We rely on our plumbing to deliver clean water for use, and carry wastewater away. It’s important to understand its basics, which include the main water shut-off valve, a water meter, pipes, traps, and fixtures.
Learning more about your home plumbing can help you save money and prevent expensive repair bills. It can also help you know when DIY is safe and when to call in a professional. Whether it’s a leaky faucet or a major plumbing issue, this plumber huntington beach is ready to provide fast and reliable service to meet all your needs.
Water Supply System
Water supply systems carry quality water from the main supply network into homes and buildings. They include pipes, valves, pumps, storage tanks, and more. They also provide water for public practices such as firefighting and street flushing.
There are over 148,000 public water systems in the United States, and they serve more than 300 million people. While they vary widely in size, ownership, and structure, they share a common mission: to bring clean drinking water to their customers. Each system transports water to the consumer through a complex series of networks that may use different types and sizes of pipes.
The water supply system transports water from sources such as lakes, rivers, and springs to the water treatment plant, where it undergoes a series of processes to make sure it’s safe for human consumption. Then, it’s transported to the distribution system through supply conduits, which may be pressure or open-channel flow.
Depending on the type of area, the street plan, and other factors, the water system can use either a gridiron or ring water distribution system. In gridiron systems, the main water line goes through the center of the region, and sub-mains branch off in a pattern that resembles a rectangular grid. This type of network has no dead ends, and it’s good for cities and towns with well-planned roads and streets.
In a ring water distribution system, the main line forms a circle around the area of distribution, and branch lines are cross-connected to each other and to the supply line. This prevents stagnation and allows every street to get a consistent supply of fresh water. If a section of the network needs to be isolated for maintenance or repairs, it can be shut off without disrupting other users. A ring system is usually more economical than a gridiron system because it can handle a larger volume of water.
Drainage System
The drainage system includes all the piping that conveys wastewater and rainwater from your home to the sewer system or a septic tank. It whisks away excess water to prevent rotting, mildew, and structural damage in buildings from standing water. The sewage and wastes it removes must be treated before they can be released into public water systems or bodies of water.
The main function of a residential drainage system is to channel wastewater and sewage from the toilets, showers, faucets, dishwashers, washing machines, and appliances. This process uses the principles of gravity and water flow to direct liquid waste to the drains that lead to the public sewer or a septic tank. The right pitch, or angle of the pipes, is essential to ensure that the sewage and wastewater flows in the correct direction.
There are many different types of drainage systems that can be used. Some systems use open drains to collect water runoff from homes and businesses. However, these open drains do not provide proper treatment of the sewage and wastes they carry, which poses health risks to the public. Closed drains form a complex network underground that transports the primary refuse from individual areas to a treatment plant.
Surface drains are shallow ditches that act as canals for rainwater and runoff to avoid water pooling in sidewalks, driveways, and rooftops. These drainage systems are typically found in suburban neighborhoods and are designed to mitigate flooding during rainfall events.
Other types of drainage systems include slope drains and French drains. Slope drains are installed in landscaped areas, around pools, and in other places where excess water may gather to redirect it to an area with better soil conditions. They are made up of a series of perforated drainage pipes surrounded by gravel and topped with dirt.
French drains are also a type of subsurface drainage system that is effective in preventing water damage. They are similar to slope drains but are more customizable for your property. They are comprised of a perforated pipe buried underneath the ground and covered with gravel. They are commonly used in yard and garden applications to prevent erosion or as part of a basement waterproofing system.
Water Heater
A water heater is a large tank that heats and stores cold water until it’s needed for hot-water-using fixtures in your home, such as showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers. It can be electric or gas, and it’s also available in various types, such as tankless, point-of-use, and solar.
A dip tube brings water into the bottom of the tank, where a heating element is located to begin heating the water. As the water gets hotter, it rises to the top of the tank; since hot water is less dense than cold water, this is how your home gets its hot water. Each tank also has a shut-off valve to stop the flow of water into the unit and a drain valve for easy maintenance. In addition, the heater should have a T&P relief valve for temperature and pressure, and a pressure gauge on the unit to keep the tank’s pressure at safe levels. The hot water supply port is found at the top of the tank, and this is where the hottest water exits to flow through your pipes and to your fixtures.
Fixtures and Appliances
Your home’s plumbing system is responsible for delivering fresh water and flushing away waste, but it can seem complex when you’re not familiar with its components. Understanding the basics of your plumbing system can help you avoid costly repairs and make DIY maintenance easier.
A home’s plumbing system is composed of three main systems: the supply line network, the drainage system, and the venting system. Each of these is necessary to deliver clean water and remove wastewater, but each works differently. The supply system relies on water pressure while the drainage system uses gravity.
The water supply system connects your home to the city’s or well-water company’s water source. From there, the water travels through a series of pipes to reach each fixture in your house. This includes faucets, showers, toilets, and appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. The system also includes a water meter, which tracks water usage and helps identify leaks and other issues. The water meter is connected to a water shut-off valve that can quickly stop water flow in the event of an emergency or when making major plumbing repairs.
Once the water is used, it enters the drainage system, or drain-waste-vent (DWV) system. This consists of all the piping within your home that leads to the sewer or septic system. It also includes a trap, which is a U-shaped pipe under sinks that holds water to prevent sewer gas from entering your home. Traps must be refilled with water periodically to keep them from becoming dry, which can allow sewer gases to enter your home and cause unpleasant odors.
Finally, the venting system is a crucial component of your plumbing that allows sewer gases to escape and air to enter the pipes. This keeps wastewater and waste from building up inside your home, which could lead to a dangerous build-up of pressure that could rupture the pipes or lead to sewage backups.
Knowing the basics of your plumbing system can help you save money on utility bills and repair costs, spot potential problems before they become serious, and communicate with professional plumbers more effectively. However, it’s important to note that any significant installations or major plumbing repairs should be done by a professional to ensure the job is completed correctly and up to code.