Sewer Drains facts

While investigating facts about Sewer Drains In The Street and Sewer Drains Clogged, I found out little known, but curios details like:

In 1836, a sewer worker accidentally discovered an old drain which ran directly into the Bank of England's gold vault. He wrote letters to the directors of the bank and requested a meeting inside the vault at an hour of their choosing - and popped out of the floor to greet them

how sewer drains work?

The "s" curve in drain pipes acts as a water lock to prevent sewer gas from escaping into buildings

What causes sewer smell in drains?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is water backup of sewer and drains. Here are 12 of the best facts about Sewer Drains And More and Sewer Drains In Basement I managed to collect.

what causes drains to smell like sewer?

1. Gutter oil - cooking oil which has been illegally recycled from waste oil collected from sources such as restaurant fryers, grease traps, slaughterhouse waste and sewage from sewer drains. It is estimated 10% of low end restaurants in China use it

2. Due to the pollution in Narragansett Bay people in the upper region of the bay have been advised to avoid coming into contact with the water for at least three days following heavy rain. The wastewater treatment plants are unable to handle all of the water due to combined sewer and storm drains and raw sewage is often discharged into the bay during heavy rainfall.

3. A “Fatberg” formed in the London sewers from all the congealed grease thrown down the drain. The 15-ton fat lump was the size of a bus and took 3 weeks to break apart using power hoses.

4. Some cheap restaurants in China buy a cooking oil on the black market called 'Gutter oil' which is made by recycling waste oil collected from sources such as sewer drains. Here's a 2-minute doc showing how it's made.

5. Ancient Rome had an elaborate sewer system that drained street runoff and sewage into natural bodies of water

6. McDonald's has trademarked its own enzymatic liquid drain declogger called McFree to dissolve grease from its sewer lines.

7. Silverfish are one of the most common indoor insects. They often live in sewer drains and come out at night (they don't like light) to feed on paper and other food sources. The name silverfish comes from their color, shape, and "swimming" motion when they move.

8. In China they use "gutter oil", recycled from sewer drains, grease traps & slaughterhouse waste for cooking

9. Situation is so desperate in Venezuela that scavengeres sift through the rubbish and excrement that has been dumped into the river in the hope of finding jewellery that may have fallen down somebody's drain and ended up in the sewer.