line velocity
With new rules and varying codes, setting up drain systems for pools and spas is more complicated than it once was, notes Paolo Benedetti. Here, he offers a bit of technical advice that will help clarify the process -- and make it easier for systems to pass inspection.
Pipes are pipes, right? Anything that moves water from point A to point B will get the job done, so long as it doesn't leak, right? Well, not right, as I discuss in the video linked below. Of all the conceptual advances made within the watershaping industry in the past 20 years, I'd have to say that watershapers' awareness that pipe size really does matter and that big pipes are
Of all the concepts of hydraulic-system design, there are few that have more importance than the correlation between water flow (that is, capacity expressed as gallons per minute) and line velocity (the speed at which the water travels). As water travels through a pipe, its increase in speed (that is, its line velocity) results in an increase in resistance (expressed as feet of head) and in a reduction of end pressure, which is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). In other words, an increase in friction losses and a drop in pressure is the result of increased water velocity at a given flow. If that makes sense to you without further explanation, then you know much of what you need to know when it comes to
Of all the concepts of hydraulic-system design, there are few that have more importance than the correlation between water flow (that is, capacity expressed as gallons per minute) and line velocity (the speed at which the water travels). As water travels through a pipe, its increase in speed (that is, its line velocity) results in an increase in resistance (expressed as feet of head) and in a reduction of end pressure, which is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). In other words, an increase in friction losses and a drop in pressure is the result of increased water velocity at a given flow. If that makes sense to you without further explanation, then you know much of what you need to know when it comes to selecting pipes and fittings and setting up a watershape's plumbing system. If it doesn't, this article will cover the basics - from selecting pipes and sizing lines to
