Analysis of Building Drainage and Sewer System Performance Utilising a Tipping Tank With Water-conserving Measures

Efficiently optimised water conservation is an essential tool in achieving sustainable buildings. When designing a building drainage network for servicing a development, recognition must be given to the water throughflow. Reductions to the quantities of the throughflow must be fully understood and should be incorporated into the final design so as to maximise the network’s efficiency. The amount of water consumed by occupants is currently increasing. The exploration of water-conserving methods within domestic and commercial buildings continues to grow with the aim of achieving maximum efficiency of the water systems. This paper aims to illustrate that the addition of a tipping tank to a drainage system along with reductions in flush capacities, low-flow showers and behavioural changes of occupants are only a few of many techniques to have been trialled yielding positive results in terms of overall water usage reduction. A major issue associated with the reduction in capacity of any water appliance directly affects the system’s ability to perform successfully i.e. remove solids. This paper shows that the reduction of water from a system alone may be counterproductive. Reduced flows may result in an increase in the amounts of operations for the water appliances per unit of drainline carry. The use of a tipping tank, despite the relatively large amount of water required to operate it, can potentially contribute to decreasing water consumption and save more water than it consumes.