My friend is building a house 900 ft off the road and from an existing water meter with about a 30 ft rise. It is 3/4″ meter. They are telling her that to have adequate pressure that a 2″ water line be run from the meter to the house.
I was just wondering if this is overkill? Will 1″ line work, which would save quite a bit in cost? Thanks!
Replies
Karl,
More info needed - but 1" is extremely unlikely.
What is total fixture unit demand for the designed house?
What is static pressure at the meter?
Does 900' include the pipe length in the house to most remote fixture?
Jim x 3
Who's "They" ??
"They" is the contractor quoting the cost to trench and run the water line. 1" line costs $2 per foot, while the 2" is $3 per foot. She's building a modest 3 br, 2 ba with just 2 people in the house most of the time. I need to check the pressure at the meter but I don't think the larger supply line is going to change pressure much.
The much cheaper and better way around this is to feed a 40 gallon Wellextrol type expansion tank with 1" pipe from the street and then feed the house off a 3/4 x 3/4 x 1" tee off that with one 3/4 leg going to the water heater and the other to the cold supply. the street pressure keeps the bladder tank pressurized and the bladder handles the pressure needs of the house. If you need a filter or softener you can put it between the tank and the street.------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Had not read anybody suggesting a pressure tank at the house, then the last post ya beat me to it <G> That is what I'd do also.
Even a 1/2" line should be sufficient with a 40 gal bladder tank at the house unless you plan to have a big fire hose at the house or 4 people taking 20 min showers at a time.
The 2" is ridiculous.
I'm with you, was reading all to see if it had been mentioned yet.
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Get at least a 1" line into the house.
Be sure to talk to your friend and clarify the difference between "pressure" and "flow rate!"
You can have plenty of "pressure" with just a 1/4" line but hardly any flow volume. If you have a meter, then the utility is suppling pressure to the line, ask them what their line pressure is before determining if you need to raise/lower the pressure. If they supply water to the meter at anything like 60 to 80 psi then you just need a slightly bigger meter to run 1" to the house.
IMHO, if they supply good pressure the existing 3/4 meter is sufficient unless your planning on running a small garden and having one of those "whole body" showers in the MB. Thirty foot elevation change isn't sufficient to effect your pressure unless the utility supplied line pressure is low. Some utilities supply really high pressure and then it needs to be reduced...check with the utility first about their pressure.
WW,
Thirty foot elevation change isn't sufficient to effect your pressure
A 30' elevation change will drop (or increase) pressure by just about 15psi. If the utility is supplying an already low pressure, say 40 psi, this could be quite significant.
Jim x 3
Yes, If! Around here most utilities supply at around 60 to 70 Psi. I'm sure there are some in the range of 40 but if thats the case then he still isn't going to solve the problem with bigger pipe. If his problem is low water pressure then he should get a 5000 gallon storage tank with a secondary pump to boost pressure into the house. Then the 3/4 pipe could fill the tank slowly till full and the problem is solved.
the 3/4" meter is going to be the limiting factor. I'd see what it takes to get the muni to swap that for a 1" meer and then run a 1" line to feed the house.
ETA I did a simalar set up a few years back. 600ft from the meter up about 30' maybe less. Asked & paid for a 1" meter to be installed, they installed a 3/4" and offered to return the difference. Nope, I asked for a 1". They swapped (begrudgingly) and plumber ran a 1" to the house. I saw the owner not too long ago and asked about the water suppply and he had no complaints at all.
If you can't get the meter upsized, I'd still go with the 1" so your not adding additonal restrictions in the line.
Edited 8/21/2009 5:30 pm ET by john7g
This thread may help you out.You have to start at the beginning.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA