Giving showers priority for water usage.

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Mae-Ling

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Right now I have 1/2 inch copper pipe trunk and brach piping. When water is used by something else the shower upstairs gets cold or hot.

I am totally redoing my basement and would like to solve this issue.

How can I best.give the showers upstairs and downstairs priority so they get water instead of say the toilet or kitchen sink or washer etc?

Thanks for any help.
 

Terry

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1/2" will do two fixtures. So on a bathroom I sometimes run a 1/2" line for the lav and tub, and then 3/4" for the cold. Off of the 3/4" I can pick up the toilet, the tub and the lav.
With a home run system, you can run a 1/2" hot for each bathroom, and a 1/2" hot for the kitchen sink and washer.
A three bath home needs 1" pipe from the meter. Only a 1 bath home can use 3/4" from the meter. If you only have 1/2" for your home, then no wonder you're having issues.
 

Mae-Ling

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I do have a 3/4 main line... it goes to the water heater as 3/4 then reduced to 1/2 after it comes out.
The cold is also reduced to 1/2 inch before it branches to each fixture.

If I keep the trunk at 3/4 and branch off at 1/2 inch to the fixtures will that help. I could even loop the 3/4 back to itself so water can flow from both directions.

Or would a manifold system feed by 3/4 inch line with 1/2 inch coming out to each fixture be better?

I can access all the plumbing lines now and would like to.solve this problem.

Thanks
 

Mae-Ling

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I have the3/4 inch line and fittings all ready to do a 3/4 main in a loop and have all the 1/2 inch come off of it.

Or I could buy a manifold.
 

Reach4

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Pressure balancing shower valves would help.
 

Mae-Ling

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Ok I bypassed the 1/2 inch line and now i have 3/4 inch line (trunk) feeding the 1/2 inch lines going to the shower.
And 1/2inch line (trunk) feeding 1/2 branches to the kitchen sink, vanity and toilet.

It is a little better but still the shower loses water and goes hot if cold water is used. And cold if hot is used.

How can I make it so using other fixtures does not steal water from the shower?
I would like the showers ( I am adding one in the basement) to Have priority. So they get water even if another tap is turned on.
 

Reach4

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How can I make it so using other fixtures does not steal water from the shower?
There is not a practical way to do what you ask, I think. A custom controller system could in theory do what you ask, but you would be talking a fair amount of money, and it would have several things that could fail.
 

LLigetfa

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You can reduce the impact of toilets stealing too much water by partially closing the angle stops so the toilet refills slower. If you have faucets that draw more water than is necessary, you can do the same on them.
 

Mae-Ling

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The toilets I could do.
The kitchen sink and vanities are the issue. I would not want to reduce the amount of water used.
 

Jadnashua

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I don't know how old those shower fixtures are, or whether Canada has required anti-scald shower valves, and if so, for how long. But, those valves are, I'm sure, available. If you don't have that type, swapping them out for new ones would at least prevent getting scalded when someone uses water while showering. That type of valve has been required in the USA for decades now. THey do wear out, and may need repair, but generally, last a long time without maintenance.
 

Mae-Ling

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I don't know how old those shower fixtures are, or whether Canada has required anti-scald shower valves, and if so, for how long. But, those valves are, I'm sure, available. If you don't have that type, swapping them out for new ones would at least prevent getting scalded when someone uses water while showering. That type of valve has been required in the USA for decades now. THey do wear out, and may need repair, but generally, last a long time without maintenance.
Unfortunately what they do is cut the flow to match the lower flow. Yes they keep.you from being scalded.

What I want is something that gives the showers priority. Surely a.manifold.could be made to dothis. so when water is flowing through a certain output or outputs the water available to the rest is limited.
 

Jadnashua

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There is nothing that I'm aware of off of the shelf that does what you want. It goes back to proper system design...what your problem is is too small of a supply line for your needs. If the pressure is below 80psi, you could add a booster pump, but that would raise the velocity in the pipes. Excessive velocity in the pipes invites literally wearing them out prematurely. Something you do not want to do...but is a short-term solution. Higher pressure and therefore higher velocities also tend to make flow noises.

This tends to happen in an older house that may have had one bathroom, and was expanded to include additional one(s). A new home would have a larger supply line. You might need to go all the way back to the street tap to get a larger line installed, along with a new, larger meter, to solve your problem properly. From a safety viewpoint, if you don't have antiscald shower valves, I'd seriously consider adding them.
 
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