Water Supply &

Discharge System
 Water Supply
System for
Tall Building

BFC3153 2
Water supply system

 The primary objectives in the design of water supply systems for buildings are

i. to ensure an adequate supply of water at the required pressure to all fixtures, outlets, and equipment at all
times

ii. to achieve an economical, efficient, and energy conserving installation.

Water PRESSURE

 Most important parameter in designing water supply for tall building is water pressure

 it is economic to design a system with outlet pressures that exceed a maximum of 70 psi, and it would be
desirable, if possible, to limit the maximum to 60 psi.

 When pressures are above 70 psi, it is difficult to maintain flow velocities (a function of pressure) below the
critical velocity of 10 fps.
Water PRESSURE

 High water pressure and velocities may cause:

• Excessive wear or erosion of piping

• Wire drawing of valve seats with resultant maintenance problems and faulty operation
• Hydraulic shock (water hammer) and the resulting stresses that could rupture pipes or damage
equipment
• Damage to fixtures or equipment that are not designed for high pressure or velocity
• Wasted water at outlets due to high rates of flow in excess of required flow
• The nuisance of water splashing on walls, floors, or the user
• Reduced life expectancy of the system and equipment
• Increased costs of equipment, which requires special construction for operation at the higher working
pressures.

 To avoid the dangers attributable to excessive pressure, some means must be provided to reduce the
pressures to below the maximum of 70 psi. Pressure-regulating valves (PRVs) and vertical zoning have proven
to be the best methods of maintaining pressures within desired limits.
 For buildings higher than about
10 storeys it is necessary that
consideration be given to
pressure balancing at individual
draw-off fittings by means of
orifice plates or by arranging the
piping system in vertical zones
with reducing valves.

For very high buildings, the

provision of intermediate water
storage and further pumping
equipment may be necessary.
The drawing below shows a
typical boosted cold water
system for a high rise building
such as a block of flats or
apartments.

Fig 6.9System for Rising Water to Flats

BFC3153 (PRESSURISED COLD WATER SYSTEM FOR HIGH RISE 6BUILDING)
 House
tank/storage tank
capacity (2/3 of
total volume of
water storage)

In direct water
supply system for
high rise building

Suction tank
capacity (1/3 of
BFC3153 total volume of 7

water storage)
 Direct Water Supply
for Apartments
 Roof tanks are fresh water tanks, placed atop
high-rise buildings. Roof tank installations are
used in water supply applications mainly due
to unstable water mains and unstable power
supply.
 Roof tanks are fresh water tanks, placed atop
high-rise buildings. Roof tank installations are
used in water supply applications mainly due
to unstable water mains and unstable power
supply.
 Water is provided to the roof tank via a
transfer pump or directly from mains water
supply.
 Water is supplied to the majority of the
apartments through gravity. For the
apartments on the three or four uppermost
floors (directly below the tank), gravity is not
strong enough to create the proper water
pressure. A pump is installed to solve this
problem
BFC3153 8
 Direct Water Supply
for Apartments
 Roof tanks are fresh water tanks, placed atop
high-rise buildings. Roof tank installations are
used in water supply applications mainly due
to unstable water mains and unstable power
supply.
 Roof tanks are fresh water tanks, placed atop
high-rise buildings. Roof tank installations are
used in water supply applications mainly due
to unstable water mains and unstable power
supply.
 Water is provided to the roof tank via a
transfer pump or directly from mains water
supply.
 Water is supplied to the majority of the
apartments through gravity. For the
apartments on the three or four uppermost
floors (directly below the tank), gravity is not
strong enough to create the proper water
pressure. A pump is installed to solve this
problem
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 Solar Heating of Water

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Solar Heating of Water
 With ‘green’ issues very tropical, it is appropriate to consider the use of
solar power to supplement conventionally fuelled hot water supplies.

 In some countries, it is sole source of energy for hot water.

 Solar collectors should be 4-6m2 in area and fitted to roofs ideally pitched
at about 40 and facing south.

 The solar cylinder capacity of about 200 liters is heated to 60°.

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  A basic system
can be very
simple:
A small feed and
expansion cistern, a
hot-water cylinder
and a solar collector
together with flow
and return pipe
work are all that is
required.

BFC3153 12
Fig 6.10: Schematic solar hot water system
Solar Water Heating

 Fig 6.10 show the dual-coil water cylinder enables the

solar circuit to preheat the water and the boiler-fed
coil brings it to a final temperature.

 It is also possible to use two separate cylinders; then

the cylinder with the solar coil supplies preheated
water to the boiler-heated cylinder.

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 Calculation and design

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1.0 Water Storage
 For larger buildings, the capacity of the storage cistern
will have to be estimated and Table 6.2 gives the
storage requirements for various types of buildings.
Table 6.2: Provision of cold water to cover 24 hours interruption of supply.

Types of buildings (per resident) Storage in

liters/person
Dwelling house and flats 91
Hostels 91
Hotels 136
Offices without canteen 37
Offices with canteen 45
Restaurant 7
Day schools 27
Boarding school 91
Nurses homes and medical quarters 114
BFC3153 15
Example 1
If a hostel is design to accommodate 100 students, determine the cold water
storage capacity.

Solution 1:
 Total supply requirements per day for 100 students x 91 liters = 9100
litres
Design for storage tank size;
 In the unlikely disruption of supply, the designer would be wise to
acknowledge that a shut down for 24 hours is usual and as the situation is
not desperate for water, it would be reasonable to allow perhaps 10 hours
reserve supply. Therefore the calculation could be revised thus:
 9100 liters x 10/24 = 3792 litres

BFC3153 16
2.0 Pipe Sizing

 Calculate pipe sizing using Thomas Box formula:

q = flow rate (l/s)
d 5 xH d = internal diameter of pipe (mm)
q
25xLx105 H = head or pressure (m)
L = effective length of pipe (m)

 When transposed to make (d) the subject, Box’s

formula appears as follows:

q 2 x 25 xLx10 5
BFC3153
d 5 17
H
 Example 2
The simple installation shown in figure 6.11 below provided an
opportunity to illustrate an application of this formula:

Solution 2:

q 2 x 25 xLx10 5
d 5
H

? 4m head or pressure

(1.25) 2
x 25 x ( 35  20 %) x10 5
d 5
4

Actual pipe length is 35m, allow

20% for bends and other
unforseens.

 5 410 x105  33.3mm

Discharge of 1.25 l/s
required

BFC3153 18
 Example 3: Water Storage Capacity
Determine the water storage tank capacity for seven storey office
building. All the fittings are given in table 6.3. Allow 15% of supply
for extra storage of each tank.

Given Table 6.3:

Quantity Fittings Storage/unit Total water (l)

(quantity x storage)
10 Sink 135
10 Basin 90
10 WC 180
10 Shower 135
10 Tap 135
10 Bath tub 135
Total demand storage : 8100
BFC3153 19
 Solution 3:

1. Total water required:

= 8100 liter

Storage tank

2. Suction tank ( with capacity = 1/3 )

= 8100 x 1/3 = 2700 liter

add 15 % for extra storage:

Supply to sinks, baths,

WC’s, Shower, etc.
= ( 2700 x 15% ) = 405 liter

Volume of suction tank = 3105 liter

Suction tank

3. Storage tank ( with capacity = 2/3 ) Duplicated pump Incoming Main

= 8100 x 2/3 = 5400 liter

INDIRECT SYSTEM FROM MAIN

add 15%:

Fig 6.18:
= ( 5400 x 15% ) = 810 liter

Volume of water storage tank = 6210 liter

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Water Storage Tank Size

Rectangle Tank
Total volume of a rectangular
prism shaped tank is length times
width times height. Therefore,
V(tank) = lwh
The filled volume of a rectangular
tank is just a shorter height with
the same length and width. The
new height is the fill height or
f. Therefore:
V(fill) = lwf

BFC3153 21
Water Storage Tank Size

Vertical Cylinder Tank

Total volume of a cylinder shaped tank
is the area, A, of the circular end times
the height, h. A = πr2 where r is the
radius which is equal to d/2. Therefore:
V(tank) = πr2h
The filled volume of a vertical cylinder
tank is just a shorter cylinder with the
same radius, r, and diameter, d, but
height is now the fill height or
f. Therefore:
V(fill) = πr2f

BFC3153 22
 Solution 3:

4. Size of Storage tank ( with capacity = 2/3 )

Storage tank
= 8100 x 2/3 = 5400 liter

Supply to sinks, baths,

WC’s, Shower, etc.

Suction tank

Duplicated pump Incoming Main

INDIRECT SYSTEM FROM MAIN

Fig 6.18:

BFC3153 23
Exercise
 Design square shape water storage tank, suction tank, and supply pipe for
discharge of 1.25litres/sec, based on gravity supply for a hotel. The hotel
are consists of three (3) blocks of building, each building have 100 rooms
and 4 guests in each room. Determine the total water requirement for
hotel. Assume head loss is negligible with 6m head pressure and length of
pipe is 30m allow 20% for bends and other unforeseen. Assume 180 litres
per person of cold water to cover 24 hours interruption of supply, and
disruption of supply 12 hours.

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 Data:

2 building blocks hotel

100 rooms in 1 block of building
4 persons can be accommodated in 1 room
180 lit/day per person per day consumption
Disruption of supply for 12 hours
Effective Length of pipe = 30 m
Discharge of supply pipe = 1.25litres/sec
Head loss = 20% of effective length of pipe
Head pressure = 6m

Calculate:

Total water requirement = ??

Size of storage tank for 24 hours + 12 hour disruption = ??

Size of suction tank for 24 hours + 12 hour disruption = ??

Size of supply pipe for discharge = ??

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 Solution

No of blocks = 2
No of rooms per block = 100
No persons accommodated in 1 room = 4

Total persons = 2 x 4 x 100 = 800

Water consumption per person per day = 180 lit/day

Amount of water required for 24 hours = 180 x 800 = 144000 lit

Further amount of water required for 12 hours disruption =

180 x 800 x (12/24) = 72000 lit

Total amount of water requirement = 144000 + 72000 = 216000 lit

= 216000 lit / 1000

= 216 m3

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 Volume of storage tank = 2/3 x total water requirement

= 2/3 x 216 m3 = 144 m3 (1 marks)

Size and number of the tank is depend upon the choice of engineer as per
practical design however it volume of tank must be greater than the
required water volume for storage.

For practical design assume 4 storage tanks for 1 block of building,

therefore total building block will have to install
4 X 2 storage tanks = 8 tanks.

Water required to store in 1 tank = 144/8 = 18 m3 (1 mark)

Assume square tank of = 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 3 m (with free board of 0.7m)

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 Volume of suction tank = 1/3 x total water requirement

= 1/3 x 216 m3 = 72 m3 (1 mark)

For practical design assume 3 suction tanks = 72 /3 = 24 m3

Assume square tank of = 3.5 m x 3.5 m x 2 m (with free board of 0.5m)

•Diameter of supply pipe can be calculated by Thomas box formula:

•Assume Head of pressure (H) = 6m


2 5 2 5
q x 25 xLx10 (1.25) x 25 x (30 20 %) x10
d 5 d 5
H 6

d  29.78mm  30mm

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Rainwater Harvesting (RWH)

 The two (2) main approaches to RWH are

i) collection of runoff rainwater from surrounding site and
ii) collection of rainwater from roof top.

 Both systems require separate water storage tanks and additional pressure boosting
equipment may be required.
 Gravity fed system is encouraged to avoid additional energy use for pumping.
 Use rainwater for non-potable applications such as toilets and urinal flushing,
landscape irrigation, washing clothes etc.
 Water purifying system may be necessary depending on the application and
methodology of harvesting the rainwater.
 Where rainwater filtration/purification is required, use of ozone or activated oxygen in
lieu of chlorine or other GHG chemicals, is preferred to obviate negative
environmental impact.

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18
RWH in Malaysia – Awareness &
Potential
 Malaysia is endowed with far more rainfall than our water demand when compared
with other countries.
 RWH could be an effective tool for helping to reduce the use of treated water and
provides a convenient buffer in times of emergency or a shortfall in the public water
supply.
 Malaysia received 990 billion cubic metre of rainwater annually.
 Surface runoff water account for 566bcu.m evaporates and 64bcu.m end up as
ground water
(Assoc Prof Ar Zuhairuse Md Darus)

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Malaysia Rainfall Amount – May 2009

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18
The Background
 In March 2006, PM chaired and launched The National Water Resources Council with
the two main agenda on Rainwater and Groundwater.

 For RWH, it was intended to formulate by-laws nationwide to make it compulsory for
bungalows, factories and schools/institutions to install RWH system

 After 1998 drought, a study of alternative source of water supply was being carried
out.

 1999, a Guideline for installing a RWH policy in Malaysia was introduced which aimed
to reduce dependence on treated water.

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18
Rainwater Harvesting Policy
 2004 NAHRIM (National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia) was established to
conduct research on water hydraulic and water environment.

 Done 3 pilot projects – government office, mosque and a residential house.

 Also designing and installing RWH system for several school.

 August 2006, Town Country Planning and Development formulated the National
Urbanization Policy (NUP) which stress that:
 Cities need to improve water management efficiency.
 Use alternative sources and non conventional RWH.
 Water recycling.

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Quality of Rainwater
The first rainfall may contain higher than average
amounts of accumulated dust, industrial
pollutants, bird and animal droppings, leaves and
other debris. It is recommended that, to prevent
the risk of potential contaminants adversely
affecting rainwater quality and human health, the
following measures be implemented:
 Screened downpipe rainwater head of other suitable
leaf and debris device to be install on each downpipe.
 To improve rainwater quality, a minimum of 20 litres
per 100 sqm of the first flush of the roof catchment
needs to be diverted/discarded before entering the
rainwater tank.
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18
Rainwater Harvesting System
 Developers can build rainwater
collection systems to collect
rainwater in their premises. This
applies to premises located
within water catchments as well
as those outside water
catchments.
 Waterborne fees may be charged
as the used rainwater that is
discharged into sewers will
require proper treatment and
disposal. Computation of
waterborne fees is based on tank
size and expected usage.
Collecting rainwater
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18
NAHRIM RWH GRAVITY-FED SYSTEM
DESIGN
 Please refer NAHRIM Technical Guide.pdf