If you’ve never considered the size of your home’s water line before, you are hardly alone. It’s not something that many people think about, but the size of your water line can affect water pressure. Whether you plan on building a new house or upgrading a current one, the size of your water line can greatly affect the efficiency of your home’s water. In this article, we’ll answer the question, “What size water line does your house require?” By the end, you’ll have a better idea about the reasons you might want a larger line.
Factors for Determining What Size Water Line You Need
There are numerous factors that can change what size water line you’ll need in your house. You’ll want to consider these carefully when making your decision, as you don’t want to end up with poor water pressure in your home. We’ll list three of the largest factors for your water line size needs below.
Number of Plumbing Fixtures
It should go without saying that the more plumbing fixtures you have in the house, the more water you’ll need at any given time. This translates to needing larger water lines when you have many different plumbing fixtures. Consider the number of these fixtures when deciding on a water line size:
- Sinks and faucets
- Laundry machine
- Dishwasher
- Showerheads
- Toilets
- Outdoor hoses
Distance From Water Main
When deciding what size water line your house needs, you need to consider how far away you are from the city’s water main. The length of the run of the pipe can determine if you need to go up a size or not. If you find that your house lies far away from the water main, a larger water line could help improve your house’s water pressure.
Building Classification
If you happen to be a landlord rather than a homeowner, you should also be aware that the classification of your building matters as well. The requirements for a larger, commercial building are quite different from the requirements of a singular home. Make sure you are aware of the water line sizing requirements to ensure that your building has the right amount of water.
Common Sizes for Houses
For most single-family houses, a 1” water service line is more than large enough to provide the necessary amount of water. Sometimes, older homes will have smaller water lines. These kinds of homes can benefit greatly from going up a single size of water line. Even a two-family home can survive on a 1” water line. Once you go beyond that capacity, you may want to consider going to the next largest size category.
Here at Harris Main and Water Sewer Contractors, we want people to take control of their home’s plumbing. We provide New York City with services such as broken water main repair because we care about our city and the people that we share it with.
