Practical Tips for Architects When Designing Plumbing Systems

The choices architects make when designing a house can also affect the overall plumbing system. An efficient plumbing system has such a design that will save water, as well as energy resources. Also, a good house design will incorporate short runs between plumbing fixtures. It will also use the best possible materials at its disposal. Every plumbing design should include two systems. The first is the system that supplies water and the second is the one that gets rid of waste. The drainage system also needs to have vent stacks that will allow drain pipes to breathe. 

Also, the system needs to move sewer waste throughout the sewer pipes. So, when designing a house, it is essential for any architect to pay close and special attention to the plumbing system since the efficient plumbing system is designed in a way to preserve energy resources and save water as well. 

In case you are wondering what exactly is important and what you should pay close attention to, this article is for you. Here are a few practical tips that will help you when designing the plumbing system in a new house. 

Follow the Codes

It is important that before you begin designing a house for drain, plumbing, waste, as well as vent systems, to follow local building codes and to make sure of the design compliance. Plumbing codes do limit the number of fixtures that can be not only on a vent stack but on a drain system in the room, as well as where supply drains and lines should be placed inside the walls. 

The local building jurisdictions will provide you with the information and with which codes they follow. That will give you the clue and specifics of where they differ from standard codes. If you want to ensure that your plumbing design meets those codes, it would be wise to check with your local building jurisdiction before you begin with the construction.

Plumbing Fixtures

One major reason for inefficient plumbing is that the pipes that are being used in the design of the layout are often inadequate when it comes to their length. Plumbing fixtures are placed in different areas of the home too often, which can result in piping accumulation of fluids with the electric system. Potentially, piping can clash with mechanical as well as with structural elements that require more money for materials, and consequently, more work. 

That being said, the plumbing design should be made in such a way that it optimizes the efficiency of the plumbing system and reduces costs at the same time. Also, keep in mind that when designing a layout of the house, it should be determined first how the pipes and plumbing system can run efficiently throughout the space of the house. 

Thus, avoiding obstacles is advisable since it can help eliminate the chance of having to redo the whole work or to correct newly formed problems.

The Water Supply

Since the water supply is one complete system, it moves between the rooms that require plumbing. This would also apply to the waste, drain, and vent system, which in most cases runs near the water supply system.

It is recommended when you are designing someone’s home, to pay close attention to these two because that way, you will save on materials, and in order to make the system efficient, it would be wise to consider grouping the rooms that need plumbing to be closer together. 

As an example, a laundry room should be placed near or next to the kitchen, while the perfect bathroom location is near the bedroom. Be aware that the person living there can expect to pay more for installation and materials if you design rooms with plumbing fixtures in opposite locations around the home.

The Proper Pipe Placement

When plumbing and designing the house, it is important that you ensure the pipes are placed in locations where they are hidden and yet easily accessible. 

This will make the house you are working with look beautiful on the outside. The reason being, there will be no pipes that are all over the place. Also, this design makes it easier for them to be fixed in case of damage and leaks. Experts from https://allserviceplumbers.com/westminster/ say that water leaks are easy to find if above the ground. A placement like this will ensure that. So the conclusion is that the plumbing of the house should be done first and then the finish up the house. Pipes will be hidden and accessible as mentioned. 

Have in mind that pipes should also be on one side or in one place since this placement will avoid them being scattered all over the place. It would be wise not to forget and mark them too.

Access to Water

The drain-waste-vent system, as well as the water supply, should sit near one another inside your home as mentioned earlier. By grouping them together, people living inside the house can save on water costs and energy by creating a hot-water loop system. Then the hot water will continuously move back to the water heating system. 

The benefit of this is that the energy that is required to heat the water will be reduced. And when building a house, the constant water supply is important. Also, it is mandatory to have water clean and free of any contamination and dirt. It is recommended to ensure that there is no water shortage at any given time. 

This will prevent tenants from having to pay any additional fees. The water reservoir is also a thing to think about. So, as mentioned a few times before, when you design the plumbing system as well as the home, any architect should keep both of these systems in mind.

What About the Irrigation System?

Since today there is a greater emphasis on water conservation, many new home builders incorporate plumbing designs that utilize laundry and bath water for lawn irrigation. That being said, the fixtures plumbing lines thus are being diverted to channel the wastewater into the irrigation system and not to the sewer line. 

This practice overall reduces household water usage. Knowing that tenants can expect to save a few dollars each month on their water bills. Incorporating energy and water efficiency into a new home is a great idea. Also, another benefit is seen in the environment, more specifically, its conservation. 

To conserve more water, low-flow toilets, as well as faucets can be used throughout the house. As an addition, a tankless water heater will save up both water and energy. It will provide hot water on demand. 

The Outdoors

The outdoors are the area of the home many architects forget about when it comes to the plumbing systems. It is needed for a place to have plenty of outdoor plumbing faucets that are connected around the home. 

The minimum recommendation would be to have at least one outdoor faucet connection installed on every side of the house. In the future, another great plumbing option is to install the connections for an outdoor kitchen. 

The owners might decide to enclose their patio or deck and have an outdoor grill in their outdoor kitchen. Finally, an in-ground pool, as well as in-ground water sprinklers should not be forgotten. The main benefit of installing an outdoor connection like this is that it can be a selling point in the future, in case the owners of the residence ever decide to sell the property and move.

The Kitchen

In most homes, the kitchen is considered to be the heart. Drain lines, as well as the water, are needed for the dishwasher, kitchen sink, and of course, refrigerator. In case your kitchen design includes an island, it would be wise to run the plumbing lines immediately so you could add a sink to the island later if needed. 

The placement of the dishwasher is recommended to be in a location near the kitchen sink. The installation will be much easier by doing so. Although, if you have a specific kitchen design where the dishwasher is not as close to the sink, you could certainly think about installing a separate warm water supply.

The Size of a Pipe

For any good plumbing system, the water pipe needs to be of the right size. The same would apply to the pipes that are required to carry out the waste. In case that the size of the pipe is too small, draining will not be effective and the drain pipes will experience clogging frequently. Also, the pipes can fail to deliver the right amount of water or there might be even a change in the temperature of the water itself. 

For instance, while in the shower and someone else flushes the toilet or is using a faucet. This can cause major inconvenience to say the least. Not only that choosing the pipe of the right size is important, but the right kind of pipe as well. Initially, pipes were made out of brass or cast-iron. PVC and copper pipes are used in some old buildings, although PEX pipes have now become the most popular. Various different types of pipes in plumbing systems can deliver the water. Also, they can take the wastewater away in the same way. 

Even so, some types of pipes can easily get damaged or even deteriorate more easily. PEX is good for water piping, although it would be wise not to use PVC for piping since PVC pipes are more fragile. And because of that, they are not suitable for use within the residence.

The Material

As mentioned, material for piping is important to consider. Some people can pick out materials for plumbing and tend to get damaged pretty easily. For this very reason, they are sold cheaply. Durable material and quality are in most cases expensive. 

It would be wise to go for the expensive material first as it will definitely last a while longer before it gets damaged. They are much better when compared to cheap materials since they might get damaged faster which will lead to tenants’ having to maintain them regularly. In the long run, this can become really expensive. 

The cost of contractors will be more than in the end than at the beginning of the material is not as expensive. In order to get the most from plumbing design, it would be recommended to consider and purchase materials that are rated highly. 

Also, any properly sloped drain system or incorrectly fitted joint can cost a lot of money and repair so in case you are not an expert, it would be wise to find a good contractor that will help you.

How to Protect the Basement? 

If you want the basement to be protected and easily pump out the water that has been caused by flood, the sump pump is another thing to think about. Although, have in mind that when the sump pump discharge line is not connected to the sewer, keeping the basement dry will be difficult. 

In order to prevent any water damage in a newly made house or home, it is recommended to make sure that the sump pump discharge line is aimed at the area where the water will safely drain out from the home.

Shut Off Valve

Just as the name would suggest, the main water shut off valve does just that. It is responsible for turning off and on the entire water supply of a house. 

When there is a sewer line clog or any type of leak, water shut off needs to be accessible since things are in a hurry. It is recommended to consider its placement somewhere inside of a living room. No one wants to crawl with a flashlight below their house. 

These plumbing design tips are perfect for prospective homeowners, as well as architects that choose to build a new home. The main reason being that some finances can be saved up. Although, that is not all. 

The home will be more environmentally friendly and efficient as well. As seen, failing to incorporate these very important plumbing design elements can lead to disaster so the best choice is to think before planning the layout of the house. 

First and foremost, the plumbing system needs to work properly and it needs to be as efficient as possible. Only then the rest of the design will matter.