Construction Checklists

QC Facility Sanitary Sewerage Checklist — Section 22.13.00

Written by Ed Caldeira | Jul 22, 2026 1:07:27 PM

Purpose & Scope

Section 22.13.00 covers sanitary sewerage systems that have to do more than simply move waste from point A to point B. The scope spans buried sanitary sewer piping outside and within five feet of the building, above-grade sanitary drainage piping, and chemical-resistant piping where required.

It also includes the specialties and equipment that keep the system serviceable, including cleanouts, floor drains, floor sinks, planter drains, backwater valves, interceptors, manholes, sumps, and sewage ejectors.

The checklist follows the same three-phase QAQC flow used across FTQ360: Preparatory, Initial, and Follow-Up. That structure helps the team verify materials, routing, elevations, access, testing, and turnover requirements before defects are buried, concealed, or energized.

In the FTQ360 workflow, geo-tagged photos, test records, and sign-offs create a traceable field record. That is especially valuable on sanitary systems where poor slopes, hidden leaks, inaccessible maintenance points, and startup issues can stay latent until late in the project.

What the Checklist Covers

This checklist tracks the full sanitary sewerage workflow from preinstallation coordination through testing and closeout. Before work begins, it guides the team through approval of product data, installation instructions, pump curves, valve data, support information, shop drawings for ejectors and manholes, qualification records, and the preinstallation meeting.

That meeting is where teams coordinate sleeves, firestopping, access doors, supports, and adjacent plumbing work. At startup, the checklist verifies the first buried run, first above-grade run, first joints, first support assemblies, and first specialties or ejector installations.

Those early checks prove line, invert, slope, alignment, support spacing, access, and controls before production work continues. During production, the checklist keeps attention on capped pipe ends, straight runs on continuous bedding, drainage gradients, support placement, sleeves and penetrations, backfill sequence, and concealed-work documentation.

By closeout, the checklist documents code-based system testing, accessibility of cleanouts and specialties, pump alignment and control readiness, record drawings, O&M turnover, and warranty-closeout items.

Common Failure Modes & Risk Prevention

Sanitary sewerage work usually fails in familiar ways, but the consequences spread quickly across finishes, operations, and commissioning. Loss of gravity flow starts with bad invert control or inconsistent slope, and once that run is buried or enclosed the correction is expensive and disruptive.

Joint leakage often comes from dirty pipe ends, rolled gaskets, poor solvent welding, or mixing incompatible joining methods. That creates infiltration, exfiltration, failed tests, and long-term reliability issues.

Settlement and pipe deflection are typically traced back to weak trench bottoms, uneven bedding, or backfill placed before the system is ready. Those issues can later show up as bellies, cracked pipe, or CCTV failures.

Coordination failures are just as damaging. A cleanout hidden behind finishes, an interceptor cover with no service clearance, or a backwater valve installed without workable access may technically be installed, but it is not maintainable.

Ejector systems add another layer of risk because poor basin geometry, bad discharge-valve arrangement, missing independent pipe support, or incorrect control wiring can turn into nuisance alarms, overloads, and premature equipment failure.

The checklist is designed to catch those issues at first article and during production, not after turnover.

Checklist Preview

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Preparatory Phase

This phase takes place before installation begins, when the project team still has time to prevent buried problems instead of documenting them. For Section 22.13.00, that means confirming the selected pipe materials, fittings, joints, valves, interceptors, manholes, and ejector components all match approved submittals and the chosen specification options for each run.

It also means verifying shop drawings for sewage ejectors and manholes, checking that manufacturer and installer qualifications meet the section requirements, and holding the preinstallation meeting early enough to coordinate excavation, sleeves, access doors, firestopping, supports, specialties, and pump work with adjacent trades.

Underground work should not proceed until excavations are at the required grade, dry, and not over-excavated, and bedding conditions are acceptable.

The preparatory record should also establish hold points for the first pipe run, first cleanout, first manhole or interceptor, pre-backfill inspection, testing, and any final CCTV or deflection verification required by the project.

Initial Phase

This phase proves the installation approach before repetition hides mistakes across the project. On the first buried sanitary run, the team should verify invert, line, cover, utility separation, bedding thickness, and straight alignment before allowing production installation to continue.

On the first above-grade run, the focus shifts to drainage slope, routing discipline, headroom, cleanout accessibility, sleeve placement, and support spacing.

First-of-type joint inspections matter because sanitary systems often include a mix of no-hub cast iron, gasketed joints, solvent-welded plastic, and other joining methods depending on location and material. Each one has its own failure mode if cleanliness or seating is poor.

The first hanger assembly should confirm support type, adjustment range, elbow proximity, and clearance from adjacent work.

The first installed drain, backwater valve, interceptor, sump, manhole, or sewage ejector should also be checked for elevation, orientation, access, and service clearances. Otherwise, the team may repeat the same layout problem across every room or yard line.

Follow-Up Phase

This phase keeps production work inside the same controls that were validated at startup. Pipe ends need to stay capped or plugged, with burrs, scale, and dirt removed before assembly, because contamination inside sanitary piping becomes tomorrow’s test failure or maintenance call.

Buried piping has to stay on continuous bedding at the intended elevation and alignment. Backfilling should be held until required testing is complete, and initial lifts should be placed evenly and compacted correctly.

Above grade, the work should maintain drainage gradient, orderly routing, headroom, and service access while supports stay within the required spacing. Cast-iron drainage piping should also be supported at every joint.

The team needs to stay disciplined at penetrations and concealed conditions by installing sleeves, protecting roof penetrations, completing firestopping at rated assemblies, and capturing photo evidence before close-in.

For ejector systems, follow-up inspections should keep checking basin clearances, discharge valve arrangement, alignment, control wiring, and independent support of adjacent piping. Those details determine whether startup is smooth or full of alarms and callbacks.

Completion — Final Acceptance & Closeout

All of the work culminates in a system that has to drain reliably, remain serviceable, and hand over with defensible documentation. Final acceptance starts with completion of the required sanitary waste and vent testing in accordance with the applicable code or authority having jurisdiction.

Failed areas should be corrected and retested before acceptance. Final acceptance also requires confirmation that cleanouts, drains, interceptors, backwater valves, manholes, sumps, and ejectors remain accessible and complete with covers, labels, and service clearances.

For pump-driven portions of the system, alignment, controls, alarms, disconnect arrangements, and startup readiness must be confirmed before turnover.

Closeout should also include record drawings showing actual locations of equipment and cleanouts, testing and density records, pump data, O&M information for interceptors and ejectors, spare parts information, and any specified warranty requirements.

When that record is complete, the sanitary sewerage package stops being just installed work and becomes a traceable QAQC turnover file.

References and Other Specification Systems

References

Other Specification Systems

FTQ360 Inspection & QAQC Platform

FTQ360 gives field teams a practical way to run sanitary sewerage QAQC in real time from phones or tablets, online or offline.

Inspectors can capture bedding photos, line and invert checks, support spacing evidence, test records, and startup sign-offs directly in the field. Required fields and conditional logic reduce skipped steps on concealed work.

Because records are tied to time, user, and location, the platform produces a clearer audit trail for buried piping, specialty installations, and ejector turnover.

That matters on sanitary systems, where the cost of missing one inaccessible cleanout or one bad buried joint is usually discovered far too late.

How to Use the Free Template (quick start)

Prefer the FTQ360 in-app setup? Open Checklist Setup → Library, search for the code, and clone the checklist into your project.

From there, tailor checkpoints for your drawings, utility layout, testing plan, and turnover requirements.

Teams that still need some paper workflows can print the PDF from FTQ360, mark it up in the field, and then attach photos and transcribe results later.

The digital workflow is what enforces required fields, conditional logic, and hold points before the work is buried or concealed.

For step-by-step help, visit support.ftq360.com.

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