Pipe Sizing

Table 11 Iron and Copper Elbow Equivalentsa

Fitting Elbow, 90 Elbow, 45 Elbow, 90 long-radius Elbow, welded, 90 Reduced coupling Open return bend Angle radiator valve Radiator or convector Boiler or heater Open gate valve Open globe valve Iron Pipe 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.4 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 0.5 12.0 Copper Tubing 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.4 1.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 0.7 17.0 Fixture or Groupb Occupancy Public Public Public Public Public Public Public Public Office, etc. Hotel or restaurant Private Private Private Private Private Private Private Private Private Private Private Type of Supply Control Flush valve Flush tank Flush valve Flush valve Flush tank Faucet Faucet Mixing valve Faucet Faucet Flush valve Flush tank Faucet Faucet Mixing valve Flush valve for closet Flush tank for closet Mixing valve Faucet Faucet Faucet

22.9
Table 13 Demand Weights of Fixtures in Fixture Unitsa
Weight in Fixture Unitsc 10 5 10 5 3 2 4 4 3 4 6 3 1 2 2 8 6 2 2 3 3

Water closet Water closet Pedestal urinal Stall or wall urinal Stall or wall urinal Lavatory Bathtub Shower head Service sink Kitchen sink Water closet Water closet Lavatory Bathtub Shower head Bathroom group Bathroom group Separate shower Kitchen sink Laundry trays (1 to 3) Combination fixture

Source: Giesecke (1926) and Giesecke and Badgett (1931, 1932a). aSee Table 10 for equivalent length of one elbow.

Table 12 Proper Flow and Pressure Required During Flow for Different Fixtures
Fixture Ordinary basin faucet Self-closing basin faucet Sink faucet10 mm Sink faucet15 mm Dishwasher Bathtub faucet Laundry tube cock8 mm Shower Ball cock for closet Flush valve for closet Flush valve for urinal Garden hose, 15 m, and sill cock
a Flow

Flow Pressure, kPa (gage) a Flow, L/s 55 85 70 35 105 to 175 35 35 85 105 70 to 140 105 210 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 b 0.4 0.3 0.2 to 0.6 0.2 1.0 to 2.5c 1.0 0.3

Licensed for single user. 2009 ASHRAE, Inc.

pressure is the pressure in the pipe at the entrance to the particular fixture considered. b Varies; see manufacturers data. c Wide range due to variation in design and type of flush valve closets.

Source: Hunter (1941). a For supply outlets likely to impose continuous demands, estimate continuous supply separately, and add to total demand for fixtures. b For fixtures not listed, weights may be assumed by comparing the fixture to a listed one using water in similar quantities and at similar rates. c The given weights are for total demand. For fixtures with both hot and cold water supplies, the weights for maximum separate demands can be assumed to be 75% of the listed demand for the supply.

all load devices simultaneously would be seriously oversized. Thus, a major issue in sizing service water piping is to determine the diversity of the loads. The procedure shown in this chapter uses the work of R.B. Hunter for estimating diversity (Hunter 1940, 1941). The present-day plumbing designer is usually constrained by building or plumbing codes, which specify the individual and collective loads to be used for pipe sizing. Frequently used codes (including the BOCA National Plumbing Code, Standard Plumbing Code, Uniform Plumbing Code, and National Standard Plumbing Code) contain procedures quite similar to those shown here. The designer must be aware of the applicable code for the location being considered. Federal mandates are forcing plumbing fixture manufacturers to reduce design flows to many types of fixtures, but these may not yet be included in locally adopted codes. Also, the designer must be aware of special considerations; for example, toilet usage at sports arenas will probably have much less diversity than the codes allow and thus may require larger supply piping than the minimum specified by the codes. Table 12 gives the rate of flow desirable for many common fixtures and the average pressure necessary to give this rate of flow. The pressure varies with fixture design. In estimating the load, the rate of flow is frequently computed in fixture units, which are relative indicators of flow. Table 13 gives the demand weights in terms of fixture units for different plumbing fixtures under several conditions of service, and Figure 8 gives the estimated demand corresponding to any total number of fixture units. Figures 9 and 10 provide more accurate estimates at the lower end of the scale. The estimated demand load for fixtures used intermittently on any supply pipe can be obtained by multiplying the number of

Fig. 5 Demand Versus Fixture Units, Mixed System, High Part of Curve

Fig. 8

Demand Versus Fixture Units, Mixed System, High Part of Curve

(Hunter 1941)