Collector water supply scheme

What is a collector water supply scheme

A collector water supply scheme is the distribution (laying) of water pipes from a single distribution device to each water consumer (plumbing device) of the apartment independently of each other. Moreover, each device can be disconnected from the water independently.

At the same time, you need to understand that the apartment essentially has two water pipes. One for cold water (CW) and the second for hot water (DHW).

The device from which the water supply is extended (installed) is called a collector. In the apartment's water supply collector circuit there should be at least two of them, for cold and hot water.

Collectors are installed after the apartment's water supply system in specially made plumbing cabinets.

Common installation mistakes

It is best to entrust the design of a water supply system, both collector and tee, to professionals familiar with building codes and capable of performing hydraulic calculations. But even the best project will be useless if mistakes are made during its implementation.

Shut-off valves are part of any water supply scheme: both sequential and collector. They are installed at the entrance to the water supply system, as well as in front of each plumbing fixture.

For example, some would-be craftsmen, driven by the thought of unreasonable savings, neglect the requirement to insulate hot water pipes that are laid under the floor or in the thickness of the walls.

As a result, part of the thermal energy is transferred to the materials surrounding the pipe, which deteriorates the quality of the water. In addition, condensation from the surface of pipes without thermal insulation can damage the finishing of the room.

During installation work, experienced craftsmen recommend covering the ends of pipes that have not yet been installed to prevent debris from getting into them. The absence of this protective measure may lead to the fact that immediately after installation the water supply system will have to be thoroughly and for a long time flushed or even repaired.

When soldering polypropylene water pipes, you should remember that slight dirt or moisture at the soldering site can significantly impair the quality of the work

If soldering of plastic pipes is necessary, all work should be performed in a clean room to avoid contamination. It is also unacceptable to solder pipes that contain even a small amount of moisture. A drop of water or particles of debris at the soldering site can significantly weaken the connection and degrade its quality.

You should not design the water supply system in such a way that all pipes pass through the ceiling through one common hole. This may degrade the performance of the water supply. Professional designers never make such mistakes.

When drawing up a wiring plan, it is necessary to ensure that the pipes do not block access to the joints. This will make repairs much easier in the event of a leak.

An insufficient number of locking devices can also cause a lot of trouble during installation work. Such fittings must be present in front of each device to which water is supplied, as well as for each riser. If the house has more than one bathroom, you can install a shut-off valve for each of them.

Simultaneously with the water supply system, sewerage is usually designed and installed. It is necessary to ensure that the pipes and risers of individual systems do not overlap each other. This will make maintenance and repair work easier in the future.

Advantages and disadvantages of a collector water supply system

Among the undoubted advantages of the collector water supply scheme, I would include

Ease of maintenance of the water supply system. You can turn off any device independently of others.
Possibility of connecting new household appliances with pipeline connections without dismantling the existing water supply circuit.

The disadvantages of the collector circuit include the increased cost of plumbing installation work and the consumption of more materials, since a separate pipeline must be connected to the devices.

Also, high-quality water distribution using a collector circuit can only be done during a major renovation of an apartment bathroom.

Leak protection system

Even the most reliable and modern water supply system includes connections with sealing gaskets and flexible hoses. According to statistics from insurance companies, these elements are the main causes of leaks in the apartment.

In order to protect yourself, you need to install a leakage protection system. The system consists of a ball valve with a servo drive, a control module and sensors. When water hits the sensor, the system gives a command to close the tap.

It is important to note that the leakage protection system should be installed immediately after the shut-off valve - this will help minimize the number of unprotected connections.

Read more about the leakage protection system >>

There are a large number of protection systems on the market, but our company recommends installing the Akvastorozh system. It has proven itself well, and the manufacturer provides good, timely service.

Water supply collector diagram drawing

The figure below shows a water supply diagram using a collector circuit. This is a common option offered as an example.

Manifold water supply wiring diagram

See the diagram above.

1.3 - Ball valves for heated towel rails;
2 - Ball valve to the bypass jumper;
4 - Main, emergency ball valve for hot water;
5 - Coarse filter;
6 - Accounting counter;
7 — fine filter with a brass mesh 100 microns;
8 - Pressure reducer, for houses without booster pumps;
9 - Collector;
10 - Main, emergency ball valve for cold water.

Tee circuit and its features

Technically, the tee scheme for distributing water supply in an apartment is a serial connection - one pipe departs from the riser, to which plumbing and other water-consuming equipment are connected using tees.

The advantages of such a system are:

economical (with a series connection, a minimum number of pipes is required),
ease of installation.

The tee scheme for distributing water supply in an apartment also has its disadvantages:

a large number of connections and serial connection make it difficult to find leaks,
there is always a risk of pressure drops in the system and a decrease in pressure at the points furthest from the riser when several taps are turned on simultaneously,
if it is necessary to carry out repair work, a complete shutdown of the water supply will be required, which represents a certain inconvenience,
Installing tees is not always convenient in small spaces.

An example of a tee water supply wiring diagram.
Tee water supply diagrams are recommended for small apartments . With a small number of consumption points and their location close to each other, many disadvantages become less relevant - in this case it is much easier to coordinate water consumption, which means the risk of pressure loss is minimized.

When installing a tee circuit, the tees are often hidden in the walls or under the floor, which complicates inspection of communications, and during repairs inevitably leads to damage to the finish.

What is a collector

A manifold, or comb, is a plumbing device that has one input and several outputs. Control valves are installed at each outlet to change and shut off the water flow. Copper, steel, polymer, and metal-plastic water pipes can be connected to the collectors.

Manifolds are available with the ability to connect water supply from both sides. During installation, one input is plugged. Collectors are available with different numbers of leads. The most common collectors are 2,3,4,5,7 pins. Manufacturers are very diverse. Depending on the company, the price and quality of collectors differ. Here is a list of manifold manufacturers selling in Russia:

VALTEC Russia;
Italian company Far;
German Rehau;
Italian Tiemme;
Italian Luxor;
UNI-FITT Italy;
Polish Solomon.

Main water filters

There are situations when the quality of water is very poor - it has odors and all kinds of impurities of chemical elements that are harmful to human health. In these situations, main water filters are used. Filter elements are selected based on the results of laboratory water tests. When installing a main filter, it is advisable to provide a bypass (jumper) - this will allow you to use water when replacing the filter.

We recommend using main filters with stainless steel flasks in your apartment, as they have a long service life, are not subject to corrosion, and have a simple procedure for replacing the filter element.

Operating principle of a water supply collector circuit

The operating principle of the water supply collector circuit is very simple. Water under pressure enters the manifold and is distributed through the outlet outlets. Each collector outlet has its own control or shut-off valve.

Collector shut-off valves, theoretically, do not regulate the water supply pressure into the apartment’s water supply system. The water is completely shut off in half a turn. Such valves are designed for about 4000 cycles, turning off and on.

Control valves can regulate the flow of water, like a faucet faucet. A very convenient thing, especially if your house has strong water pressure. Rated for 8000 cycles.

Water supply wiring diagram

The layout of water supply pipes is, most of all, necessary for the owner of the apartment. A detailed plan helps to accurately navigate the location of various elements of the highway. No special permits are required to draw up a detailed plan. Only when registering the meter, city water utility workers can ask for this scheme.

Creating a complete circuit according to all standards, even for a professional craftsman, is a serious job. Because such a scheme for a country house with a summer kitchen is necessary for approval of the project. For an apartment, it is enough to draw a diagram where everything will be simple and clear. Such a plan should include:

Water supply pipes.
Accounting mechanisms.
Emergency drains and valves.
Shut-off valves.
Water collection points.
Branches for natural use.
Direction of water movement.

The collector and any other distribution of water supply pipes must be carried out according to a scheme that will be understandable not only to the owner of the apartment. Therefore, there are certain norms and rules for drawing collector and other circuits. In this case, they recommend:

do not use isometrics, otherwise the intersections of pipes will confuse the entire manifold or tee circuit.
Do not overuse arrows and pointers so as not to confuse the plan.
Shut-off valves and metering devices must be indicated according to the rules and clearly.
The diameter and type of pipe products must be indicated.

As a result, it turns out that the collector or tee circuit must be drawn up according to strictly defined standards and must be without frills.

How to calculate the diameter of a pipe assortment

The diameter of the water supply pipes should be calculated correctly.
And such a calculation is needed for a reason. After all, the smaller the diameter of the pipe, the less it costs. And on the reverse side, an excessively small diameter of the pipeline causes turbulization of the liquid. In this case, the throughput function of the main line decreases, and at a normal level of pressure from the tap, very little water will flow. For a pipeline in an apartment, you can correctly calculate the diameter yourself. The initial parameters are as follows:

The lowest pressure is 0.3 atm.
For 1 meter of a 16 mm tubular product, the pressure loss can be 0.05 atm.
Pressure loss per fitting connection is possible at 0.15 atm.
At the water intake point, losses are 0.25 atm.
The headroom for the most distant point can be at least double.

Now, it is necessary to find out whether the sequential distribution of water supply pipes in the apartment will be equipped with the necessary pressure at the most distant point. Will the current assortment be enough for a consistent design, or will it be necessary to purchase larger pipes?

The pressure level at the bottom of the risers is determined using a pressure gauge, then 0.6 atm is subtracted for each floor. But in multi-storey buildings such a calculation is not acceptable. In order not to increase the cost of construction in housing, risers are removed separately from the building. First, this is done on the lower, and then on the upper and middle floors.

Horizontal distribution of water supply pipes is characterized by a nonlinear dependence of heat loss in the pipeline. Such losses depend on the flow speed, which in turn depends on the cross-section of the pipe structure.

The slightly increased diameter of the range significantly reduces heat loss. For these reasons, a simple design in a 20 mm apartment with 16 mm bends functions properly.

In more complex situations, a specialist will be able to calculate the water supply diameter. Such people have all the necessary formulas and nomograms for this work.

What tools and materials will be needed for work?

To work on assembling the highway, you will need a standard set of tools.
These are: a welding machine, a tape measure, devices for cutting and bending pipes. Before purchasing materials, you need to carefully calculate the footage. Also, before installation, doing it yourself, you will have to dismantle the old pipeline. This replacement is performed using traditional methods. In an apartment, it is better to do this after turning off the water measuring device, so as not to turn off the water supply to other floors for a long time.

Another tip that will be useful in this situation is that you should not take a valve with a lever. It is made of plastic, which tends to break at the most inopportune moment. It is better to use a ball device with a butterfly-shaped handle to shut off the water supply.

Pipe selection

Wiring made of metal-plastic pipes

In order to correctly install the water supply system in your apartment with your own hands, it is recommended to use either metal-plastic pipes or purely plastic ones.

As for the use of steel or copper options, it is better to avoid them, because working with them requires not only skill, but also additional traumatic tools for cutting, welding and bending.

However, they remain the best option for creating a water supply system. No deposits appear on their walls during use, and the fairly low thermal conductivity makes it possible to use such pipes to provide hot water supply.

Of the variety of plastic pipes, polypropylene pipes are considered the best in terms of price/quality ratio. To solder polypropylene pipes, a special “soldering iron” is used, which is very easy to learn how to use.

Selection of pipes for water supply

If, nevertheless, you decide to lay the water supply system in your home yourself, after developing the diagram, you should choose the pipes suitable for the water supply system. First of all, you need to accurately determine the number of pipes for the water supply. In this case, in the process of calculating the diameter and length, it is necessary to take into account all the turns and slopes that will arise when laying out the water supply and installing various elements.

As for the diameter of the pipes for the water supply system, the minimum diameter of the pipes that can be used for installing a water supply system in a private house should be 32 mm. The minimum diameter of pipes for water supply of 32 mm is selected regardless of the material from which the pipes are made. In other words, whether polypropylene pipes or traditional steel pipes - in any case, the diameter of the pipe for water supply in a private house must be at least 32 mm.

In addition to the diameter of the pipes and their length, pay attention to the method of connecting the pipes to each other. Remember that absolutely all connections between water supply pipes must be tight and reliable. If you are planning to install water pipes yourself, ask yourself the question: will you be able to make a reliable connection of water pipes?

If you are planning to install water pipes yourself, ask yourself the question: will you be able to make a reliable connection of water pipes?

So, for example, if you have chosen polypropylene pipes to install the water supply system at home, you must understand that to connect them you will need a special soldering iron, the operating principle of which you yourself will have to understand. In addition, for soldering pipes of different diameters, in addition to the soldering iron itself, you will also need special nozzles of various diameters. A soldering iron for welding pipes of different diameters is shown in the photo:

Among other things, when choosing pipes for installing a water supply system with your own hands, you need to consider the following points:

When choosing pipes for water supply in a private house, be sure to check that they are intended for the food water supply systems of a private house from a well or borehole. The diameter of the water supply pipes does not matter here - both larger and smaller diameter pipes must be food grade.

There are cases when not entirely conscientious sellers sell pipes for technical purposes, passing them off as pipes for food water supply. Of course, the price of technical pipes is an order of magnitude lower than the price of food pipes, but savings in this situation are simply inappropriate.

Since when connecting the water supply of a house to a centralized water supply system or a pumping station of a well or well in the case of an autonomous water supply, the pipes will be laid in dug trenches, it is necessary to think about insulating the pipes. To insulate water supply pipes when installing a water supply system, as a rule, special mineral wool is used.
If, when installing a water supply system, its pipes will be laid above the ground without placing them in trenches, insulation will also be required. When installing a water supply system above ground, in addition to mineral wool, other insulation materials can be used. If the installation of a water supply system is carried out in a region with very low temperatures in the winter, in addition to insulation, it is recommended to use active heating of the water supply pipes of the house in the form of a heating electric cable. The price of a heating cable is quite high, but its use will completely eliminate the possible freezing of water pipes at home.

Laying methods - hidden and open system

Pipes in the water supply system can be laid in closed or open ways. The choice of one of the methods does not affect the quality of the connections or the functionality of the entire system and depends only on personal preferences.

It would seem that it is not difficult to decide and the closed method is preferable as it is more aesthetic and allows saving up to 10 cm of usable space. Why is an open pipeline still used when installing a water supply system? Let's try to give an answer.

Hidden wiring allows you to hide pipes and not spoil the aesthetic perception of the interior of a house or apartment. The hidden method is used when assembling a water supply system from PP pipes. They hide the contour behind a decorative wall, for example, made of plasterboard, or they groove the walls and insert pipes into the resulting niches, sealing them with facing material or plaster over a mesh.

The pipeline should not be tightly adjacent to the surfaces - always leave a small gap for possible repairs. When installing a pipeline into a monolith, it is recommended to place them in a casing, inserting the pipe into the pipe.

The disadvantage of the method appears when there is a need to repair or replace hidden elements of the system - the plaster or tiling has to be opened and then re-decorated.

In addition, in the event of damage and leaks, the problem may not be detected immediately and lead first to a loss of operational technical characteristics of the structures, then to flooding of the premises.

It is better to start installing a water supply system with a pre-drawn diagram - otherwise errors in calculations or assembly will lead to the need to cut new grooves and re-install the pipes

To avoid such difficulties, when installing the wiring, only whole sections of the pipe are hidden, placing connecting fittings in open areas. Inconspicuous doors are made in places where shut-off valves are installed. This gives access during maintenance to pipe connections, which are the weakest links in the system.

It should also be noted that pipes made of not all materials can be hidden under a layer of plaster - only products made of polypropylene, metal-plastic or copper are suitable for this.

Open pipe laying is carried out after finishing is completed. The method involves the uncovered laying of pipes and water supply elements. It looks ugly and reduces the usable area of the room, but at the same time this method is very convenient for maintenance, repair and dismantling of elements.

Redevelopment and rearrangement of plumbing in the house with such a plumbing arrangement will also not cause difficulties.

Open wiring makes it possible to quickly detect the location of a leak and eliminate the cause of breakdown or damage to system elements

Collector type of pipe routing - features and nuances

The collector type of pipe routing in heating and water supply systems is more promising than the classic version with tees. After all, the main benefit of the collector circuit - the ability to accurately adjust the pressure of the transported liquid - is obvious to both pipeline specialists and homeowners.

However, the beam circuit (also known as collector wiring) also has a downside: it is very complex and its implementation will require a lot more pipes and fittings.

Well, we are only ready to push the process of making a final decision by describing to our readers the structure of collector circuits and the installation diagram of such systems.