To keep your place comfortable, whether it is your home or your commercial space, having a plumbing system is essential. Imagine a place without a working plumbing system. You won’t be able to shower, wash your hands, use the toilet, wash the dishes, run the washing machine, or water your lawn. Most people have the idea that the only function of your plumbing system is just water distribution. What they don’t know is that plumbing systems are responsible for something bigger than just water distribution.

Your plumbing system is used for water supply in buildings. It is the one responsible for supplying water to kitchen toilet outlets via the distribution system of pipes. As a building owner, it’s important that you have a basic understanding of how your plumbing system works in order for you to be able to take proper care of it and prevent costly breakdowns. Read this blog post to learn about the different parts of a plumbing system.

There are three major parts of a plumbing system:

1. Pipes and Fittings

These are essentially the skeleton of a plumbing system. The function of pipes is to transport water from the main city line or well, throughout your building, and finally, to the individual places where it needs to go. On the other hand, the fittings are the parts that connect each pipe to the next one.

Fittings are responsible for allowing the pipes to change angles and make the best use of the space inside your walls, ceilings, and floors. Most plumbing systems are composed of two sets of pipes and fittings where one set is for cold water and the other is for hot. The most commonly used materials for pipes in a plumbing system are copper, brass, PVC, or lead.

2. Fixtures

The water that is carried by pipes throughout your building needs an ultimate place to go. This is where your fixtures come in. When we say fixtures, we mean your bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, tubs and showers, water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, and any other appliance in your building the requires water. Some fixtures draw water on an as-needed basis, while others draw water from the pipes at the turn of a handle or press of a button.

3. Drainage

After traveling through your pipes and then out of your fixtures, it needs a place to go once again. When you don’t have a drainage system in place, your building would quickly get flooded after a couple of showers. Each fixture actually has its own drain connecting the main drain line where excess water and any other waste that goes down the drain will end up in the city sewer or your own septic system. That’s why it is important that you make sure your drains are cared for properly. It can be a huge problem to deal with (and both a messy and smelly problem!) if your drains get backed up and start overflowing.

Final Thoughts

Your plumbing system is actually much more complex than this but with these basics in mind, you will be able to grasp a better understanding of how your plumbing works and know where a potential problem could occur. Keep in mind that a plumbing system is one of the most important parts of a building to improve its functionality. Because they are responsible for the water distribution and waste disposal, always ensure that they are planned in compliance with plumbing code and home design.

Well, that was your plumbing system in a nutshell. For more informative blogs about construction projects or to find an expert in the Dayton region, stay connected to the HBA of Dayton.