With pressure sewer systems, small domestic pumping stations carry waste water from individual houses or groups of houses to a pressure pipe network which conducts the sewage away for treatment. In addition, the flow processes in the pipe network are regulated and assisted by compressed air irrigation stations. Pump chambers to which multiple houses are connected must be outfitted as double-pump systems. The pressure lines end in a gravity sewer or directly at the sewage works.

If the incline of the ground is insufficient, subsoil conditions are unfavourable or there is a high groundwater level, pressure sewer system is at a clear advantage. The pump technology enables the waste water to be conducted uphill and downhill and the sealed, leak-tight pipe system prevents the contamination of groundwater (e.g. in water protection areas). The depth at which the pressure line is laid can be slightly below the surface in frost-free locations.

The pressure pipes can also be laid cost-effectively using ploughing and drilling technology, thus making the investment manageable even for areas with low population density. The simple laying process for pressure sewer system results in a very high degree of freedom in terms of the pipe route, which means that obstacles such as streams, buildings etc. can simply be circumvented or underrun.