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Discussion Forum

plumbing manifold ideas

texas_fire | Posted in Construction Techniques on March 31, 2008 05:08am

I have the 7 gpm well pump installed with an 83 gallon expansion tank and pressure valve. 1-1/4 inch PVC.

What is the best method for a DIY owner-builder to connect from the 1-1/4 quarter turn ball valve to then supply the guest house I am building? About 20 feet away. 6 foot frost depth.

I am thinking to locate a homebuilt manifold in a laundry room enclosure that is built alongside the guest house. This would have a washing machine of course and a small electric water heater, maybe 20 gallons. Supply to toilet about 15 feet away. lavatory sink. bathtub. Kitchenette sink. Maybe a hosebib and maybe an exterior shower.

Should I stay with 1-1/4 inch PVC from well system valve and then transition to a PEX manifold? CPVC manifold? Or some type of copper manifold with sharkbite connectors? I rightly or wrongly imagine this manifold mounted to the wall of the laundry room.

Oh, and later I have to split off upstream of this guest hosue manifold and route a water supply to the main house. 1-1/4″ PVC also?  

Thanks for previous friendly advice and help on other questions. This forum is very useful.

 

 

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Replies

  1. Scott | Mar 31, 2008 08:45pm | #1

    I would put the 1 1/4 PVC in a trench, bring it up into the first building and transition to PEX. As for the main house, I think you mean "downstream". I would use a Tee connection at the manifold and carry on to the house.

    Think about filtration. You might want to add a whole house filter before the manifold.

    Scott.

    Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”

    1. texas_fire | Mar 31, 2008 09:17pm | #2

      OK, so trench underground with that 1-1/4 PVC then emerge up into the laundry room and go through a filter with PVC then transition to PEX.

      Where (if needed) should I put a water hammer arrestor?

      But I guess I better go advanced search ands google first.

      1. User avater
        BillHartmann | Mar 31, 2008 09:40pm | #3

        I would run PE rather than PVC for the underground run.And in the laundry room I would just build it up with T's and valves. You want to valve off each "user" separately for repairs/changes.Then within each structure you can use mainifolds/home runs if you want.Hammer arrestors are only need at appliances with quick acting vavles (automatic) and they need to be near the appliance..
        .
        A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

        1. Snort | Apr 01, 2008 01:24am | #4

          If you have rocky soil 3/4 pex in a pvc conduit will work... if you can keep rocks out of the trench the heavy (120# ?) black poly will be fine.I wouldn't want to use pvc as a buried water line... but you could run 20' without any joints... maybe? Winterlude, Winterlude, my little daisy,

          Winterlude by the telephone wire,

          Winterlude, it's makin' me lazy,

          Come on, sit by the logs in the fire.

          The moonlight reflects from the window

          Where the snowflakes, they cover the sand.

          Come out tonight, ev'rything will be tight,

          Winterlude, this dude thinks you're grand.

          1. texas_fire | Apr 01, 2008 01:40am | #5

            I want to maximize the volume flow out of the well/expansion tank, right?

            Would not the 3/4" PEX kind of be too small?

            I have not seen PE around here. I would only need a little bit, really.

            maybe 20-30 feet to the laundry room.

            Then maybe 50 feet to the main house from the laundry room manifold.

            Is it in the normal 10 ft lengths.

            Is it available at Big box stores?

          2. Snort | Apr 01, 2008 02:08am | #6

            Do you want pressure or volume? I've run 3/4" lines to houses and not had a pressure problem... 1" is normal here, but I haven't seen a noticeable difference. Lot easier to get a 3/4 line through a conduit.I'm not sure if Bill meant polyethelene by PE, or not. Lowe's and HD both carry it here. I'm having a brain fart on the weight of the good stuff. I've seen thin-walled poly deformed by rocks Winterlude, Winterlude, my little daisy,

            Winterlude by the telephone wire,

            Winterlude, it's makin' me lazy,

            Come on, sit by the logs in the fire.

            The moonlight reflects from the window

            Where the snowflakes, they cover the sand.

            Come out tonight, ev'rything will be tight,

            Winterlude, this dude thinks you're grand.

          3. texas_fire | Apr 01, 2008 02:15am | #7

            OK, I always thought, maybe hosed up, that you maximize volume flow cfm up to the manifold and then can focus on pressure out to the fixture.

            Maybe I better go read the basics?

          4. User avater
            BillHartmann | Apr 01, 2008 04:39am | #10

            The PE comes in 100 and 250 ft rolls.But it is inexpensive. Lowes as 100 ft roll of the 1" 160 PSI for $42.Most likely your well uses PE.You can probably get PE from the well driller or a plumbing supply house if you can't get it other places.The only problem with using PE is that it needs to transistion to other pipe just inside the house. But it sounds like that would be OK in you application.You can go through the plumbing code books and compute number of fixture units and run lengths for the size of piping needed.But feeding two structures from the pump that section will require AT LEAST 1" if not 1 1/4"PEX would work and be a little easier to handle (PE is stiff). But unless you have very clean dirt/sand for the trench fill I would want ti in a sleave. You could use PVC including 3" sewer and drain pipe.Although I don't know how available 1" (or larger" pex is available.BTW, you don't have an expansion tank, but rather a pressurized storage tank.An expansion tank is used in a closed system such as boiler or a water system with a back flow preventer. It is fairly small and used to accept the water when it expands due to the water being heated.A well has a large storage tank. I it used to supply water with the well pump is not running. So instead of starting each time you get a glass of water or a flush a toilet. Then after the tank level is drawn down too much the pump starts and it refills the tank along with supplying any water being used at the time..
            .
            A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

          5. texas_fire | Apr 01, 2008 02:33pm | #11

            Pressurized storage tank: you are correct of course, thanks for correcting my improper terminology.

            I do have very rocky soil, so I think I will go with that HDPE.

            1-1/4" to the laundry room manifold and from there a 1-1/4" branch to the main house.

             

            Thanks everyone.

             

          6. User avater
            BillHartmann | Apr 01, 2008 04:18am | #8

            Yes, I ment polyethelene.Acutally high density polyethelene.It comes is a large number of presure ratings. I found 80 to 250 psi.But 100, 160, and 200 are the most common. The local Lowes has 100 and 160.Around here hardware and ag/tractor supply stores also have it.And there is a big difference in wall thick and weight as you go up in pressure rating.for 1 1/4" PE100 psi .092" 18.7 lbs
            160 psi .153" 32.5 lbs
            200 psi .197" 43.1 lbs.
            .
            A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

  2. plumbbill | Apr 01, 2008 04:29am | #9

    I picture 3 buildings.

    Pump house, guest house, & main house.

    If the line is going to feed one than another in series, then you should run the full 1-1/4" line to the first house.

    If not 1" is plenty for what you have listed for fixtures------- actually 3/4" is big enough, but I always oversize.

    I would run a 1' pex inside flex conduit http://www.carlon.com/Flexible%20Raceway/FlexPlus_PartNumbers.html

    We run pex inside when we run domestic pex for island sinks----- similar to the photo below.

    View Image

    20 gallon wh isn't going to do squat for a tub & would be a really short shower.

    “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

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