DIY Network

The Drainage System: Which Way Does the Water Go? From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-202

What happens when the faucet is on and the water is flowing? Host Jeff Wilson takes a look at this question in this segment.

Fixtures have come a long way from their life as simple spouts. Today there are a number of other facets to faucets. For example, you may opt to go for a pedal controlled faucet (figure A), which turns on the tap by stepping on a pedal. This design is often used in hospitals to cut down on the spread of germs. It can also help to save a significant amount of water.

Did You Know? -- It has been estimated that a family of four can save up to 7,500 gallons of water per year when a pedal controlled faucet is installed in a kitchen sink alone.

Another function you may want to add to the faucet is water filtration. If you're concerned about better tasting drinking water, you can either purchase an attachment (figure B) that goes on the faucet or you can get a faucet that actually filters the water within the faucet.

Figure A

Figure B

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Making Fixtures More User Friendly

There are two types of countertop filtering systems that attach to a faucet:

1. Carbon filter (figure C). Carbon filters are the most common water filter used today, and they protect your water from over-chlorination. They're also good at absorbing unwanted tastes and odors.

2. Reverse osmosis filter (figure D). This process strains out contaminants by forcing saline or impure water through a very fine membrane that salts or impurities can't pass through.

Either one of these filters will dramatically improve the taste of your water.

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

Point-of-Use Hot Water Heater

If one of your sinks or bathrooms is located far away from the hot water heater, an efficient option you can add to these fixtures is a point-of-use hot water heater (figure E). This type of hot water heater eliminates the time it takes for the hot water to travel to the faucet from the hot water heater, and it saves you money on both energy and water bills.

Note: Not only are today's fixtures more user friendly, but under government regulations they have become more efficient. For example, in 1995 the National Energy Policy Act mandated the flush of a toilet use no more than 1.6 gallons of water -- as opposed to eight gallons per flush with the old toilets. Since then, low-flow plumbing fixtures have been developed, including faucet aerators and showerheads. There's also a federal regulation limiting showers to 2.5 gallons of water per minute.

Constructive Advice: Even though the 2.5 gallon-per-minute showerhead is the industry standard, depending upon the water pressure in your home, you may choose to go with a 1.5 gallon-per-minute showerhead. It reduces water and energy consumption by 40 percent, compared to the 2.5 gallon-per-minute model.

	Figure F
	Figure G

Maintaining Fixtures

The way to maintain each individual fixture throughout your new house is to install a shut-off valve and P-trap for each. The importance of a shut-off valve (figure F) is to be able to shut off the water supply if the fixture needs to be worked on without affecting the rest of the house.

The P-trap (figure G) is the u-shaped device that seals a water seal inside and keeps the sewer gasses from being permitted into the building through the sink, toilet or shower. Every fixture should have a P-trap.

There's an individual trap on each fixture, and then there's a main trap outside that covers the whole house, creating a double trap.

With all these parts installed on your fixtures, you're ready for the final plumbing inspection. The inspector will come in and make sure all the fixtures are complete and up to local codes. After the final inspection a certificate of occupancy is issued and then the homeowners can move in.

In the next segment you'll find out what happens when the water goes down the drain.

GUESTS :

Michael Morse
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Pedicone Plumbing
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Building Wisdom
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Carl Latimer
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