Frostproofing Sanitary Waste System s
AMOS J. ALTER, Chief Engineer
Alaska Department of Health and Welfare
Juneau, Alaska
Sanitary waste systems must be built on polar ice and along polar shores.
Polar systems must function and serve their purpose well. "Frostrpoofing"
is more than a word; it becomes an objective in construction and operation of sanitary waste systems in low temperature areas.
Favorable thermal characteristics are as important as favorable hydraulic,
structural, and other physical characteristics of a successful sanitary waste system;
they are all essential to an effective system of sewers and appurtenances for collection, transportation, and pumping of sewage wastes under low temperature conditions.
Experience has indicated that favorable thermal characteristics must be designed and built into a system; they are often ineffective and impractical if they
are merely added as an afterthought. Experience has also proven that favorable
thermal characteristics must be simple, fail-safe, and readily acceptable to users
of the system.
Investigative effort, to date, is insufficient to clearly define the detailed
inter-relationships of thermal, hydraulic, and structural characteristics of sanitary
waste systems. But there are some important, yet simple and basic, considerations
to be observed in planning and frostproofing sanitary waste systems. Such basic
considerations may be the cause for completely changing system design and construction from conventional practice; however, change need not frustrate an otherwise successful plan if thermal factors are made a part of the initial concept.
There are four basic questions initially applicable to concepts proposed for
frostproofing sanitary waste systems.   These four questions are:
1. Can reasonable provisions be made to eliminate need for frostproofing or
at least minimize need for frostproofing?
2. Is it possible to choose a location for the sanitary waste system which will
accomplish frostproofing without use of special heating or insulating devices and
materials?
3. Are heat conservation or application methods utilized which take maximum advantage of otherwise waste energy, which are most economical and efficient, and which are compatible with the mission of the project and the regimen
of the area?
4. Are frostproofing methods sufficiently simple and inviting to be acceptable
by the average person who must rely upon them?
The mission of an installation to be served by a sanitary waste system;
whether the installation is fixed or portable, temporary or permanent in nature ;
the type of personnel utilizing a facility; and the caliber of personnel available
for maintenance of facilities all have a bearing on answers to the above questions.
A single type of waste may lend itself to a single method of frostproofing. A variety of wastes may demand application of a variety of frostproofing techniques.