Question: Independent Living Developments Inc. has recently awarded a project for the first phase of the detailed design of a system to deliver potable water from a bore-well to a 2-floor, 12-apartment residence to a mechanical engineering consulting firm. In this first phase of the project, the client has requested that the design be restricted to include elements associated with the extraction of water from a bore-well in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of their proposed residential complex and to deliver it at a pressure of 100 psia at the inlet to each floor riser. This phase of the project is not to include any aspects of the design of the bore-well or the layout of the internal plumbing systems of the building. Detailed drawings of items such as connections and penetrations are not required at this time. The proposed construction site is a rectangular plot of land with an area of ½ -acre that has road access on one side and land on the other three sides. The footprint of the 12-apartment complex is planned to be 60 ft × 120 ft. Any existing building structures on the plot of land have been slated for demolition.
The complex will be located in an area where the average outdoor temperature in winter is -4?F, and in the summer, 80?F. The apartment complex will have a basement, which will serve as a storage area and mechanical room and will have a foundation that is 6 ft below grade and a clear height of 8 ft to meet the requirements of the International Building Code. The first floor has eight 2-bedroom apartments (floor area 800-1000 ft2 each and height 10 ft) and the second floor has four 3-bedroom apartments (floor area 1000-1200 ft2 each and height 10 ft). There is an existing bore-well located 50 ft from the proposed building. Standard draw down and recovery tests that were conducted at the well depth of 100 ft showed that the well could support continuous extraction of water at 10 gpm. Through consultation with the local utility company, it was found that each person uses approximately 60 gallons of water per day. In order to guarantee the availability of sufficient amounts of water, the client has requested the use of a water storage tank.
With reference and adherence to the International Building Code and the International Plumbing Code (or Uniform Plumbing Code), design the piping system required to deliver water from the well to the floors of the complex (up to and including the floor risers). The designer should ensure that necessary components such as pumps, pipes, valves, piping accessories, the tank and its size, to name a few, are clearly specified. Further Information: The design engineer may consider the use of a foot valve(a type of check valve), complete with a strainer at the inlet to the piping system. This will ensure that the pumps are properly primed, that is, completely filled with water before the start of pumping. Other alternatives may include a submersible pump complete with a foot valve.
