Please help with copper supply line sizing

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Steve Hernandez

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Hello, this is my first time posting on this forum. I've been lurking for a long time and gaining all types of knowledge which has been great for my current remodel. My wife and I completely gutted the main floor of our 1970s style 3000 sq ft ranch and are in the process of rebuilding everything. With our first child on the way I'm under the gun to keep this remodel moving along!

My question is in regards to properly sizing my supply lines. We are on a private well and the pressure gauge at the well is set at 40PSI. I've attached an image of our layout and my current thoughts on supply line sizes but I was hoping for some professional feedback on what I have diagramed here. Also, is there any need for a pressure booster? We will potentially have a total of 3 full bathrooms and two half bathrooms, along with the usual kitchen and laundry demands. Obviously this will not all be running at once. Another issue is that we have some pretty long runs because of the location of the well in regards to the water heater and all the fixtures (downside of a large ranch house).

Any and all help, suggestions, thoughts, etc. would be very much appreciated. Thank you to all those who've already helped me without even knowing it through previous forum posts that I was able to follow.

Supply Line Layout.jpg
 

Reach4

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We are on a private well and the pressure gauge at the well is set at 40PSI. I've attached an image of our layout and my current thoughts on supply line sizes but I was hoping for some professional feedback on what I have diagramed here. Also, is there any need for a pressure booster?
When you describe a pressure switch adjustment for a well, you use two numbers, such as 40/60 or 25/45. That is cut-in and cut-out.

If you want more pressure from your submersible pump, usually you can turn the nut on the big spring CW, and then set the air precharge accordingly.
 

Jadnashua

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The Copper Institute has a free design guide on their website that will go a long ways to answer most of your questions to include what kind of flow and pressure drop you'll get with various sized tubing and the penalty you pay for length, elbows, or other fittings. Basic guideline is size the lines so that the flow velocity doesn't exceed 5fps for hot, or 8fps for cold. The gpm for say 1/2" copper at hot equals almost exactly 4gpm, and on 3/4" lines 8gpm. Knowing the maximum volume draw you'd expect to be on at the same time will give you an idea of how large the line(s) should be. Some fixtures are limited by Federal regulations (vanity, kitchen sinks, shower heads, but not tub fillers).

Decide the maximum you reasonably would expect to be running at one time, then choose the pipe size required to keep you within the guidelines. Requesting fmore from the lines will mean either the pressure drops or the volume drops, or both.

Exceeding those guidelines, long-term, can exhibit excessive water flow noises, rapidly decreasing dynamic pressure, and potentially, literally wearing holes in the piping. Pressure will be the same everywhere at the same height until you then start to have flow, then, all of those other factors come into being. When charting out pressure, note that it drops by 0.43# for each foot it has to go up, so a 10' rise would mean the pressure would be 4.3# lower at the top of that pipe than the bottom of it. That could become more of an issue with a multistory building and maybe with a well where your switch, pump, and capacity is lower.
 

Steve Hernandez

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Thank you for your help guys, it is much appreciated. I do know I can turn up the pressure on the pressure switch, I just wanted to make sure I had the right pipe sizes for what I have going on. I tried looking for the Copper Institues free design guide and I think I found it but it wasn't as clear cut as I hoped it would be.
 
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