Statement Regarding Drain Management and Sustainability

Current Situation:

A building’s drain system is designed to remove liquid wastes from the structure. By the very nature of the types of wastes that enter the system, drain pipes are subject to blockages over time.

Today, the owner has few choices for ways to maintain their drainage system.

1.  Use chemical drain openers which are poisonous, produce dangerous gases, can burn hands and eyes, harmful to the environment and can damage piping, metal sinks and garbage disposals.
2.  Use mechanical cleaning devices which expose the user to the waste in the pipe and can damage piping.
3. Disassemble the drain system for cleaning or replacement which causes exposure to wastes and sewer gasses. This can also be very expensive if the pipe is under a slab construction.

None are Green or Sustainable processes.

LEED, NAHB, EPA and other organizations have compiled guidelines for the construction of sustainable buildings including both building practices and product recommendations.  These comprehensive guidelines cover most aspects of home and commercial buildings providing significant benefit for our environment and the communities in which we live.However, one area has yet to be fully addressed in the current guides is the structure’s waste management system responsible for removing liquid wastes from the building.  This critical system needs to be addressed in order to further protect inhabitants, protect the environment, promote longevity in the structure, and to encourage improvement in products and building practices.

In the case of multi occupant buildings such as apartments, every individual drain system potentially affects all other systems in the building. Improvement in one; improves all.

The system that is under the control of the structure owner and builder starts at the appliance/fixture drain and continues to the junction of the municipal sewage distribution or the septic lateral lines. The proper selection, installation and maintenance of the components are critical to the performance and safety of the overall system.

In recent years, there are other sustainable building practices either impact the drain system or are impacted by it. 

 A)  the use of low water consuming fixtures reduces flow rates and can contribute to solids settling and reduced long term performance

B)  the emergence of the re-use of gray water further exposes people and the environment to the effects of harmful drain openers

Performance issues:

• Slow appliance/fixture draining
• Blocked drains
• Corrosive chemicals used for maintenance can degrade the long term performance of the system
• Fixture aesthetics diminished

Safety and environmental issues:

• The use of hazardous chemicals to maintain the system exposes users to poisonous liquids and gasses
• The use of hazardous chemicals contaminates gray water
• The use of hazardous chemicals challenges water treatment facilities
• Drain systems that back up into fixtures can expose people to biofilms and/or fungal growth
• Removal of drain components or snaking for cleaning exposes people to biofilms and/or fungal growth
• Removal of drain components for cleaning exposes people to sewer gasses

Economic and quality of life issues:

• Expensive secondary maintenance
• Blocked or slow drains interrupt the lifestyle in the home and reduce productivity in the workplace
• Blocked drains can cause water spills and flooding into the structure that can be expensive to repair and promote mold growth

System attributes that reduce or eliminate these issues:

• Choice of components with expected long life
• Choice of components that reduce blockages
• Choice of components that allow easy inspection
• Choice of components that enhance self maintenance
• Choice of components that reduce the need for chemical drain openers
• Choice of components and practices that improve the quality of installation
• Educate the structure owner on how to continually maintain the system

Expected outcomes of the drain management guidelines:

• Inhabitants have quality systems that will perform well, have a long life, that are safe, and provide the opportunity for easy inspection and maintenance
• Builders have guides and an incentive to install quality products and systems
• Manufactures have the guides and incentive to create new products