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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Main Water Line Size
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spencerin
Member
# Posted: 19 Jul 2021 08:01
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What's the diameter of your main water line pipe, or what size are you used to seeing in this application? I thought 1" was the standard, but most results I see online say 1/2" to 3/4" are fine most of the time.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:05
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Supply lines to homes is almost exclusively 3/4". We used type L soft copper for underground at the city I worked for. Commonly in homes main supply lines are 3/4" type M rigid with 1/2" branch lines to fixtures.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:16
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At my cottage 1/2” and it’s lots but you said in another thread that you need more volume than normal so you need to go larger so your larger pump can deliver the volume it’s capable of

spencerin
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 08:13
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Fish, what are your GPM demands, what are the length and max height of your pipes, and what pump are you using?

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 09:09
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Main water line could mean many things.

In my house everything past the pressure tank is 3/4 pex until the manifolds. Then it goes to each faucet as 1/2in pex. I run the showers on there own line. The sink and toilet in each bathroom share a line. Any underground water lines are 3/4 black poly or bigger.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 10:14
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I only have a shower and 2 sinks. Hot and cold to both. About a 20’ run of pex to the bathroom and 35 to the kitchen sink

2.5 gpm pump is more than enough flow for us in fact we always throttle down the flow with the taps

spencerin
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 14:40
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Fish, yours makes me wonder what's going on with my setup. It's all 1/2" pex nominal, 65' max run, 15' max head, 2 faucets, 1 toilet, 1 shower, 1 outdoor spigot, and I just want to be able to run any 2 (minus the spigot) at the same time without any loss of pressure or volume. I still need to pull the pump for the specs, but the contractor said it's either 5 or 7 GPM. I wonder if it came out of the box on the lowest pressure setting as it was installed without testing (until recently). Also, would having the fill port cap screwed on tightly have much of an impact? Air needs to enter the tank as water leaves it.....

ICC
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 15:57
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The meters used in the water utilty in the nearby town are a "5/8 x 3/4" size. Internally the flow is equal to a 5/8" pipe. They have 3/4" pipe thread fittings. Most residential connections from the water main to the house are done in 3/4" pipe.

ICC
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 16:00
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Quoting: spencerin
Air needs to enter the tank as water leaves it.....


Tanks need a vent for sure. Sooner or later if air cannot get into the tank water will not be able to leave the tank, unless the tank walls collapse or a leak lets air in.

FishHog
Member
# Posted: 20 Jul 2021 18:29 - Edited by: FishHog
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Quoting: spencerin
I just want to be able to run any 2 (minus the spigot) at the same time without any loss of pressure or volume.


I think that is a very tough ask of any system. But Is a dip in pressure or flow a big deal? Since it’s easy to hear our pump if someone is in the shower we just don’t even think about turning on another source until that person is done.

It’s rare that it’s an issue and when it is it’s so minor that it’s not actually an “issue “

Even at my house pressure and flow drop when someone uses another tap. Temp regulating shower valves stop much of a temp change but those are very hard to winterize so I don’t use them at the cottage

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