Plumbing System in High Rise Building

Laxmi C. Gupta Department of Civil Engineering Priyadarshini Indira Gandhi College Of Engineering,
Nagpur

Samruddhi Thawari Department of Civil Engineering Priyadarshini Indira Gandhi College Of Engineering,
Nagpur

Abstract

Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking
water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and
plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping systems,
plumbing fixtures and equipment such as water heaters. The plumbing industry is a basic and substantial
part of every developed economy due to the need for clean water, and proper collection and transport
of wastes. The word "plumbing" comes from the Latin plumbum for lead, as pipes were once made from
lead.Plumbing was extremely rare until the growth of modern cities in the 19th centuries. During the
same time public health authorities began pressing for better waste disposal systems to be installed.
Earlier, the waste disposal system merely consisted of collecting waste and dumping it on ground or into
a river.Supplying adequate water pressure at all levels of the building is critical for building occupants,
although economics, basic building functions, and overall heights have significant impact on methods of
water supply distribution. Numerous intermediate-height and even very tall high-rise buildings use
various pumping schemes. One early method used elevated storage tanks at the top of the building with
fill pumps at the bottom of the building, a classic gravity down feed arrangement. This method evolved
into direct pumping systems using multiple pump packages with constant-speed, constantpressure
controls. Both of these methods proved to be reliable and affordable through the years, and many such
designs are still active today or still are used in current design practices. Continuing improvements and
development of variable-frequency electric drives and an ever-increasing emphasis on reducing energy
consumption and costs make the variable-speed, direct-pumped package a modern workhorse of the
industry. The critical need to provide adequate flow and pressure gives the high-rise plumbing engineer
ample opportunity to practice their craft. A thorough understanding of pumping basics is critical to start
with, and one of the most widely recognized sources is the Fluid Handling.

Keywords: NFPA, PVDF, HVAC

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__________________ I. INTRODUCTION The re-emergence of our core cities as more active and vibrant
communities brings pressure and Challenges to those who design buildings and their systems. The
density of buildings, traffic, the scarcity of land, and a competitive spirit among developers are all factors
that work together to push modern buildings higher. Sometimes, we envision high-rise buildings as
towering skyscrapers. While this is not always incorrect vision, a “high” rise can be as short as eight to 10
floor levels. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines a high-rise building as a building
with an occupied floor that is 75 feet above the level where the fire fighting apparatus would stage fire
fighting operations. That low threshold requires several specific features to be designed into buildings to
promote life safety and allow for emergency responders to safely and quickly access the higher levels of
the building, thereby saving lives and considerable invested resources. With that fairly simple definition,
all high-rise design challenges should be the same, right? Perhaps some additional discussion is
warranted before we make that determination.

II. OBSTACLES IN PLUMBING WORK High-rise design and construction present more than a few special
challenges, especially regarding the design of plumbing systems. Some of the biggest challenges to high-
rise plumbing design relate to controlling pressure. Pressure is both friend and foe in plumbing systems.
Plumbing engineers learn early that as you lift water above a datum, you lose 1 pound per square inch
for every 2.3feet of elevation. While this may seem a reasonable incremental loss, it can be a significant
penalty when the water is raised 75 feet; then, a requirement is added to maintain a high minimum
pressure at the top of the column. Many designers answer this challenge daily. For instance, a common
condition in a water riser serving a toilet group in an office building supplied with flush valve fixtures
requires 25 psi at the most remote fixture. You add a pressure boost system to meet that demand on
the top floor. A common complication begins when you stack floors. The combined head pressure may
cause the total pressure at the bottom to exceed the allowable safe level as limited by code and
materials. This too is a fairly routine condition that often is solved by either placing pressure reducing
valves on each level where pressure exceeds the code maximum or branching from the higher pressure
riser to make a pressure zone. This pressure zone uses a central pressure-reducing valve and sub-riser to
meet the minimum pressure required at the highest level and the maximum pressure allowed at the
lowest level. This particular method has been used successfully in many high-rise building designs.
Plumbing System in High Rise Building (IJIRST/ Volume 2 / Issue 11/ 126) All rights reserved by
www.ijirst.org 720 Drainage Pressure control on the drainage side presents other challenges. True,
water is essentially the same in either system; however, drainage theory holds that considerable air
travels downward with the water flow. This theory asserts that water flowing in a vertical pipe tends to
adhere to the pipe’s walls, acting very much like a sleeve of water with a hollow core of air, all sliding
down the pipe’s walls until it reaches a ratio of approximately 6/24 full of the pipe cross-sectional area .
This watery sleeve travels at almost 15 feet per second (fps), propelled by gravity but restricted by
friction. When the piping remains vertical, the entrained air is relatively simple to control, but when
piping offsets from the vertical, the fluid flow velocity drops considerably, filling the entire pipe
diameter. Horizontal, sloped drainage piping should flow in the 4–8 fps range, so it is easy to see that a
large slug of water can quickly develop. This can lead to compressing air in the path of the fluid and/or
lowering air pressure on the leaving side of the fluid flow. The impact of these fluid and air fluctuations
can be controlled by effective use of yoke vents, relief vents, and vent connections at the bases of
stacks. Here again, the solutions are largely not unique and have been used successfully on many
intermediate-height and even extremely tall high-rise buildings. (For those who are just beginning in this
type of plumbing design, a recommended reference is High-rise Plumbing Design, by Dr. Alfred Steele.) A
related concern is the impact of the hydraulic jump on the piping itself. The mass of water and the rapid
change of velocity from vertical to horizontal cause this jump. While the pressure associated with this
jump is significant, it does not destroy the fitting at the base of the stack. Rather, the movement of the
pipe stresses the frictional forces that hold the joint to the pipe, leading to eventual coupling failure.
Good design must compensate for the strong thrust that occurs at this change of direction. Successful
methods include increasing the horizontal drain size and/or slope, using thrust blocks, or using
restraining joints with threaded rod or similar arrangements that mechanically anchor the fitting to the
entering and leaving piping. Venting Once the water is raised and used, it is discharged to a drainage
system that includes an attendant venting system, which is responsible for the flow of air in the drainage
piping network. Air is critical to the drainage process because drainage flow is caused by sloping pipes,
and the motive force is gravity. Absent air, the drainage would range from erratic to nonexistent. When
the water in a pipe flows to a lower area, air must be added to replace the water, or a negative pressure
zone will occur. If this zone is near a fixture, air will be drawn into the drainage system through the
fixture trap with an easily identified gulping sound and very slow drain performance. This condition
leads to poor performance throughout the drainage system and trap seal loss due to siphoning or
blowout. The remedy for this condition is venting. At the individual fixture level, this consists of a fixture
vent. As the number of fixtures increases, venting needs do as well, and a venting system evolves, with
branch, circuit, and loop vents at the appropriate locations. When dealing with high-rise drainage stacks,
a vent stack should be attendant, allowing for pressure equalization and relief

along the height and breadth of the system. Aside from relieving pressure in the drainage system, the
vent system allows air to circulate in both directions in response to the fluctuating flow in the drainage
system. In many high-rise vent designs, where stacks need to offset horizontally on a given floor, a relief
vent is required. Although not often highlighted, the building venting system also serves to supplement
the vent for the municipal sewer, relieving noxious or even hazardous gases and allowing the sewer to
drain without pressure limitation. Vertical Piping Plumbing engineers must consider the impact of
plumbing systems on general construction practices. Most experienced engineers and contractors agree
that vertical piping systems are generally more effective than horizontal piping systems in multilevel
projects. Vertical piping uses fewer supports, hangers, and inserts and requires less horizontal space in
ceiling plenums for sloping to achieve drainage. Altogether, vertical piping is a pretty good bargain;
however, it is not without penalty. The penalty of vertical piping is multiple penetrations through
structural slabs. Each of these penetrations must be sealed or protected to prevent vertical migration of
fire and smoke (i.e., turning the tall building into a tall chimney). Not only is the sealing of penetrations
an issue, but the sheer number of penetrations also can be equally difficult. The location of these
multiple penetrations is critical to the integrity of the structure and the function of the fixtures even
more than the aesthetics of the built environment. Tall buildings require more robust structures, further
limiting the allowable space for penetrations. Other structural practices, such as post-tensioned beams
and slabs, which serve to lighten the overall building structure, can limit even further the available
locations for slab penetrations. One method that sometimes helps with pipe size can be to place “wet”
columns at various locations on the floor plate. This sometimes reduces the main stack and supply riser
sizes, can potentially minimize conflicts with the horizontal branch in ceiling plenums, and certainly can
help make the plumbing system more accessible for subsequent tenant connections. Successful high-rise
design requires the entire design team to take extra effort to read, understand, and interpret the impact
of building systems on one another, as well as be open to discuss, coordinate, and adjust each individual
system to suit the needs of the building. A well-executedhigh-rise design is an integrated and complex
assembly, and each component should be treated as a part of that integrated whole. Plumbing System
in High Rise Building (IJIRST/ Volume 2 / Issue 11/ 126) All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 721 Fire
Protection One area that should not be overlooked in any high-rise design is the fire protection systems.
As a minimum, all high-rise buildings should have sprinkler systems on each floor and Stand pipe
systems in each stairwell. These systems have proven themselves throughout the years to significantly
save both life and property. The specific type, coverage density, and outlet placement all vary based on
the building type, height, and location and local fire authorities. All high-rise buildings containing fire
protection systems have large, dedicated fire pumps to provide the flows and pressures required for the
individual system. III. PLUMBING SYSTEM IN HIGH RISE BUILDINGS While not always tasked with these
system designs, plumbing engineers need to know that these systems are an integral part of the building
and must account for their presence regarding equipment space, riser locations, and ceiling cavities.
Materials For most high-rise designs, piping systems can be specified and installed using very standard
piping and fittings. Sanitary and vent piping and storm water piping within these buildings are mostly
hub less cast iron, selected primarily for availability and quiet operation. Underground sanitary and
rainwater piping is hub and spigot cast iron with gasket joints. In some instances, particularly horizontal,
large-diameter drainage piping below grade, the piping is ductile iron with mechanical type joints. This
type of piping system is used widely because of its suitability to flow and pressure, availability, and quiet
operation, and because it is typically made of post-consumer product, so it is very “green” in application.
Water systems for high-rise buildings are typically Type L copper. Tubing sizes 2 inches and smaller are
typically assembled using 95-5 solder; for larger diameter tubing, we usually leave the contractor the
choice to braze or use mechanical joints with roll groove fittings. Medical gas distribution is typically
Type L copper with brazed joints as outlined by NFPA. Except for extremely tall buildings, these
materials generally give good service over a wide pressure range and are within maximum pressure
limits by significant amounts. As buildings get taller, many water systems can exert pressures that
exceed the safe working pressure of copper tubing. In some areas, stainless steel light wall pipe
(Schedule 10) or standard pipe (Schedule 40) is a reasonable alternative to increase safe working
pressures. Both of these materials can be joined using roll groove mechanical joints. Complex High-rise
Structures Moving from the very general discussion about basic concepts of design and system
coordination, one must consider pressure piping in the water supply and distribution system, as well as
general drainage and venting approaches. Finally, plumbing engineers must recognize the impact of
plumbing installation on the building structure. All of these discussions apply, in various degrees, to any
type of high-rise building: office, condominium, or hotel. These challenges multiply when plumbing
engineers design buildings that are more complex because of function, such as hospitals. Typically,
hospitals have a higher density of plumbing fixtures than most other types of buildings, leading to more
penetrations to serve them. Hospitals offer a challenge because they require so many more systems.
Aside from the routine rainwater, sanitary drain and vent, and cold water systems, hospitals often have
other special piping needs, such as laboratory waste, medical gases, or multiple water temperatures to
serve patient care or cleaning and sanitizing purposes. Many hospitals have laboratories, and some
other types of institutional buildings may have drainage systems to serve chemical-or acid-using fixtures
or equipment. Where this occurs, it is important to define acceptable piping materials, in both suitability
to the medium being piped as well as acceptability to the local authority. High silicon iron, borosilicate
glass, polypropylene, and PVDF are all commonly used. Different materials have different strengths and
weaknesses. Iron and glass piping are almost universally suitable for use with most acids, bases, and
similar chemicals. Both are heavy and require more space for installation, but they are not easily
attacked by flame or generate heavy fumes and smoke. Simple penetration protection is adequate in
most locations. On the other hand, plastic products can be somewhat troublesome for both chemical
drainage systems in general and high-rise buildings in particular. They have a narrower list of chemicals
that they resist well, and they are more fragile as well as susceptible to failure by flame exposure.
Plastics also may cause smoke-generation issues that must be addressed to protect life safety.
Resolution of these installations may vary by location and authority having jurisdiction. Regardless of the
material and approval received, chemical, acid, and laboratory drainage and vent systems must be
separate from the domestic drain and vent systems used throughout the building. In one recently
completed high-rise laboratory building, biological research labs were on the upper four floor levels.
Each of these lab spaces was served by an acid- and chemical-resistant drain and vents system, separate
from the domestic drain and vent systems that extended to connect to a monitoring station at the
junction with the building sewer. In this case, glass piping was selected, offering the benefits and
longevity of that material. On the highest level, a bio safety containment facility was added for critical
research in a fully secure environment. Even though this floor used products and materials identical to
the adjacent lower floors, the piping circuits were segregated and protected from potential discharge to
the environment until passing through a sterilization facility. Even the vents were filtered to prevent
uncontrolled discharge to the environment. This containment facility also housed a small population of
research animals, which were appropriately safeguarded and cared for, including cage-washing and
autoclave equipment to protect against infection. Drainage from this equipment is a high-temperature
waste, which often causes difficulty with leakage when using one of the available plastic products.
Multiple water temperatures required for different operations lead to another increase in piping
andpenetrations. This is not only for the supply side, such as cold water distribution, but also for the
circulating hot water piping. Usually each water temperature must circulate independently, but
occasionally multiple risers or multiple-temperature circulating piping can be combined to return to the
heater or mixing valve. Finally, there are the medical gases. Code requires distribution for patient uses
to be horizontal, on each floor, with zone valve boxes and area alarm panels. These distribution systems
must be fed from sources that are usually remote, thus requiring another set of supply risers. Illustration
A particular new hospital has a number of additional plumbing design opportunities beyond those
associated with high-rise construction. First, this project is an infill project, constructed between two
wings of an existing high-rise hospital, one of which is also involved in a vertical expansion and facility
upgrade to the ICU floors. A second interesting task was the relocation of several active drainage
systems serving the hospital and exiting through this project’s site, which include primary and secondary
storm drainage, sanitary drainage, relocation of the grease waste drainage from a significant food
preparation area, installation of a new passive-type interceptor, relocation of acid-resistant drainage
from a major laboratory function, and installation of a new acid neutralization basin. The new
interceptor and neutralization basin and outfalls are located in the private perimeter roadway that
surrounds the building. Another area of coordination with the underground systems is the addition of a
new branch from the central utilities on campus, designed and installed as a separate contract by a
separate engineering and contracting team. This included high-pressure steam and condensate, chilled
water supply and return, emergency power duct bank, primary high-voltage power supply, telephone,
and fibre optic. All of these modifications were required to be completed before the first-floor slab was
poured. Even after the underground adventures were covered, the building continued to present
creative opportunities to the design team. The slab spacing’s were determined to copy those in the
existing hospital, which were very short intervals. This led to an approach that is commonly used for
hotel-type construction, using multiple vertical risers placed in the toilet chases to serve multiple floors.
Of course, this approach was required to be modified because of the irregular stacking of like fixture
groups from floor to floor and the relatively large floor plates (varying between 22,000 and 24,000
square feet per floor). Additional complexity was provided by the modern HVAC requirements for
medical facilities and the impact of ceiling plenums, high-density communication and datasystems, and
high ceiling elevations for more spacious aesthetics on typical patient care floors. Interspersed
throughout the building are specialty areas, such as isolation rooms, patient preparation, patient step-
down recovery, and ADA-accessible patient rooms. he ultimate solution for the project was a combined
system using large, centrally spaced main waste and main vent stacks that allowed each smaller fixture
riser to extend to the main stacks individually or as a building drain. The riser diagram that resulted has a
distinctive fan- or brush-shaped outline where all piping funnels together into the main stack. In the final
configuration, this building ended with three main soil, waste, and vent stacks, two main rainwater
stacks, one main water supply riser, and one main medical gas riser. Description As this discussion
illustrates, modern high-rise design is often a series of design concepts that must be tested through
analysis and coordination and then adjusted during the coordination period to maximize flexibility and
constructability. This exercise is critical for all building trades but especially so for plumbing systems, for
which piping must be accurately placed or accounted for in the early construction phases, while the
fixture mounting and finishing connections are made much later after the piping systems are concealed.
It also highlights the need for designers and engineers to be familiar with the work of their peers in
other trades. This allows for a certain amount of anticipation between trades, which should be beneficial
to the overall project. In summary, It has quickly reviewed the process of high-rise plumbing design,
particularly focusing on pressure control and the impact of piping systems on the general construction
of the building. One can see that although many solutions are routine and similar in application, each
approach has trade-offs that must be identified, evaluated, and committed to on each unique project.
This understanding supports the notion that good engineering is thoughtful and proactive and that good
engineers are open to frank discussion and understanding pertaining to their own trade work, as well as
that of other trades that are involved in the building.

IV. PRESSURE BREAKS

V. PLUMBING INSTRUMENTS &PIPING MATERIALS Maintainance and Management: - It is governed by

following Institutes. - Survey of Plumbing system - Standards of water Quality Examination - Water
Certificate(Fresh Water Plumbing Quality Maintainance Recognition Scheme) by WSD. - Building Health
& Hygiene Index(BHHI) by HKU. - Intelligent Index(IBI)-10 by Asian Institute of Intelligent Buildings(AIIB).
Precaution Plumbing design must be verified &approved by Plumbing Authorities Indirect system
often results in inadequate pressure for uppermost floors due to the short water heads(the pressure
by gravity from the cistern on roof to the upper floor,ie a few meters.The pressure may not be
adequate to activate gas heaters,etc .Hence booster pumps may be installed on the upper-most
floors.Alternatively a separate water tank may be constructed. The pressure may be too high for lower
most floors.Pressure reducing valves may be installer on the lower most floors. UPVC, CPVC, Copper
pipes must be preferred as compared to GI pipes. Pressure regulating valves and more and secured
fixings should be fixed for avoiding water hammering. VI. CONCLUSION In design and construction, all
high-rise buildings are significant undertakings for everyone involved. All buildings are unique in form
and specific design solutions. It takes a collaborative effort and a determined outlook to achieve success
in high-rise desieate a design that is robust enough to serve the needs of the building for years to come
and still provide for affordable construction. REFERENCE [1] WSD(2000) Installation Notes of Different of
Corrosion Resistance Pipe Materials as Inside Service in Buildings,WSD,Honkong. [2] WSD(2001,[revised
edition in 2006]Hand book for Plumbing Installation in Buildings,WSD,Hong Kong. [3] WSD(2004)Hong
Kong Waterworks Standard Requirements for Plumbinginstallation in Buildings,WSD Hong Kong.

[4] WSD(2005)Fresher Water Plumbing Maintenance Guide WSD.Hong Kong.