. HAM- and installation. BURG WASSER, the water supply and disposal com- • ensuring the quality of construction work and to pany for the Hanseatic city of Hamburg and the met- make it transparent. ropolitan region, has created an innovative concept for wastewater management with the HWC which is both adapted to the changed conditions of the 21st Taking heed of the recommendations should help to century and groundbreaking for the future. The HWC avoid faulty construction and eventual redressing of was realised for the first time in the "Gut Karlshöhe" these faults and to ensure living comfort in the long environmental centre in Hamburg where it serves as run. a reference and training project. In the nearby "Jen- felder Au" urban district in the east of Hamburg, the experiences gained there are transferred to the larger scale of the Jenfelder Au with about 2500 inhabitants. In 2013, the Jenfelder Au was the reference project of the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg. Furthermore, the HAMBURG WATER Cycle® won the Innovation Award 2013 of the Association of Munici- pal Enterprises e.V. in the category "Water/wastewa- ter" and was the "Place of Distinction 2013/14" of the nationwide "Germany - Land of Ideas" competition. 1 THE HAMBURG WATER CYCLE® 1.3 Notes on the handbook 1.4 Interfaces and system boundaries Often, the term "vacuum" is used for "negative pres- Analogue to conventional wastewater disposal, in sure". Although this is not entirely accurate for the the Jenfelder Au each individual responsibility is also drainage system described here, the term "vacuum" regulated. While HAMBURG WASSER is responsible is used throughout this handbook for readability pur- for sanitation in public areas beyond the property poses. The pressure specifications given in the hand- boundary (Figure 1), responsibility for the property book are expressed as absolute values in units of kPa. lies with the respective owner. The interface of re- In addition, in parentheses, the unit bar, as negative sponsibility is the property boundary, i.e. all installa- pressure in relationship to atmospheric pressure, is tions between the property boundaries, the building given. and inside the building (pipes, inspection equipment (shaft) etc.) must be provided by the property owner and kept in a technically flawless condition. The hand- book gives recommendations for the installations in the private area of responsibility, i.e. from the vacuum toilet to the interface at the property boundary. Blackwater Greywater Vacuum toilet Shaft with inspection device Inspection shaft for for vacuum greywater Greywater pipe (gravity drainage) Shutoff(ball valve) Blackwater pipe (vacuum) PUBLIC AREA PRIVATE PROPERTY PUBLIC AREA Figure 1: Drainage responsibilities in the Jenfelder Au 2 THE HAMBURG WATER CYCLE® 1.5 The stakeholders addressed by the handbook Since the content of this handbook addresses differ- ent stakeholders, the table of contents is subdivided as an aid for the essential stakeholders. Specialist Owner/ Architect/ Chapter planners/ Users investor planner HVAC companies The HAMBURG WATER Cycle® in the 1 Jenfelder Au Function of a vacuum drainage 2 system Planning and construction instruc- 3 tions 3.1 Installation example 3.2 Space requirements and connections 3.3 Soundproofing 3.4 Installation and layout 3.5 Leak testing 4 Usage 3 4 VACUUM DRAINAGE SYSTEM Ground floor/first floor Cellar Figure 2: Examples of installation for vacuum pipes in the building 2 Function of a vacuum drainage system This chapter explains the fundamentals of vacuum Planning options: drainage in detail. The toilets used do not differ visu- In contrast to conventional drainage, a high degree ally in design from conventional toilet facilities for of creative freedom when laying the pipes is possible. the resident in any way. In contrast to conventional This allows architects and builder/owners a great deal sanitation however, blackwater (toilet waste water) of flexibility in pipeline layout when planning their is sucked away by negative pressure and also trans- buildings. Thus, the pipeline layout can be executed, ported away by means of it. for example, parallel to the fresh water pipe regard- less of downpipes and gradient, as well as – due to 2.1 Advantages of the system the significantly smaller pipe diameter – even laying the pipeline in suspended ceilings. Due to gradient- The benefits of using a vacuum drainage system independent installation, the use of auxiliary lifting range from the construction and installation stages systems is no longer necessary, as the lifting of waste- to cost savings for the user. water is possible due to the system (see Chapter 3.4). 5 VACUUM DRAINAGE SYSTEM Saving water: tinues via the piping system to the house connections Even with the use of modern water-saving toilets, 3 to or the individual sanitary objects. The negative pressure 6 litres of drinking water on average are used per flush. in the houses can only be interrupted or turned off by Through vacuum drainage, this consumption can be the shutoff at the property boundary or in the main un- reduced to about 1 litre per flush.