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Module 2 · Domestic Water Systems

Domestic Water Systems

Cold and hot water distribution layout, municipal vs. well water sources, pressure zones and booster pumps, the tradeoffs between copper, CPVC, and PEX, and water conservation's effect on demand sizing.

A domestic water system's layout follows the same path in nearly every building: a service entrance, a meter and backflow preventer, a distribution main or riser, and branch lines stepping down to individual fixtures — with cold and hot water running as two parallel networks that only meet at the fixture. This module works through both source types (municipal supply and private well), why elevation forces tall buildings into pressure zones with booster pumps and PRVs, and the real tradeoffs between the three dominant water distribution pipe materials.

By the end of this module you should be able to explain why a booster pump sized from an assumed demand rather than a calculated one is a routine and expensive design error — a problem Module 3's fixture-unit and Hunter's-curve content solves by giving you the calculated peak GPM a booster pump actually needs.

Free related reading in this studio
→ Article: Domestic Water Supply System Design→ Concept Explainer: PEX vs. Copper vs. CPVC→ Simulator: Plumbing Demand Flow Simulator

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