Understanding Your Home’s Plumbing System
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Your plumbing system serves two major roles in your home: providing fresh water and draining away wastewater. Fixtures connect these two subsystems, including items like toilets, faucets, sinks, showers, garbage disposals and washing machines.
Understanding how these parts function can give you the power to perform basic plumbing repairs yourself and communicate more effectively with plumbers. This guide covers the fundamentals of residential plumbing starting with water supply systems.
Supply System
The supply system brings fresh water into your home and transports it directly to all the fixtures that require it, such as faucets, toilets, showers, dishwashers and washing machines. In addition, it features a hot water line to deliver heated water directly to taps and appliances; pressurisation forces water lines upwards as needed around corners; bills are collected through meters which record how much you use; when entering, this water passes through meters that record it and eventually arrives at its main shut-off valve located near it – with all bills taken into consideration!
Drain-waste-vent (DWV) systems carry wastewater away from your home to the city sewer or private septic tank for disposal, through drainpipes, traps and vents. Plumbing vents play an especially vital role in keeping proper air pressure inside and preventing sewer gases from seeping in from outside; additionally they facilitate waste water flow without getting stuck inside pipes, so making sure they’re clear of obstruction is key for effective functioning.
Drainage System
Your supply system brings clean water from either your local city/county water line or well, while the drainage system takes waste and wastewater out. They should stay separate as not to mix together.
Water travels through pipes under pressure to be distributed to faucets, sinks and toilets in a supply system. Meanwhile, drainage or the Drain-Waste-Vent (DWV) system relies on gravity to move waste to either sewer lines or your septic tank for disposal.
House drainage systems include many components, including traps and vents. You’ve likely seen the U-shaped bend beneath your sink known as a “p-trap,” which stores small amounts of water to create an effective seal against sewer gas entering the house. In addition, this DWV system includes vents that extend upward through roof vents in order to allow sewer gases to escape and maintain proper air pressure in pipework; without these features functioning effectively, proper operation wouldn’t be achieved.
Fixtures
As its name implies, plumbing fixtures are components that deliver and drain water, such as sinks, faucets, toilets, showers and bathtubs. There is a wide range of styles and designs to meet different tastes and needs.
A plumbing system relies on natural forces such as gravity and pressure for its functionality. To deliver freshwater supply to upstairs fixtures, push pipes with enough force while drains carry away wastewater and sewage wastes from underground lines, while drainage systems transport accumulated waste away to be treated by wastewater treatment plants.
Plumbing fixtures such as faucets, toilets, and showers connect to the main plumbing system through valves. Each fixture contains multiple water outlets as well as a drain that is usually located under its basin. Most drains have an overflow rim level that causes overflow when reached; some fixtures such as toilets and water closets offer shut-off valves which allow users to stop the flow. Many people choose water-saving fixtures in their home in order to lower both utility costs and water consumption.
Shut-Off Valve
Know Your Plumbing BasicsWhether you’re planning a DIY plumbing project or simply seeking to better understand the plumbing system in your home, understanding its basics will save time, money and potential headaches. From supply to drainage systems and beyond, dive deep into how your plumbing works by exploring its many pipes, valves and more!
Your main water shut-off valve should be located nearby the house’s meter in either your basement or in an outdoor box in your yard, and is crucial in reducing wasteful use and protecting against burst pipes causing extensive damage.
Individual fixtures like toilets, sinks and water heaters feature their own shut-off valves to isolate them from your home’s plumbing system. These valves typically feature an angled handle that runs horizontally with the waterline when open; when turned clockwise to close. There are many styles of shutoff valves that can be soldered, glued or compressed onto copper or plastic pipes for isolation purposes.
