How to size Plumbing Water pipes using Fixture Units

[@je-niseghana7377]

This is by far the most concise and precise pipe sizing video I have come across. Thank you for sharing.

[@MEPAcademy]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@je-niseghana7377]

would be glad i f you could provide a little info on how to size the individual pipes to each fixture unit@@MEPAcademy

[@micahjones1049]

WOW you put it all in one place.

[@MEPAcademy]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@yakta80]

@@MEPAcademy good

[@DontLookBehindYou1]

From this video, i also learned... I would like my plumbing to look more like the pictures... That stuff in the beginning was on point

[@MEPAcademy]

Thanks for watching.

[@jMoeBeats]

If I have a building with 8 floors and each floor has 4 apartments, will I create a table like this for each apartment on each floor?

[@MEPAcademy]

When designing the water supply system for a building with multiple floors and apartments, it's essential to consider the water fixture units (WFU) for each apartment on each floor. However, creating a separate WSFU table for each apartment on each floor may not be necessary. Instead, you can consolidate the fixture units for all the apartments on a particular floor into one table for that floor.

[@jMoeBeats]

@@MEPAcademy when we design a pipe size as per IPC and for example the pipe size is 1 inch, ( is 1 inch is the nominal diameter or outside diameter?) if i want the pipe size in mm not inches, the diameter will be Nominal diameter or Outside Diameter?

[@MEPAcademy]

@@jMoeBeats 1" is the Nominal pipe Size. The Outside diameter of copper pipe is always 1/8" larger than the nominal size, so 1" NPS equals 1-1/8" OD. In metric this would be 25mm Nominal, and 28.58mm OD

[@jMoeBeats]

@@MEPAcademy I’m talking about PPR pipes, if the pipe diameter after sizing is 1 inch, the 1 inch is Nominal ? I work for nominal only?

[@jMoeBeats]

Okay i got you, if the the Outside diameter of copper pipe is always 1/8" larger than the nominal size, then what about PPR pipes?

[@will_hunt_music]

Awesome video thanks!

[@MEPAcademy]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@viniciusbraga5846]

That’s an awesome video ! Thanks for sharing it

[@MEPAcademy]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@JC-ei7us]

Hi there, grate content!! Question. Should I use the total WSFU or just the cold value when I am calculating a booster pump for 20 stories residential building with the water heater on the roof? When should I use the cold and/or the hot WSFU value? Thank you

[@MEPAcademy]

In a 20-story residential building the hot water demand may be significant due to the vertical distance that the hot water needs to travel to reach the upper floors. Therefore, it's essential to consider both the cold and hot WSFU values when sizing the booster pump to ensure adequate water pressure and flow rate throughout the building, especially on the upper floors. Additionally, factors such as pipe size, pipe material, pressure loss, and system design should also be taken into account when sizing the booster pump to ensure optimal performance and efficiency of the water distribution system in the building. Consulting with a licensed mechanical engineer or a qualified professional is recommended to ensure that the booster pump is properly sized and installed to meet the specific requirements of the building

[@dukati3499]

Thank you for the information I was wondering to know what’s the WFSU on the bath thank you

[@MEPAcademy]

Per the UPC there are 4 WSFU for a bathtub.

[@josedavidsanchez7452]

Hello, great video. I have a question in the min 7:07 when you select the 35psi for the biggest pressure lost but the water closet is not the remote fixture it will be the lavatory. This is ok because the water closet need 35psi and the lavatory just 8psi?

[@MEPAcademy]

Correct, the most remote, but also the most demanding since they are adjacent to each other. If only 8 psi was chosen, there might not be enough pressure to operate the flushometer on the water closet.

[@jbtalavera100]

So the meter and the riser would be size 65mm? How about the size of the horizontal branch that has a length of 85ft? Will i size these branch based on its WSFU which is 59.5 WSFU?

[@MEPAcademy]

Yes, everything is sized based on the amount of Fixture Units that pass through every section of piping.

[@Bigbloweronme]

How do you determine how many FU the clean outs are and also how do you factor in the water heaters

[@MEPAcademy]

Clean-outs are figured when designing the waste system and are required by code to be located at various points on the system. The water heater doesn't add any fixture units as it's used as a source of heat. FU are used to allocate a usage factor to fixtures where water is used for various purposes.

[@just2music430]

Thanks for showing me the way!!!!

[@MEPAcademy]

Any time! Thanks for watching.

[@OpenMindedForever]

WSFU is calculated for both the hot and cold if the fixture will receive h/c/water -- not just the cold?

[@MEPAcademy]

The example used the cold water supply as that's where the city pressure is derived from, and so it is the starting point for our calculation. The hot water will also need to have its fixture units counted and sized accordingly.

[@HiLoT4]

I have a question sir, it’s look like there no mention about hose bib in fixture unit. So in design landscape irrigation system, what fixture value should I use to determine ?

[@MEPAcademy]

Each code may differ slightly, so you should look at your local code. For example, the CPC 2019 (Table 610.3) states that the first Hose Bibb should be 1/2" in size, and accounts for 2.5 Water Supply Fixture Units (WSFU), while each additional hose Bibb you would add only 1 WSFU.

[@HiLoT4]

I use IPC sir, I understand there is slightly different. However is there detail relates to information you mention above in IPC, sir.

[@MEPAcademy]

@@HiLoT4 I don't believe the IPC list hose bibbs, in which case you are instructed to use another fixtures value based on similar usage type.

[@md.rumesheikh5463]

Really appreciate Nice work man.Thank you.

[@MEPAcademy]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@MKOMKONNNN]

there are no private lavatories ?

[@MEPAcademy]

The example is of a small commercial building.

[@gholamalialmasi8906]

thanks it was very nice

[@MEPAcademy]

Thanks and welcome

[@LovelyChristineCahiles]

very interesting video and can earn more knowledge on plumbing works.

[@MEPAcademy]

Thanks for watching.

[@Felipegorr]

Great video! Just one question.. after I size the main distribution pipe within the building, how do I design the branches? or should I keep the main size throughout and only modify for the fixture's rough-ins?

[@MEPAcademy]

There is a minimum size usually found in a table of your local code. See IPC Table 604.5 or use this link to view table. codes.iccsafe.org/content/IPC2021P1/chapter-6-water-supply-and-distribution#IPC2021P1_Ch06_Sec604.5

[@Felipegorr]

@@MEPAcademy you guys rock! Thank you so much.

[@yousifrustom5805]

Very useful video thank you

[@MEPAcademy]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@devonbarley1]

Why when totaling wsfu for our lavs we only accounted for 9 lavs each valuing 1.5 wsfu for cold. Why not hot

[@MEPAcademy]

Great questions. We only covered the Cold Water line. The same process of counting fixture units would apply to sizing the hot water.

[@commonmantalks3236]

Can you attach plumbing code

[@MEPAcademy]

You can find various versions of plumbing codes here. up.codes/code/international-plumbing-code-ipc-2021

[@devonbarley1]

Great video

[@MEPAcademy]

Thanks for watching.

[@devonbarley1]

Is there anyway to schedule a tutor session.

[@devonbarley1]

Also where can i get that sheet you used I had one at one time.

[@MKOMKONNNN]

i think this is a commercial chart

[@MEPAcademy]

Correct, this is for a small commercial building.

[@steven7650]

There's no such thing as a plumbing engineer. Any engineer with awareness of fluid dynamics and experience would do, most likely this will be a mechanical or civil engineer.

[@MEPAcademy]

There are Engineers that specialize in Plumbing and subscribe to ASPE, the American Society of Plumbing Engineers. Here is their website for those interested. www.aspe.org

[@steven7650]

Ah fair I was thinking accredited programs, There is not ABET approved track for plumbing specifically at the university level. @@MEPAcademy

[@MarkPalmer-ed7jc]

I’m civil engineer and Jsut today I wanted to know if our I on-site lead service pump has the capacity to pump extra peak demand of a proposed new commercial building and I got all my WSFU and got my peak demand and got my pump curve and compared with existing vs proposed ans yes our pump can meet new demand- presented my findings to my PM…..her response”why r u doing this? This is a MEP job. I was like saying in my mjnd listen I can read and do math and I’m an engineer- we r not redoing the wheel here. Yes civil stays outside the building but our pumps are outside the building and I need to know if we need new pumps or not. This is basic engineering

[@MEPAcademy]

You're correct. It's not rocket science, and if you have documented what's required using basic engineering principles, then titles or degrees don't matter. As a civil engineer you are more than qualified to determine the project requirements. Good luck.@@MarkPalmer-ed7jc

[@steven7650]

Right I think like medicine the over specilization makes people forget there's a base level of knowledge we all have. Would I try to design the pilings for a skyscraper, no but i'm perfectly capable of doing a quick soil test for a deck and consulting the bearing charts @@MarkPalmer-ed7jc