ENGINEERING APPROACH TO WATER PIPE SIZING.

There are two basic engineering methods for sizing water piping. One computes the total consumption for a given period, and then provides a supply network that has at least the 'average' capacity available for the time period. The second computes the maximum possible gpm demand based on the actual fixtures involved with an elevated or air-charged tank provided only if necessary. This article compares both systems of water pipe sizing, along with the fixture unit sizing approach. It concludes that a sizing method based on an engineering approach should be universally accepted as indicated in this article for buildings where assumptions on the safe side permit pipe sizes smaller than the handbook approach of the fixture unit sizing methodology.