PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS - Piping - Layout - Procedure

Layout Procedure

  1. Step 1: Make a sketch of the buildings and grounds showing approximately where each building is located in relation to the others. A sketch made to scale is the most useful.

  2. Step 2: Measure the distances between buildings as well as building widths and lengths, and record the dimensions on the sketch.

  3. Step 3: Show the water demand at each building and hydrant in the sketch.

  4. Step 4: Draw a double line from the pump house to the location of greatest demand, and label the double line "A". In this example, the home has the greatest demand.

  5. Step 5: Place a double line to the next closest major demand from either the pumphouse or the proposed pipeline labelled "A". Label this latest double line "B". Since the milking parlor and the milk room location is the next closest site of major demand, "B" goes to it. If "B" goes from the "A" line, the garden hydrant can be supplied enroute without extra piping to serve it.

  6. Step 6: Draw double lines to the next closest location of major demand. In this example, the next closest major demand location is the barn, then the poultry house moving to the left of pipeline "B". This is labeled "C". In the opposite direction from is the hoghouse, then the machinery storage shop. Extend double lines from "B" to them, and label them "D".

  7. Step 7: Draw lines from line "A", "B", "C", and "D" to any other water use locations.

  8. Step 8: Check layout for ease of installation and maintenance (topic sketch).
This is just preliminary layout. Suppose the drive to the house is paved. To avoid cutting through so much pavement, line "A" could be lowered on the sketch from its preset location to one where it would miss most of the paved area.

At the same time, to avoid cutting the paved section next to the garage, one consideration would be to run pipeline "B" from the pump house to the general vicinity of the garden hydrant and the pipe connection to the swimming pool.

Locating Cutoff Valves

With the first layout there would normally be a cutoff valve at the pump house where it serves pipeline "A". If, for any reason the "B","C", or "D" lines needed to be repaired, the one valve would discontinue service to the home and all the rest of the buildings. Therefore, a cutoff valve on pipeline "B" is desirable. Cutoff valves on other branches can be justified depending on how important an interruption of service for up to several hours would be for any one building.

With the layout in which there is a line "A" from the pump house to the house and a line "B" from the pump house to the milking parlor and milk room, a cutoff valve, at the pump house, for both "A" and "B" would give the added advantage of being able to turn off water to the service buildings while leaving service to the house on.

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