Your home’s pipes are important. They perform a series of essential functions for your everyday necessities and comforts. Most people don’t think too hard about what lies beneath their home unless something goes wrong or some unfortunate leak requires breaking through walls or floorboards. Today’s piping system uses the same fundamental principles that plumbing used when it was first implemented. Of course, however, as time goes on, technology, innovation, and engineering improve the systems we use in our homes to enhance efficiency and functionality.
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So here’s what you need to know to understand your home’s plumbing system and how things have evolved in the last couple of decades.
Your plumbing system was an essential part of the early planning stages of your home. Every municipality has a plumbing code that sets regulations and guidelines about how to plan a plumbing system in a home. An engineer will perform calculations and plumbing design and work along with the other engineers or architects on the project.
Plumbing uses two universal principles of gravity and pressure. Engineers and home designers plan the plumbing by utilizing how gravity and pressure behave naturally, so the piping is designed for this purpose.
So once you remember that gravity and pressure are the foundational principles, we move on to Step 1 in understanding your plumbing system. The plumbing supply system carries water throughout your home using pressure. This piping system brings in fresh water from outside your home and carries it at 50 to 60 psi pressure. This ensures that there are pipes and water supplies that reach your kitchen sink, toilet, and wherever else you need it. The system also involves a series of pipes that carry hot or cold water into your home.
The plumbing system uses the natural pressure flow to ensure water coming into your home flows where it needs to go. The drainage system uses gravity and ensures that wastewater can be carried away from your home. Drainage pipes are designed and installed with a downward slope, which naturally pushes the water towards the sewage lines or septic tank.
In order to keep things running as they should, the plumbing system and drainage system should never mix. In other words, you want to keep these two very separate, as you never want the water coming into your home mixing with the water going out. The venting system connects the waste system piping and helps prevent mixing the two systems. The vents regulate the airflow to assure pipes are flowing as they should.
The fundamental principles of plumbing design continue to be the same as they have been for many years. The Romans understood the role of gravity in carrying out wastewater. Their system was surprisingly sophisticated, including underground sewer systems, public and private baths, and lead and bronze pipes. And yet, technological innovations and better design principles have improved the systems we use in our homes.
Innovations that have made an impact in the plumbing industry include:
If one part of your plumbing system breaks down or runs into problems or clogs, it might not take long for the problem to grow. So whether you have noticed an issue or want to upgrade your piping system or plumbing fixtures, find a plumber you can trust.
Plumbing follows the basic laws of nature — gravity, pressure and water seeking its own level. Knowing this, you can understand its "mysteries" and make dozens of fixes to your home's plumbing system. You can save yourself time, trouble and money!
The plumbing system in your home is composed of two separate subsystems. One subsystem brings freshwater in, and the other takes wastewater out. The water that comes into your home is under pressure. It enters your home under enough pressure to allow it to travel upstairs, around corners or wherever else it's needed. As water comes into your home, it passes through a meter that registers the amount you use. The main water shut-off, or stop, valve is typically located close to the meter. In a plumbing emergency, it's vital that you quickly close the main shutoff valve. Otherwise, when a pipe bursts, it can flood your house in no time. If the emergency, like a leak, is confined to a sink, shower, or toilet, however, you may not want to turn off your entire water supply. Therefore, most fixtures should have individual stop valves.
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Water from the main supply is immediately ready for your cold water needs. The hot water supply, however, requires another step. One pipe carries water from the cold water system to your water heater. From the heater, a hot water line carries the heated water to all the fixtures, out-lets, and appliances that require hot water. A thermostat on the heater maintains the temperature you select by turning the device's heating elements on and off as required. The normal temperature setting for a home water heater is between 140 degrees F and 160 degrees F (60 and 71 Celsius) but 120 degrees F (49 C) is usually adequate and is also more economical. Some automatic dishwashers require higher temperature water, though many of these have a water heater within them that boosts the temperature another 20 degrees F.
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Whether your home is on a sewer or septic system, the systems within your home are essentially the same. Drainage systems do not depend on pressure, as supply systems do. Instead, waste matter leaves your house because the drainage pipes all pitch, or angle, downward towards the sewer. Gravity pulls the waste along. The sewer line continues this downward flow to a sewage treatment facility or a septic tank.
While the system sounds simple, there's more to it, including vents, traps and clean outs. The vents sticking up from the roof of your house allow air to enter the drainpipes. If there were no air supply coming from the vents, wastewater would not flow out properly and the water in the traps would need to be siphoned away.
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Traps are vital components of the drainage system. You can see a trap under every sink. It is the curved or S-shape section of pipe under a drain. Water flows from the basin with enough force to go through the trap and out through the drainpipe, but enough water stays in the trap afterward to form a seal that prevents sewer gas from backing up into your home. Every fixture must have a trap. Toilets are self-trapped and don't require an additional trap at the drain. Older bathtubs frequently have drum traps, which not only form a seal against sewer gas but also collect hair and dirt in order to prevent clogged drains. However, drum traps aren't up to current code standards anymore. Some kitchen sinks have grease traps to collect grease that might otherwise cause clogging. Because grease and hair are generally the causes of drain clogs, traps often have clean-out plugs that give you easier access to remove or break up any blockage.
Since a drainage system involves all of these components, it is usually referred to as the DWV: the drain-waste-vent system. If water is to flow out freely and waste is to exit properly, all components of the DWV must be present and in good working order. Examine the pipes in the basement or crawl space under your house to help you understand the system better.
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The supply and drainage subsystems are two distinct operations, with no overlapping between them. There are bridges between the two, however, and the bridges are what make the plumbing system worth having. In plumbing jargon, any bridge between the supply and drainage systems is a fixture.
Toilets, sinks, and tubs are fixtures. In addition, an outside faucet is a fixture and so is a washing machine. All devices that draw freshwater and discharge wastewater are fixtures, and all are designed to keep the supply and drainage systems strictly segregated.
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Some fixtures have individual supply shutoff valves so you don't need to close the main shutoff to repair them. It's a good idea to make sure everyone in the family knows the location of the main shutoff valve in your house as well as how to use it. You may want to tag the main shutoff valve so anyone can easily find it.
Before you embark on any plumbing repairs, always turn off the water supply to the fixture or the main shutoff. In addition, check with your local plumbing code official before you add or change any pipe in your house. You will learn what is allowed and what is prohibited and whether or not a homeowner is allowed to do his or her own work. If you get the green light, you can save yourself a lot of money by doing your own repairs.
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