BUILDING SERVICES I

Water supply system

Water supply system

Source

leading the treated

water to consumers
through distribution
pipes

Drawing of water
from the source,
known as intake

Storage reservoir

Leading water from

intakes to
purification plants

Purification plant

Pumps
Mechanical device or arrangement by which
the water is caused to flow at increased
pressure
Purposes
Increase pressure
Raw water from source to treatment plant
Clear water to elevated storage reservoir
Throw water directly to distribution system

Types of pumps
Air lift pump
for pumping water from deep wells
For lifts about 60m

Centrifugal pumps - Used in water supply

schemes
Displacement pumps
Reciprocating pump and Rotary pump

Hydraulic ram lift of about 30m

Jet pump deep wells of about 50 ltrs/second

Conveyance of water
Through gravity conduits or pressure conduits
Gravity conduits
Open channels
Considerable loss of water due to evaporation,
percolation, etc.
Chance for contamination

Pressure conduits
Form of pipes
Size of pipe (A) is determined by considering two
factors
Discharge through pipe (Q)
Permissible velocity of flow in pipe (V)

Pipes
Pipe material is selected depending on forces
to be resisted, type of water, durability etc
Usual stresses
Change of direction
Internal water pressure
Soil above pipes
Water hammer
Yielding of soil below pipes
Temperature stresses

Types of pipes

Asbestos cement pipes

Cast-iron pipes
Cement concrete pipes
Copper pipes
Galvanized iron (GI) pipes
Lead pipes
Plastic pipes
Steel pipes

Asbestos cement pipes

Made from a mixture of asbestos fibres and
cement
Used to convey water at very low pressure
Use is very much restricted

Asbestos cement pipes

Advantages
Inside surface is very smooth
Joints are easy
Anti-corrosive and cheap
Light weight and easy to handle
Suitable for small size

Asbestos cement pipes

Disadvantages
Brittle
Cannot stand impact forces
Cannot resist traffic vibrations under roads
Not durable
Cannot be laid in exposed places
Can only be used for very low pressures

Cast-iron pipes
Extensively used
Available in diameter about 1200mm or more
Inner and outer surfaces are given anticorrosion treatment
Classified into four categories based ability
to withstand pressure

Cast-iron pipes
Advantages
Moderate cost
Easy to join
Not subject to corrosion
Strong and durable
Life time of about 100 years

Cast-iron pipes
Disadvantages
Breakages are common
Carrying capacity is seen to decrease with time
Not used for pressures greater than 0.7N/mm2
Heavier and uneconomical at larger diameters

Cement concrete pipes

May be plain, reinforced or prestressed
Diameters 500mm to 2500mm

Cement concrete pipes

Advantages
Inside surface can be made smooth
Low maintenance cost
Durable
Can be cast at site
Can be used under water, not affected by
buoyancy
Does not require expansion joints

Cement concrete pipes

Disadvantages
Heavy and difficult to transport
Likely to crack during transport and handling
Affected by acids, alkalies and salty waters
Can cause leakage due to porosity

Copper pipes
Used in conveyance of hot water in buildings
and steam boilers
Do not sag or bend due to hot water
Not liable to corrosion
Can be bent easily
Very costly
Not used for water distribution

Galvanized iron pipes

Widely used for service connections

Diameters 6mm to 75mm
Cheap, light weight, easy to handle
Easy to join
Affected by acidic and alkaline water
Short life 7 10 years

Lead pipes
Not adopted for conveying water lead
poisoning
Easily bent less number of fittings required
React with acidic water
Used for apparatus required for alum or
chlorine dosages
Sag and bend due to heat

Plastic pipes

Various types of plastics available

Low density polyethylene pipes are flexible
High density polyethylene pipes are tough
Black in colour and resistant to most
chemicals
PVC pipes are three times as rigid as PE
Used in water mains

Plastic pipes
Advantages
Cheap
Durable, enough strength to resist impact,
sunlight and atmospheric conditions
Flexible, lightweight, easy to bend join and handle
No corrosion
Electric insulators

Plastic pipes
Disadvantages
Co-efficient of expansion is very high
Difficult to obtain uniform composition
Less resistant to heat
May impart taste to water

Steel pipes
Made from mild steel
Diameters greater than 1200mm
Surfaces are generally galvanised

Intakes
Structure constructed across the surface of
water so as to permit the withdrawal of water
from the source
To be constructed watertight, and be designed
for all forces likely to come upon it
Four types: Canal intakes, reservoir or lake
intakes, river intakes, portable intakes

Purification plants

Sedimentation tanks
Coagulation
Filtration
Disinfection
Water softening
Miscellaneous processes

Water softening

Water should not be very hard

Affects dyeing systems
Causes corrosion of pipes
More consumption of soap
Makes food tasteless, tough and rubbery
Scales on boilers and water heaters

Temporary hardness
Carbonate hardness
Due to soluble bicarbonates of calcium and
magnesium
Can be removed either by boiling or adding
lime
Forms insoluble carbonates which can be
removed in sedimentation tanks

Permanent hardness
Non-carbonate hardness
Due to sulphates, chlorides and nitrates of
calcium and magnesium
Water softening treatment is required
Lime-soda process
Zeolite process
Demineralisation process
Reverse osmosis

Lime-soda process
Lime and sodium carbonate are used
Hardness brought down to 3-4 degrees
By-products
CaCO3 and MgCO3 are separated by sedimentation
Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2 are insoluble
Na2SO4 and NaCl doesnt cause hardness

Zeolite process

Base-exchange or ion-exchange process

Compounds of aluminium, silica and soda
Excellent property of interchanging base
Naturally available zeolite green sand
Most common artificial zeolite permutit
Hard water is passed through a bed of zeolite
Ca and Mg are replaced by Na
Hardness is reduced to 0

Demineralization process

Deionisation process
Similar to zeolite process
Hard water passed through a bed of resin
Ca and Mg are replaced by H
H2Y + CaCl2 = CaY + 2HCl
Acids can be removed by adding alkaline
water
Mainly used in industries

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Methods of distribution
Gravity system
Water is conveyed by gravity only
Most reliable method
Source of water supply is at higher level

Gravity and pumping system combined

Treated water is pumped and stored in an
elevated reservoir

Pumping system
Water is directly pumped into the mains leading
to the consumers

Service reservoirs
To store clear, treated water before it is
dispatched to the consumers
Serves as storage for emergencies such as
breakdown of pumps, heavy fire demand,
interruption in power supply, etc.
Three types:
Surface reservoirs
Elevated reservoirs
Stand pipes

Systems of supply of water

Continuous system
Water is supplied to consumers for 24 hours a day
Most ideal system of supply
Disadvantage - considerable wastage of water

Intermittent system
Water is supplied during certain fixed hours of day
Usual period is about one to four hours in the
morning and about the same period in the afternoon
Main disadvantage - quantity of water available may
not be sufficient to meet with various demands for
water

LAYOUT OF DISTRIBUTION PIPES

Dead-end method
Tree system
One supply main
Sub-mains are taken
from it
Again divide into several
branch lines
Service connections are
taken from branch lines

Grid iron
Interlaced system or
reticulation system
Main, sub-mains and
branches are
interconnected

Circular method
Ring system
Ring of mains is formed around the
distribution area
Distribution area is divided into rectangular
blocks
Mains are laid on the periphery

Radial system
Water is taken from the
mains and pumped into
the distribution
reservoirs which are
situated at centres of
different zones
Water is supplied
through radially laid
pipes

PIPE APPURTENANCES

Air valves
Bib cocks
Fire hydrants
Reflux valves
Relief valves
Scour valves
Sluice valves
Stop cocks
Water meters

Air valves

Air relief valves

Air locking reduces discharge
Provide exit for accumulated air in pipes
Located at higher points

Bib cocks
Water taps attached to end of pipes
Operated by turning a handle
Push type bib cocks close automatically

Fire hydrants
Outlet provided for tapping water in case of a
fire
Generally placed at street junctions
Flush hydrant and post hydrant

Reflux valves
Check valves or non-return valves
Automatic device, allows water to go in one
direction only
Valve swings around the pivot when water
flows in one direction
When the flow is reversed, it pushes the valve
back to its closed position

Relief valves
Automatic cut-off valves or safety valves
Located at points where pressure is likely to
be maximum
When pressure exceeds a limit, valve opens
automatically and lets out the water or air
until the pressure is normalised

Sluice valves
Gate valves, shut-off valves or stop valves
Control the flow of water and divides the
water mains into sections
Placed at 150 200m intervals and junctions
Opening and closing is done by rotating the
handle

Scour valves
Blow-off valve, drain valves or washout valve
Ordinary sluice valve at dead-ends or lowest
points
To remove sand or silt deposited in the pipe
Operated by hand and closed as soon as clear
water starts coming out

Stop cocks
Small sized sluice valves, installed in service
pipes
Operate just like sluice valves
Placed on water pipes leading to flush tanks,
wash basins, water tanks etc

Water meters
Devices which measure the quantity of water
flowing at a particular point along the pipe
Helps in working out the quantity of water
supplied and the consumers can be charged
Positive displacement type and velocity
meters

References:
Hammer, Hammer Jr. (2011). Water and Waste Water Technology. PHI Learning Private
Limited.
Rangwala, S.C. (1998). Fundamentals of Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering.
Charotar Publishing Company, Anand.
Panchdhari, A.C. (1993). Water Supply and Sanitary Installations. Wiley Eastern Limited.