Airvac
The World Leader in Vacuum Sewer Collection Technology
Airvac creates solutions that utilize vacuum technology to move liquids and wastewater ecologically and economically for municipalities and industries throughout the world.
Powerful products. Powerful benefits.
Sealed From Valve Pit to Vacuum Station.
Airvac’s completely sealed vacuum sewer collection system prevents infiltration and inflow of groundwater from the valve pit to the vacuum station, protecting the environment from exfiltrating wastewater. It is one of the most environmentally sound solutions available.
For vacuum sewer collection systems, if leaks were to occur, they would not result in sewage spills. Instead, air would enter the pipe and be immediately detected. Standard equipment in a vacuum station automatically notifies operating personnel if this occurs.
Smaller Construction Footprints
Airvac vacuum sewers use smaller diameter pipes and shallower burial depths than conventional gravity sewer systems. The resulting narrow, shallow trenches greatly reduce excavation, dewatering efforts, surface disruption and eliminate the dangers associated with larger, deeper trenches. The use of smaller fuel operated equipment also reduces the carbon footprint.
Reducing the construction footprint minimizes disruption, helping conserve existing natural areas and protecting habitats and biodiversity.
The horizontal and vertical flexibility allow construction crews to avoid disruption of environmentally sensitive areas. Field changes can easily be made, and unforeseen underground obstacles can be avoided by going over, under, or around them.
Enhanced Community Well-Being
Vacuum sewer collection systems produce high scouring velocities, reducing the risk of blockages in the pipes. There are no drainage fields with vacuum sewer systems like there are with septic tank systems. This eliminates raw sewage from surfacing in yards, backing up into homes, or spilling out into the environment.
Vacuum stations are typically designed to blend into the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Each vacuum station has a standby generator to provide uninterrupted service during power outages.
Ease of installation, less disruption, and the elimination of multiple lift stations maintain the natural beauty of the community.
Less Hazardous for System Operators
With an Airvac vacuum sewer collection system, operators do not come in contact with raw sewage or work in confined areas, minimizing the risk of exposure to viruses, bacteria, parasites or harmful gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide.
With our newest technologies, they also experience noise and heat reduction at the vacuum pump stations. This provides for a more safe and comfortable work environment.
Vacuum stations have cleaner indoor air quality due to the lack of pollutant entry into the building and no odor. Bio-filters use microorganisms and natural media to keep noxious gases from being exhausted into the air.
Energy Conservation
Airvac vacuum sewer collection systems only require one power source, located at the vacuum station. Because vacuum valves are pneumatically operated, no power source is required by the homeowners.
A single vacuum station can often serve the same area that would traditionally require 6-7 lift stations, minimizing the building footprint and reducing energy use.
Because the vacuum system is closed from the valve pit to the vacuum station, inflow and infiltration are eliminated. Energy is not expended transporting or treating excess water from storm events and treatment plant demand is eased.
Learn more about the impact Airvac makes
Making a Difference Today for a Better Tomorrow.
I love being surprised. I’m sure we’ve all experienced those moments when you see something so painfully obvious, so incredibly simple in design that your first thought is “Why didn’t I think of that?”.
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That was my impression the first time I was presented with the concept of using vacuum technology to move effluent rather than traditional pumped force mains or gravity/lift station configurations.
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On the surface, it’s easy to dismiss it with a “So, what?” – I get it. And then, as you learn about this system, and begin to understand all the “oh, by the way benefits”, and the lightbulb begins to flash!
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This Airvac system ticks all the boxes that make up my core beliefs – this works, it excels in geographical environments that challenge traditional designs, it competes economically in “regular environments” against traditional designs, and it does it better, using less electricity, and is both inherently “self-scouring” and “effluent exfiltration” proof. That last one is just a fancy way of saying the vacuum in the system keeps the poop from leaking out into the environment. Lastly, its construction and design also make I&I (inflow and infiltration) challenges disappear.
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And here’s where I am most excited about this system – it finally makes a centralized wastewater collection system accessible to the significant number of small municipal and Indigenous communities that remain on individual, often leaking and failing, septic systems.
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I am very much looking forward to playing a part in helping those who will be directly impacted by this technology and helping the consulting engineers who help plan, design, build and oversee the construction and installation of these systems.
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- Dan Leger, President