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Phase 1: FoundationsModule 3 of 25

Fixture Units

Water supply fixture units (WSFU) and drainage fixture units (DFU), common fixture unit values, Hunter's curve and probability-based sizing, and how a real fixture-unit takeoff is organized.

📄 1 articlesCalculator: Fixture Unit Counter (WSFU & DFU) ↗Concept Explainer: Fixture Units vs. Flow Rate (GPM) ↗
12🔢456Foundations
78910111213Drainage, Venting & Codes
14151617Delivery & Field Skills
1819202122Real Projects
232425Resources & Certification
📏Next module · Module 4Pipe Sizing→
About this module

A fixture unit is not a flow rate — it is a probability-weighted demand value that converts a raw fixture count into a number that already accounts for the statistical reality that not every fixture in a building operates at once. This module works through the WSFU/DFU distinction, the common fixture-unit values this program's worked examples use, and Hunter's curve — the nonlinear relationship that converts a WSFU total into an actual design GPM.

By the end of this module you should be able to explain why a large apartment tower's water service can be far smaller than a naive fixture-count extrapolation would suggest — the direct, practical consequence of Hunter's curve flattening at high totals, and the exact calculation Module 4's pipe sizing content picks up where this module leaves off.

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