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Gary Klein, Gary Klein and Associates, Inc. |
The rules for plumbing design were codified shortly after World War II. Since then, flow rates and fill volumes of plumbing fixtures and appliances, have been reduced. However, the math for sizing pipe has not yet been revised to account for these reductions. This effect is very noticeable in hot water distribution systems, where lowering flow rates increases the time for hot water to arrive, resulting in much less energy savings than would have been expected. This presentation will discuss this and other unintended consequences of water use efficiency measures and provide practical means of mitigating the negative impacts.