Where do the pipes of the hydraulic installation pass?

Every property, whether residential or business, needs hydraulic installations. They are the ones who ensure that the water from the public network, which supplies the city, reaches the building’s taps, showers and water tanks.

The hydraulic installation consists of pipes of different diameters, which are connected to each other and other elements to form a single network. To make this connection, adapters such as those called “knees” are used.

Hydraulic installations are usually hidden, which usually creates great difficulties when there are leaks and infiltrations. At the top, that is, on the surface and visibly, devices such as drains, valves and vents are placed.

In this post, we’ll show you where the plumbing is located in a home or business!

Hydraulic installation crosses walls and floors
The water pipes run under the floor and inside the walls, but at some points they can become visible.

It is important to mention that hydraulic installations involve, in addition to the distributor’s water supply networks, sewage pipes, rainwater and gas. Gas pipes are mostly used in industries.

In the beginning, the most used material in piping was galvanized steel, copper, cast iron and, more recently, PVC. Research has advanced and currently there are pipes made of crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), random polypropylene (PPR) and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC).

Gas pipes, in turn, cannot be made of plastic material, only copper, iron or other metal. For rainwater and sewage pipes, iron is a highly applied and functional raw material.

The pipes of a residence:
To better understand, consider the basic plumbing installation of a particular home.

The water inlet tube:
Under the floor, there is a pipe that corresponds to the water inlet, that is, the water that is supplied by the distributor enters the property through this pipe, thus reaching the interior of the house.

It is a main pipe, which gives residents access to water that comes from the street.

Main tube integrations:

From the water inlet pipe, another pipe is connected (by a knee) that goes up through the interior of the wall to the height of the water tank. This tube is 20 mm. When reaching the height of 1.10 m, another pipe, through a connection, is placed horizontally in order to supply water to a tank, located outside the house. All piping is therefore embedded in the wall and cannot be seen by users.

The piping in the water tank:

The 20 mm tube continues its trajectory until reaching its maximum height, when it receives new connections to integrate with the water tank, installed on the roof. Thus, who supplies water to the reservoir at the top is the water inlet pipe, which we have already talked about.

From the water tank, another 25 mm tube descends that supplies water to the bathroom. At a certain point in this tube, the drawer valve is located, which allows opening and closing the water supply. With the help of other connections, this pipe is integrated into the flushing box and, further down, into the toilet.

  • The same pipe supplies water to the bathroom and kitchen
  • Another tube, in horizontal position, also 25 mm, is connected to the vertical tube that descends from the water tank and to other tubes to feed the shower, washbasin and kitchen sink, located on the other side of the wall.

In this house, therefore, the kitchen is separated from the bathroom by a wall.

Hydraulic piping works like the circulatory system:

The piping of a hydraulic installation is like the vessels and arteries of the human body that connect to form an effective network to conduct blood and distribute it throughout the body.

In the same way that we cannot visualize the flow of blood inside our body, passing through the arteries and veins, we cannot visualize the water that runs inside the walls and under the floor, inside the pipes, feeding the property with Water.

Sewage pipes:

The sewage installations run, for the most part, under the floor, being connected to the toilet, the bathroom drain, the sinks and “draining” into the inspection box, from where they are conducted to the public sewer system.

Sewage pipes are usually larger in diameter, such as 50 mm and 100 mm, as they carry heavier, more solid material such as fat and faeces.

Damage caused by leaks and infiltrations:

It is for this reason, that is, because the pipes are hidden, that leaks and infiltrations cause a great headache for users of the property. When it comes to gas leaks, there is an even greater danger, which can threaten people’s lives, as there is the danger of explosion and fire.

In fact, the consequences of a leak or simple infiltration vary. They can make the wall softer, facilitate the appearance of mold, favor the fall of the plaster, affect the structure of the property.

Leakage can, for example, contribute to sinking the floor, which is also very dangerous for site users.

Therefore, it is advisable to be careful and pay attention to the smallest signs of leaks, such as excessive humidity on a wall or between the baseboard and the floor.

Gas leaks are often accompanied by a strong smell, which can even induce lethargy and involuntary sleep.

And let’s not forget that leaks heavily damage the pocket, as they can represent relevant increases in the water bill.

the leak hunters. For More info Contact here
There is nothing better, therefore, than resorting to professionals known as “leak-hunting”. They get their name because they have advanced equipment to detect problems in the hydraulic installation, which avoids the need to break many walls and floors. It is an allusion to ghost hunters who use sophisticated equipment to detect the presence of spirits in a house or other location.

There are companies that specialize in this work. They help to save expenses and solve small problems before they become too big.

Some equipment used by these companies are:

thermographic detector, which identifies the presence of leaks and infiltrations comparing the differences in temperature and humidity between the points of a property;
ultrasound device, which uses sound to identify the exact point where the pipe is defective;
video inspection camera, which allows you to search the interior of the tubes and record images, showing the state they are in.
The hydraulic installation needs maintenance and, as the pipes are located inside the walls and below the floor, care must be taken more. The property owner must always act trying to prevent the worst from happening, seeking the support of specialized professionals.

What did you think of the post? Do you already know the services of Leak Inspection, specialized in leaks?