Supplying water to all of New York City isn’t an easy task. The sheer number of moving parts and different systems needed to make sure everyone has access to water can seem overwhelming at times. Nothing would be possible without our large water mains. Water mains are the communal source of water throughout the city, from which many individual lines break off and enter different buildings and homes.
Trying to use the same sized pipe in every instance wouldn’t be very efficient, so the network has many different pipe sizes that interact with one another. Here, we’ll look into the most common pipe diameters for water mains so you can see how varied they are and why they need to be that way.
The Difference Between Water Mains and Domestic Lines
When we call something a water main, we usually refer to the larger water supply lines that are underneath our roads and sidewalks. These water mains take water from a reservoir and distribute it throughout the city. You can imagine, then, that these lines need to be much larger in order to hold the high volumes of water. Domestic lines—the water lines that break off from the water main and go to individual buildings and homes—tend to be much smaller, as the demand for water in one building is much less than the water mains carry.
Common Pipe Sizes
The most common pipe diameters for water mains are usually in the range of six to 16 inches. The pipes closer to that 16-inch upper threshold move a lot more water than the ones closer to six inches. This means that you’ll usually find water mains with 12, 14, and 16-inch diameters closer to the source of the water.
For the domestic lines that branch off from the water mains, the pipe diameters become much smaller. The upper threshold is usually six inches—a size that larger buildings utilize. Pipes that serve smaller buildings can go all the way down to one inch in diameter.
Here at Harris Main and Water Sewer Contractors, our priority is ensuring that New York City has the water it needs to survive. When you need new water main installation, we’ll be there to get the job done right.
