Many toilet explosions cause casualties, including Vietnam, making many people startled that their toilets are not safe.
Talking to PV, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son – Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the organic waste from the toilet will be stored in the septic tank (septic tank).
Normally, the septic tank has 3 compartments: storage compartment, sedimentation compartment and filter compartment . At the storage compartment, the wastes will be fermented anaerobically by microorganisms. The residue of fermentation will settle to the bottom of the chamber.
Gases produced during fermentation include mainly methane (CH 4 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), sulfur dioxide (SO 2) … will be discharged to the outdoors through the vent pipe.
The liquid part will follow a catheter to flow through the settling compartment and the residues that have not yet settled in the tank will settle in this compartment.
The water inside the top will flow to the third compartment – the filter compartment and drain into the drain or let it soak into the soil.
A toilet exploded – (Photo: Daily Mail).
If the vent pipe is installed incorrectly or the pipe is blocked, the accumulation of gas during the decomposition of organic waste will increase the pressure in the septic tank, possibly causing an explosion.
Or when these gases leak through the cracks of the septic tank and meet sparks, it will burn and explode the septic tank.
Dr. Nguyen Truong Son gives advice: the size of the septic tank must be calculated in accordance with the number of users (the amount of waste), and at the same time should check the vent pipe at least once a year to detect it. in case the pipe is blocked.
According to Dr. Ngo Thanh An, deputy head of the Department of Science, Technology and Projects, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, the cause of the fire was methane gas. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to sources of methane gas such as gas stoves, toilets, trash cans.
To ensure safety, it is necessary to avoid gas leakage from the toilet into the toilet. In order to do this, an air duct is required to equalize the pressure between the inside and the outside.
The ventilation duct plays a decisive role in removing the air pressure generated from the inside of the septic tank. Therefore, care must be taken in the design and installation of air ducts for septic tanks.
The diameter of the ventilation pipe is not less than 60mm, leading up to the roof at least 0.7m to avoid odors and harmful gases. The ventilation tube must not be submerged in liquid (that is the role of ventilation to the outside).
It is necessary to avoid building tunnels in areas prone to flooding. Because water from the outside environment can flow into the toilet, flooding the vent pipe, leading to pressure in the toilet.
Besides, it is necessary to pay attention to sealing the contact joint between the toilet and the waste pipe, to avoid gas leakage through this connection.
Dr An advises not to smoke in the toilet, especially when detecting a strange smell . Instead, it is necessary to immediately find the cause of the gas leak and fix it immediately.
“Besides toilets and gas stoves, you must also pay attention to the sewer system in the house. It is not recommended to open the lid of the drain hole in the bathroom because it can lead to gas containing methane, H 2 S from the sewage system into the sewer system. house, which can cause suffocation, create a stench, or potentially cause an explosion,” added Dr. An.