What size water lines should I use in my house?
In most cases, the main pipeline from the street to your home is either 3/4 or 1 inch in diameter, supply branches use 3/4-inch-diameter pipe, and pipes for individual components are 1/2 inch. Remember that water pressure decreases by a half-pound per square inch for every foot pipes extend above your water supply.
How big is a mimimum water supply pipe?
Mimimum fixture branch pipe size refers to the size of the cold branch pipe, or both the hot and cold branch pipes. The listed minimum supply branch pipe sizes for individual fixtures are the nominal (ID) pipe size.
How big of a pipe do you need for a bathtub?
Most homeowners aren’t willing to wait 15 minutes to fill their bathtubs, so running a minimum 1/2-inch line to the tub is a good idea. Other fixtures that benefit from 1/2-inch lines are washing machines and dishwashers. Sinks and showers are water guzzlers, and you can conserve by running 3/8-inch lines to them.
How big of a water line do I need for three bathrooms?
If your new home has three or more bathrooms, consider keeping the cold water pipe size one inch until it has served the water heater, the first bathroom group and possibly one or two outdoor hose bibs. The main water line can then be reduced to three-quarter inch diameter to serve the remaining bathrooms, laundry room, hose bibs, etc.
How big of a drain pipe do you need for a toilet?
And toilet requires a drain pipe of 3 inches in diameter, unless two toilets are on the same drain and then it must be a 4-inch plumbing waste pipe. Add the number of units together to get the total number of units for discharge into the DWV system compared with the minimum pipe diameter for specific fixtures.
Mimimum fixture branch pipe size refers to the size of the cold branch pipe, or both the hot and cold branch pipes. The listed minimum supply branch pipe sizes for individual fixtures are the nominal (ID) pipe size.
If your new home has three or more bathrooms, consider keeping the cold water pipe size one inch until it has served the water heater, the first bathroom group and possibly one or two outdoor hose bibs. The main water line can then be reduced to three-quarter inch diameter to serve the remaining bathrooms, laundry room, hose bibs, etc.
Most homeowners aren’t willing to wait 15 minutes to fill their bathtubs, so running a minimum 1/2-inch line to the tub is a good idea. Other fixtures that benefit from 1/2-inch lines are washing machines and dishwashers. Sinks and showers are water guzzlers, and you can conserve by running 3/8-inch lines to them.
Are there different sizing systems for plumbing pipes?
If the legacy of sizing isn’t confusing enough, consider that pipes have been sized differently over the years depending on the specific sizing system:
