The provision of water is very important for the normal functioning of many construction projects. Water supply system apartment building represented by a central water supply line, intra-house pipe distribution and pipe distribution for water supply to the apartment.
It is very difficult to establish water supply multi-storey building with numerous consumers. Each apartment in the house should be considered as a separate object for providing water: pipes of various diameters form a single structure with rather complex wiring. It is for this reason that water supply to a multi-storey building is considered very difficult.
The system is a whole complex pumping equipment with installed filters and metering devices, as well as shut-off and control valves and apartment-by-apartment pipe distribution.
Pressure regulators will be mandatory in this scheme. The water that enters the apartments first goes through several stages of purification to remove mechanical impurities. Water is also often disinfected using chlorination.
Central water supply and water supply system
The most convenient way for people who live in apartment buildings is to supply water from a central water supply. This system involves supplying high-quality water under good pressure. Central water supply is carried out through a water supply system, which is available in all cities and villages. As a rule, water enters pumping stations from surface reservoirs that are located far from sources of pollution.
The central water supply system has three components:
- water intake structures;
- cleaning stations;
- distribution network.
Water comes from pumping station into a certain body of water. There it goes through numerous stages of purification and only then enters the distribution network to supply water to the necessary facilities.
The water supply system functions normally if the pipes are laid out in a high-quality and correct manner. System pressure also plays a big role.
For a large number of users, the central water supply system may have a well, which is arranged using a special water intake tower. It is best to use an artesian well: water is drawn from great depths, the quality of the water is high.
But this method of collecting water is considered quite expensive. It is usually used to provide water to an apartment cottage.
Diagram and design of the water supply system of an apartment building Water supply system with water tower
Such a system has several main elements: a caisson, a main tank for water intake and a pumping station.
Working principle of a water tower
A caisson is a metal container located at a depth of 2-2.5 m above the well itself. A pipe is installed in it to drain water from the well. A concrete ring caisson is considered less airtight, since very often it is flooded by incoming groundwater.
Through the pumping station and the caisson, water enters the storage tank. It is equipped with an automatic float valve. It turns on the pump when the water in such a container drops and does not reach a certain level.
The total pressure in the system directly depends on the volume storage tank or tank. Even if disconnected electrical energy, water will flow into the apartments steadily. But until the water level in the tank drops and, accordingly, the pressure decreases.
Water tower design diagram Types of pipes used for water supply
Steel pipes
Today, steel pipes have practically ceased to be used. Over a fairly long period of time, such materials for plumbing have used up their resources. In addition, the price of steel pipes is quite high.
Installation steel pipes is also expensive and takes a lot of effort and time. The disadvantage of such a system is that condensate accumulates heavily on it, which can destroy the pipe material. Rust and plaque will gradually form inside the steel pipe, which reduces the volume of the pipe. Thus, it decreases and throughput.
Copper pipes
The most important advantage of using copper pipes is their service life, which reaches 50 years. Steel pipes are quite expensive, and not everyone can afford to buy them. The advantage of steel pipes is that rust does not form on them. In addition, copper has bactericidal properties.
Copper pipe wiring Metal-plastic pipes
Metals are extremely popular today. plastic pipes. They are quite practical and considered reliable. Installation of metal-plastic water supply is very simple. All you need is a special tool. The pipes are joined using fittings. The pipe can withstand significant mechanical and physical loads.
Metal-plastic pipes
Apartment water supply schemes
Stability of everything household equipment which is connected to the water supply directly depends on how competently the installation of the water supply system is carried out.
The water supply scheme must provide the apartment with water from the central water supply to all necessary supply points. For some equipment it will be necessary to ensure constant water pressure in the pipes. At the moment, water supply for an apartment can be done in several ways: a series connection scheme, a collector and a mixed system.
Scheme of sequential water supply for an apartment
The simplest and most practical way to supply water to an apartment is considered to be a sequential connection scheme. This is an affordable option in terms of price and installation of utilities. This scheme is usually found in residential buildings.
According to this scheme, installation of main pipelines with hot and cold water is carried out in parallel. Each equipment in such a system is connected using tees. It is for this reason that the serial connection circuit is often called a tee circuit.
A daisy-chain scheme implies the presence of a common backbone for a large number of users. From such a central pipe, wiring is also done using tees. The main pipe has a fairly large diameter and plays the role of an elongated collector.
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Consistent piping in the apartment Such a water supply system is currently considered not only widespread, but also the most ideal for use in ordinary apartment, which has one bathroom and no a large number of household appliances that operate on the basis of water supply.
The sequential circuit has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
- significant pipe savings;
- simplicity and ease of the project;
- reducing the cost of laying water pipes.
Flaws:
- Pressure drop at the end points of the water supply if several open devices are used simultaneously.
- No possibility of selective shutdown (if one of the pipes breaks, it will be necessary to completely shut down the apartment).
- Difficulty in determining the location of the leak.
- Lack of free access to all distribution tees of the system.
- In the event of an accident, it will be necessary to disturb the finishing layer on the surface of the floor or wall.
Piping throughout the apartment should be carried out only by highly qualified specialists. Only then will the likelihood that the pipe will start to leak be small, and the pressure in the system will be normal.
Collector circuit
Due to the fact that at the moment a large number of devices that operate from water supply are used in the apartment, their operation may be disrupted, since the pressure in common system is greatly reduced. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to select a collector connection circuit.
Installation of such a water supply system is considered expensive and quite complex. Initially, pressure drop in the system is already eliminated, and it is for this reason that all points of the plumbing equipment can be used at the same time.
This is due to the fact that a separate pipe is laid to each such water supply point. It can be simply blocked if necessary. With this type of connection, the main pipe has no branches, which ensures the safety of using the water supply system. The likelihood of leaks will also be significantly reduced, since the collector pipe runs parallel to the main water supply pipe and has only one connection with it.
Apartment water supply collector diagram The advantages of such a system:
- due to the small number of connections - system reliability;
- adjusting the operation of a separate plumbing fixture;
- ease of maintenance and repair of the entire system;
- hidden installation of pipes, which will not spoil the interior.
Sewerage in the apartment
Water supply and sewerage systems at home play a big role in ensuring normal human life. Only specialists will be able to correctly calculate everything and install engineering structures of this type. The entire installation process must be carried out according to a previously developed scheme. Correct installation of sewer pipes will eliminate all possibilities of leakage and deformation of wastewater drainage. Often, the installation of sewage waste in an apartment involves turning off the water supply through the riser. The work is carried out quite quickly and with very high quality.
Advice. If sewer pipes are being laid in an apartment for the first time, then it would be better not to change the usual location of all plumbing fixtures.
It would be better to use old scheme. In this case, it is recommended to sketch out an approximate work plan on paper and clearly measure the distance between the sink, toilet, bathtub and other equipment that operates from the water supply. It will also be necessary to determine the location of the clamps and the central sewer pipe. A slope is considered mandatory when laying sewers. Don't forget about quality material in this process.
Before laying or replacing a sewer system in an apartment, it is necessary to assess the condition of the common sewer riser.
Sewage and water supply risers in the apartment If the common sewer pipe does not have external signs corrosion, then you don’t have to change it. If replacement is necessary, then this must be done very carefully due to the fact that a damaged pipe can very easily become deformed, and then the entire riser will have to be replaced.
It happens that sewer pipes in an apartment are laid for the purpose that more equipment has appeared that operates from the water supply. For example, dishwasher or washing machine. Another option for laying sewer pipes as an additional structure can be when it is necessary to connect additional plumbing equipment.
Sewage system diagram in an apartment Necessary equipment for installation of high-quality sewerage:
- pipes;
- components;
- compositions for fixation and sealing;
- tools;
- fitting;
- devices.
When installing a new sewer riser, it will be necessary to take into account the fact that plastic pipes for water drainage will not be able to withstand the compressive loads of a piece of cast iron pipe that may be on top of the riser. A special replacement fragment will need to be attached to such a pipe in order to ensure tight and durable fixation of the junction of the pipes from different materials. To ensure the tightness of such connections, cuff adapters are used, which are made for such combinations (“cast iron-plastic”, “plastic-cast iron”).
Dismantling sewerage in an apartment
Replacing an old sewer pipe with a new one has many nuances that must be taken into account in this process. Initially, it is necessary to determine the places in the pipe that are most vulnerable to deformation. You also need to disconnect all existing connections from the pipe and remove all debris. All this is needed to ensure more convenient work.
Then, near the riser, the tap is turned off, which supplies water to the apartment. If the replacement will take a long time, then it is best to completely disconnect the entire riser from the water supply. At the very last moment, it is necessary to carefully dismantle the cast iron sewer pipes. All this can be done using adjustable wrenches or other tools.
Mount new pipe it needs to be fully equipped with various adapters and couplings, since then it will not be possible to do it efficiently. All connections must be sealed with sealant to protect the riser from leaking.
Correct installation plastic sewer Advice. All fittings or collars must be clean. Silicone grease should be intended specifically for connecting sewer pipes.
Hot water supply
Hot water supply in an apartment is a whole system of pipelines and various devices that are used to heat cold water and distribute hot consumers. In some cases, special pipes are used in bathrooms or toilets to heat such rooms in the apartment. They have the additional function of dryers.
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Standard layout of a home's hot and cold water supply system All feed systems hot water can be divided according to several criteria:
- local hot water systems;
- centralized systems;
- open heating network;
- closed heating networks.
According to the radius of action, hot water supply systems are divided into local and central.
Local hot water systems
Local hot water supply systems are installed for a group of small objects or one building. In this case, the water is heated directly by the consumer himself. Water is heated using gas or electric flow-type boilers.
Such systems require regular Maintenance and are used only if it is not possible to use a centralized hot water supply.
Local hot water system Advantages of local hot water systems:
- autonomous work;
- ease of repair;
- small heat loss.
Central hot water systems
Appearance central systems supply of hot water to the apartment is due to the liquidation of district and local boiler houses, as well as heat supply systems. As for convenience, central hot water supply systems will be much more practical.
Scheme of centralized hot water supply for an apartment building All this depends on the fact that there is no need to install appropriate equipment for heating cold water and additional wiring. Also, such a hot water supply system has its disadvantages. Pipes need to be constantly maintained and repaired, but local utility services Rarely can fulfill customer requests. There are also large differences in water pressure in the system and insufficient temperature, which cannot be said about local water supply systems.
To heat water and supply it to the consumer, centralized systems can use open or closed heating networks. Open heating networks provide for mixing network water with already heated in special equipment. After this, the water is supplied to consumers. Closed heating networks provide for heating water through surfaces. The coolant (superheated water or steam) and the heated water do not come into contact in any way.
Open heating networks are considered more rational, but the quality of the supplied water in the section may deteriorate significantly temperature regime. Such systems are very rarely found at the moment.
Closed circuit home heating and water supply Hot water supply in an apartment can be provided in several ways:
- Heating of water in the boiler room and subsequent supply to the consumer.
- Water is heated at special points located in neighborhoods or areas.
- Water is heated using special equipment that is installed in the basement of a multi-story building.
- Water is heated in the consumer's apartment.
Hot water supply can be circulating. In this case, water constantly moves through the pipes and provides not only the supply of hot water, but also heating. The water is constantly heated. There is also a dead-end hot water supply. In this case, the water is not used immediately and may simply cool down over time. It is for this reason that special containers are installed in the apartment to heat and maintain water temperature.
As for saving, it will be rational to use customized systems provision hot water apartments. For centralized hot water supply, the user must pay a monthly fee.
Diagram of a boiler for heating water If it is possible to use a boiler to supply hot water to the apartment, then this will be the most economical option, since payment for water is made according to the cold water meter. The consumer provides hot water independently.
In order for any residential building to function normally, it is necessary to install a water supply system. Its proper design will ensure timely supply and sufficient water pressure. This article will discuss in detail the hot water supply diagram, connection types and its features in apartment building.
What is special about the water supply of an apartment building?
It is very difficult to provide water to a building with a large number of storeys. After all, the house consists of many apartments with separate bathrooms and plumbing fixtures. In other words, water supply schemes in apartment buildings are a kind of complex with separate pipe distributions, pressure regulators, filters and metering equipment.
Most often, residents of high-rise buildings use water from the central water supply. With the help of a water supply, it is supplied to individual plumbing fixtures under a certain pressure. Often water is purified using chlorination.
Composition of the central water supply system
Centralized water supply schemes in multi-storey buildings consist of a distribution network, water intake structures and treatment plants. Before entering the apartment, the water passes long haul from the pumping station to the reservoir. Only after purification and disinfection is water sent to the distribution network. With the help of the latter, water is supplied to appliances and equipment. Pipes for the central hot water supply circuit of a multi-storey building can be made of copper, metal-plastic and steel.
The latter type of material is practically not used in modern buildings.
Types of water supply schemes
There are three types of water supply system:
- collector;
- sequential;
- combined (mixed).
Recently, when a large number of plumbing equipment is increasingly found in apartments, they use collector wiring diagram . She happens to be the best option normal functioning of all devices. The collector-type hot water supply scheme eliminates pressure drops at different connection points. This is the main advantage of this system.
If we consider the diagram in more detail, we can conclude that there will be no problems with using the plumbing equipment for its intended purpose at the same time. The essence of the connection is that each individual water consumer is connected to the cold and hot water supply riser collectors separately. The pipes do not have many branches, so the likelihood of leakage is very low. Such water supply schemes in multi-storey buildings are easy to maintain, but the cost of the equipment is quite high.
According to experts, the collector hot water supply system requires the installation of a more complex installation of plumbing fixtures. However, these negative aspects are not so critical, especially considering the fact that the collector circuit has many advantages, for example, hidden installation of pipes and accounting individual characteristics equipment.
Sequential hot water supply circuit multi-storey building - this is the easiest way of wiring. This system is time-tested; it was put into operation during the Soviet era. The essence of its device is that the cold and hot water supply pipelines are parallel to each other. Engineers advise using this system in apartments with one bathroom and a small amount of plumbing equipment.
Popularly, such a hot water supply scheme for a multi-storey building is called a tee scheme. That is, from the main highways there are branches that are connected to each other by tees. Despite the ease of installation and savings consumables, this scheme has several main disadvantages:
- In the event of a leak, it is difficult to look for damaged areas.
- Inability to supply water to a separate plumbing fixture.
- Difficulty in accessing pipes in case of breakdown.
Hot water supply for an apartment building. Scheme
Pipe connections are divided into two types: to the hot and cold water supply riser. Briefly they are called cold water and hot water. Special attention The hot water supply system of an apartment building deserves. Scheme DHW networks consists of two types of wiring - lower and upper. To maintain high temperatures in the pipeline, looped wiring is often used. The gravitational pressure forces the water to circulate in the ring, despite the absence of water intake. In the riser it cools and enters the heater. Water with a higher temperature is supplied to the pipes. This is how continuous circulation of the coolant occurs.
Dead-end highways are also not uncommon, but most often they can be found in utility rooms industrial facilities and in small residential buildings with low number of floors. If water selection is planned intermittently, then a circulation pipeline is used. Engineers advise using hot water supply in apartment buildings (the diagram was discussed above) with a number of floors of no more than 4. A pipeline with a dead-end riser is also found in dormitories, sanatoriums and hotels. Dead-end network pipes have a lower metal consumption and therefore cool faster.
DHW networks include a horizontal main pipeline and distribution risers. The latter provide pipe distribution to individual objects - apartments. DHW is installed as close as possible to plumbing equipment.
For buildings with a large length of main pipes, schemes with circulation and looped supply pipelines are used. Required condition is to install a pump to maintain circulation and constant water exchange.
Two-pipe DHW diagram— Photo 07
Modern builders and engineers are increasingly resorting to the use of two-pipe hot water systems. The principle of operation is that the pump takes water from the return line and supplies it to the heater. This pipeline has a higher metal consumption and is considered the most reliable for consumers.
Pipeline for hot centralized water supply cannot be done according to the cold water supply scheme. These pipelines are dead-end, that is, they end at the last water withdrawal point. If you make a hot water supply in an apartment building using the same scheme, then the water will cool down in the pipeline at night, when it is used little. In addition, there may be such a situation, for example, the residents of a five-story building located on the same riser went to work during the day, the water in the riser was cooling down, and suddenly one of the residents on the fifth floor needed hot water. After turning on the tap, you will first have to drain all the cold water from the riser, wait for warm, and then hot water - this is an excessively high consumption. Therefore, hot water supply pipelines are made in a loop: the water is heated in the boiler room, thermal unit or boiler room and is supplied through the supply pipeline to consumers and returns back to the boiler room through another pipeline, which in this case is called circulation.
In a centralized hot water supply system, pipelines in the house are laid with two-pipe and single-pipe risers (Fig. 111).
Rice. 111.Distribution diagrams for hot water supply in centralized systems
A two-pipe hot water supply system consists of two risers, one of which supplies water, the other drains it. Place on the outlet circulation riser heating devices- heated towel rails. The water was still heated and served to consumers, but whether they will use it or not and at what time is unknown, so why waste it, let this water warm the heated towel rails and the air in damp, by definition, bathrooms. In addition, heated towel rails serve U-shaped compensator for thermal expansion of pipes.
A single-pipe hot water supply system differs from a two-pipe system in that all circulation risers (within one section of the house) were combined into one and this riser was called “idle” (it has no consumers). For better water distribution to individual points of water consumption, as well as in order to maintain the same diameters along the entire height of the building in single-pipe hot water supply systems, the risers are looped. With a ring scheme, for buildings up to 5 floors high inclusive, the diameters of the risers are 25 mm, and for buildings from 6 floors and above - 32 mm in diameter. Heated towel rails in single-pipe installations are placed on supply risers, which means that when the water in boiler rooms is weakly heated, it can reach distant consumers cold. Hot water will not only be supplied to nearby consumers, but it will also cool in their heated towel rails. To ensure that the water does not cool down and reaches hot water to distant consumers, a bypass is installed in the heated towel rails.
Two- and one-pipe hot water supply systems can be made without heated towel rails, but then these devices must be connected to the heating system. At the same time, in the summer, heated towel rails will not work, and in the winter, the total costs for hot water supply and heating will increase.
To ensure air removal from the system, pipes are laid with a slope of at least 0.002 to the pipeline entrance. In systems with bottom wiring, air is removed through the top tap. With overhead wiring, air is removed through automatic air vents installed at the highest points of the systems.
Our topic today is the hot water supply system of an apartment building: diagrams, main elements and typical problems problems that a homeowner may encounter. So let's get started.
DHW and heat supply diagram
The hot water supply scheme in an apartment building can be implemented in two fundamentally different ways:
- It uses water from the cold water supply and heats it with heat from an autonomous source. This could be a boiler installed in the apartment, geyser or a heat exchanger that uses coolant from a local boiler house or thermal power plant for heating;
Please note: the advantage of this scheme is more high quality water. It must comply with the requirements of GOST R 51232-98 (“Drinking water”). In addition, hot water supply parameters (temperature and pressure) extremely rarely deviate from nominal values; in particular, the DHW pressure is always equal cold water pressure taking into account the loss of pressure during water withdrawal.
- It supplies water to the consumer directly from the heating main. This is exactly what is implemented in the vast majority of residential and administrative buildings of Soviet construction, constituting 90% of the housing stock in the vast expanses of our great and vast land. In the future we will focus our attention on it.
Dear reader can find additional information in the video in this article.
Elements
So, what elements does the water supply scheme of an apartment building include?
Water metering unit
He is responsible for supplying cold water to the house.
The water meter performs several functions:
- Provides accounting of water consumption (as its name clearly suggests);
- Allows you to turn off cold water to the entire house to repair shut-off valves or eliminate spillage leaks;
- Provides rough filtration of water at the entrance to the house. For this purpose, the water meter is equipped with a mud trap.
The water meter includes:
- Entrance and house shut-off valves(valves or ball valves located on the side of the cold water supply and the in-house water supply system);
- Water meter (usually mechanical);
- Mud tank (a tank with a drain valve, in which, due to the slow movement of water through its volume, sand, large particles of rust and other debris settle). Often, instead of a mud trap, the water meter unit is equipped with a filter rough cleaning, in which a stainless mesh is responsible for purifying water from debris;
- Pressure gauge or control valve for its installation;
- Optionally, the water meter can be equipped with a bypass line with its own valve or ball valve on it. The bypass opens when the water meter is dismantled for repairs or verification. At other times, it is closed and sealed by a representative of the water supplier organization.
It’s interesting: “Vodoset”, or the organization replacing it, is responsible for the state of the cold water supply input up to the first flange of the inlet valve. The water meter is the responsibility of the organization serving the house.
Elevator unit
The elevator unit, or heating point, also combines whole line functions:
- Responsible for the operation and regulation of the heating system;
- Provides the house with hot water. Water (also the coolant of the heating system) is supplied to intra-house system DHW directly from the heating main;
- Allows, if necessary, to switch DHW between the supply and return lines of the heating main. The switch is necessary because in winter the supply temperature can reach an impressive 150°C, and the permissible maximum hot water temperature is only 75°C.
A short lecture on physics: water is heated above its boiling point without evaporating, due to excess pressure in the heating main. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling point of liquids.
Heart elevator unit - water jet elevator, through the nozzle of which it is hot and has more high pressure supply water is injected into the mixing chamber filled with return water. Thanks to the operation of the elevator, a large volume of water with a relatively low temperature passes through the heating system of the house; At the same time, the water consumption from the supply is relatively small.
DHW taps are located between the inlet valves and the elevator. There can be two of these inserts (one on the supply and return) or four (two on each thread). The first scheme is typical for houses built in the 70s of the last century and older buildings, the second - for more or less modern buildings.
Why are additional inserts needed?
To answer this question, we need to jump ahead and study the water supply schemes in apartment buildings.
On cold water, a dead-end scheme is always used: the water meter goes to the only bottling, which goes to the risers, which end with in-house connections. Water moves in such a water supply circuit only when drawing water.
What's going on at the hot water supply?
In houses with two hot water connections into the elevator unit, the same scheme is used.
However, it has two rather annoying drawbacks:
- If there has been no water supply through your riser for a long time, the water has to be drained for a long time before it heats up;
Please note: if your connections have mechanical meters, they will record water consumption, ignoring its temperature. As a result, you will end up overpaying a hundred or two rubles every month for a service that you didn’t actually use.
- Towel dryers installed on hot water supply lines, which are also responsible for heating the bathroom, will only heat up when hot water is supplied to your apartment. And, accordingly, they will remain cold most of the time. Hence the cold and dampness in bathrooms, which often become the cause of fungus.
An elevator unit with four hot water connections ensures continuous circulation of hot water through two bottlings and risers connected by jumpers.
DHW operation is possible according to one of three schemes:
- From the supply to the return pipeline. This scheme for hot water supply to a multi-storey building is used only in the summer, when the heating is turned off: a bypass between the lines of the heating main would reduce the pressure drop at the elevator;
- From feed to feed. This scheme is for autumn and spring with their relatively high temperature filing;
- From back to back. So the DHW is turned on during cold weather, when the supply temperature exceeds the threshold 75 degrees.
Readers who have not forgotten the basics of physics will have a reasonable question: how is the pressure difference necessary for continuous circulation between two tie-ins in one thread ensured?
Remember: water continuously moves through the pipes between the inlet valves and the elevator. To create a pressure difference, you only need to limit the flow by placing an obstacle between the taps. This role is played by a retaining washer - a metal pancake with a hole in it.
Captain Obviousness suggests: a significant restriction in the permeability of any pipeline would interfere with the operation of the elevator unit, therefore the diameter of the retaining washers is a millimeter larger than the diameter of the elevator nozzle. This, in turn, is calculated by the organization (heat supplier) in such a way that the return temperature at the outlet heating point corresponded to the temperature schedule.
Bottlings
Water supply bottlings are horizontal pipes that run through the basement or subfloor of a house and connect the risers with the elevator and water meter units. There is always one cold water dispensing, two domestic hot water dispensings in the hot water circulation system.
The bottling diameter, depending on its material and the number of water consumers, varies from 32 to 100 millimeters. The last meaning is clearly redundant; however, the water supply project for an apartment building had to take into account not only the current condition of the pipelines, but also their inevitable overgrowth with sediment and rust. After 20-25 years of operation, the pipe clearance in cold water decreases by 2-3 times.
Risers
Each riser is responsible for the vertical distribution of water in apartments located one above the other.
The most typical scheme is one group of risers (hot water supply and hot water supply, optional heated towel rails) per apartment; however, other options are possible:
- Two groups of risers can pass through the apartment, supplying water to the bathroom and kitchen located at a large distance;
- Risers in one apartment can supply water not only to its residents, but also to neighbors behind the wall;
- On DHW circulation jumpers can connect up to 7 risers from several apartments.
The typical diameter of cold water and hot water risers is 25-40 mm. The diameter of the risers of heated towel rails and single (without plumbing fixtures) circulation risers is usually smaller: they are mounted with a DN20 pipe.
In the hot water circulation circuit, the jumpers between the risers can be located in the apartment on the top floor or placed in the attic. The jumpers are equipped with air vents (Maevsky valves or conventional valves), which allow the air that is obstructing circulation to be released.
Eyeliners
Their function is to distribute water to plumbing fixtures inside the apartment. What is useful to know about water supply connections?
- Their typical size (for steel water and gas pipes) is DN15 (which approximately corresponds to an internal diameter of 15 mm). When replacing hoses with your own hands, it is advisable not to reduce their internal diameter - this will lead to a drop in pressure on all plumbing fixtures when water is drawn from one of them;
- Since Soviet times, apartments have traditionally used simple and cheap serial (tee) wiring. A more material-intensive collector requires, among other things, hidden installation of connections, which greatly complicates their further maintenance;
- Over time, the throughput of steel connections drops noticeably due to the notorious overgrowing of deposits. In such cases, the pipes are cleaned with a thin steel string or, simply, replaced with new ones.
If you decide to replace eyeliners, we strongly advise you to opt for metal pipes. The instruction is associated with a fairly high probability of water hammer and deviations from the standard temperature in DHW system: for example, if a forgetful plumber does not switch the water supply from supply to return during the first frost, the water temperature can significantly exceed the maximum for any polymer pipes of 90-95 degrees.
Which pipes can be used for water supply:
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have been used for water distribution since Stalin times. Unlike black steel, galvanized steel is resistant to deposits and rust. Important point: galvanizing is installed only on threaded connections, since during welding the zinc in the weld area completely evaporates. |
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have long proven their reliability and durability: the oldest operating copper water pipes are more than a century old, and they are in excellent condition. Soldered connections of copper pipes are maintenance-free and can be mounted hidden, in a screed or grooves. |
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Corrugated pipes from of stainless steel They compare favorably with their competitors due to their extremely simple installation. To connect them, compression fittings are used, the assembly of which requires only two adjustable wrenches. The service life of the pipes themselves is characterized by manufacturers as unlimited; however, after 30 years, you, or more likely your children, will need to replace the silicone O-rings in the fittings. |
Malfunctions
What problems in the operation of the water supply system can the apartment owner eliminate on his own? Here are some of the most typical situations.
Valves leaking
Description: leakage along the stem of screw valves.
- Reason: partial wear of the oil seal or wear of the rubber O-ring.
- Solution: open the valve knob all the way. In this case, the thread on the rod will tighten the seal from below, and the leak will stop.
Crane noise
Description: when you open a hot or (less often) cold water tap, you hear a loud noise and feel the vibration of the mixer. Alternatively, your neighbors faucet could be the source of the noise.
Cause: a deformed and crushed gasket on the screw valve in the half-open position causes a continuous series of water hammers. Its valve closes the seat in the mixer body at intervals of a fraction of a second. In hot water, the pressure is usually noticeably higher, so the effect is more pronounced.
Solution:
- Shut off the water to the apartment;
- Turn out the problem valve;
- Replace the gasket with a new one;
- Use scissors to remove the chamfer from the new gasket. The removed chamfer will prevent the valve from beating in a turbulent stream of water in the future.
By the way: ceramic faucets are fully compatible with screw threaded faucets and do not have the described problem.
Cold heated towel rail
- Description: The heated towel rail in your bathroom has cooled down and is not heating up.
- Cause: if the water supply scheme of a residential apartment building uses continuous circulation of hot water, the air remaining in the jumper between the risers after water is discharged (for example, for inspection and repair of shut-off valves) is to blame.
- Solution: go up to the top floor and ask your neighbors to bleed the air from the jumper between the DHW risers and heated towel rails.
If for some reason this cannot be done, the problem can be solved from the basement:
- Shut off the DHW riser passing through your apartment, to which your connections are connected;
- Go up to the apartment and open the hot water taps all the way;
- After all the air has come out of the riser through them, close the taps and open the tap on the riser.
Note: immediately after finishing heating season There may be no pressure difference between the threads of the heating main. In this case, the heated towel rails will be cold even in the absence of air jams in risers.
Conclusion
We hope that our material helped you study the water supply of an apartment building: the water supply scheme described by us is the most common. Good luck!
Hot water supply (HW) networks have much in common with cold water supply networks. The hot water supply network comes with lower and upper wiring. The hot water supply network can be dead-end and looped, but, unlike cold water supply networks, looping the network is necessary to maintain a high water temperature.
Simple (dead-end) hot water networks are used in small low-rise buildings, in household premises industrial buildings and in buildings with stable hot water consumption (baths, laundries).
Schemes of hot water supply networks with a circulation pipeline should be used in residential buildings, hotels, dormitories, medical institutions, sanatoriums and rest homes, in preschool institutions, as well as in all cases where uneven and short-term water withdrawal is possible.
Typically, a hot water supply network consists of horizontal supply lines and vertical distribution pipelines-risers, from which apartment distribution lines are arranged. Hot water supply risers are laid as close to the appliances as possible.
Figure 1. Diagram with the upper distribution of the supply line: 1 - water heater; 2 - supply riser; 3 - distribution risers; 4 - circulation network
In addition, hot water supply networks are divided into two-pipe (with looped risers) and single-pipe (with dead-end risers).
Let's consider some of the large number of possible hot water supply network schemes.
When the lines are routed from the top, the prefabricated circulation pipeline is closed in the form of a ring. The circulation of water in the pipeline ring in the absence of water intake is carried out under the influence of gravitational pressure that arises in the system due to the difference in the density of cooled and hot water. The water cooled in the risers falls down into the water heater and displaces water with a higher temperature from it. Thus, continuous water exchange occurs in the system.
Dead-end network diagram(Fig. 2) has the lowest metal consumption, but due to significant cooling and irrational discharge of cooled water, it is used in residential buildings up to 4 floors high, if the risers are not equipped with a heated towel rail and the length of the main pipes is small.
Figure 2. Dead-end hot water supply circuit: 1 - water heater; 2 – distribution risers
If the length of the main pipes is large and the height of the risers is limited, use circuit with looped supply and circulation lines with installation of a circulation pump on them (Fig. 3).
Figure 3. Scheme with looped main pipelines: 1 - water heater; 2 - distribution risers; 3 - diaphragm (additional hydraulic resistance); 4 - circulation pump; 5 - check valve
The most widespread two-pipe scheme(Fig. 4), in which circulation through risers and lines is carried out using a pump that takes water from the return line and supplies it to the water heater. A system with one-sided connection of water points to the supply riser and installation of heated towel rails on the return riser is the most common version of such a scheme. The two-pipe scheme turned out to be reliable in operation and convenient for consumers, but it is characterized by high metal consumption.
Figure 4. Two-pipe hot water supply scheme: 1 - water heater; 2 - supply line; 3 - circulation line; 4 - circulation pump; 5 - supply riser; 6 - circulation riser; 7 - water intake; 8 - heated towel rails
To reduce metal consumption, in recent years they have begun to use a scheme in which several supply risers are combined by a jumper with one circulation riser(Fig. 5).
Figure 5. Scheme with one connecting circulation riser: 1 - water heater; 2 - supply line; 3 - circulation line; 4 - circulation pump; 5 - water risers; 6 - circulation riser; 7 - check valve
Recently appeared diagrams of a single-pipe hot water supply system with one idle supply riser per group of water risers(Fig. 6). The idle riser is isolated and installed in pairs with one water riser or in a sectional unit consisting of 2-3 looped water risers. The main purpose of the idle riser is to transport hot water from the main to the upper lintel and then to the water risers. In each riser, independent additional circulation occurs due to the gravitational pressure that arises in the circuit of the sectional unit due to the cooling of water in the water risers. The idle riser helps the correct distribution of flows within the sectional unit.
