Water pipes are used to transport treated drinking water, with sizes ranging from large pipes for cities to small ones in buildings. Materials include PVC, copper, steel, and concrete. The history of water pipes dates back to Roman times, using wood and lead sheets. Modern networks use steel, concrete or PVC pipes and have a secondary distribution system. Smaller pipes branch off to feed individual outlets with PVC or copper varieties. Compression fittings or soldered joints are used for connections.
A water pipe is any pipe designed to carry treated drinking water to consumers. Variants may include large diameter pipes that feed entire cities, smaller branches that feed a street or a group of buildings, or small diameter pipes located inside individual buildings. Water pipe sizes vary from gigantic examples of pipes up to 144 inches (365 cm) in diameter to small 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) pipes used to feed individual outlets within a building. Materials commonly used to construct water pipes include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), copper, steel, and, in older systems, concrete or fired clay. Joining individual lengths of water pipe to make extended runs is made possible with flanged, nipple, compression or welded joints.
The supply of fresh potable water to residential, commercial and industrial areas is one of the oldest public utility services in history and has depended on simple water pipes for its implementation since Roman times. The first examples of water pipes were influenced by the technology, or rather the lack thereof, of the time and were generally built with easily accessible and workable materials such as wood and lead sheets used by the Romans. The wooden pipes were often nothing more than hollow logs joined together with a rather obnoxious mixture of heated animal fat. Roman lead water pipes were usually square in cross section with bent seams and joints. The use of lead in the construction of water pipes continued until the early part of the 20th century, when the health risks associated with the use of the metal were more clearly understood, resulting in a switch to steel, copper and PVC pipes. .
Modern water supply networks and installations use water pipes in a number of standard application categories. The first of these is the water supply which typically features large diameter steel, concrete or PVC pipes which carry the water supply to the immediate consumer area. These hoses can range in size from 6 to 144 inches (15 to 365 mm) in diameter and are typically rated for a minimum working pressure of 30 pounds per square inch (PSI). Most network systems use steel flanges to join individual lengths of pipe together. Most water pipes are underground or buried although in some cases they can run on the surface supported by concrete pillars.
In the immediate vicinity of the consumption points, the water network will feed several smaller water pipes which act as a secondary distribution system. These are also typically steel or PVC pipes with an average diameter of 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm). Individual consumption points branch off from these secondary supplies with approximately 2-inch (5 cm) steel or PVC pipes that then feed the water into the building’s piping system. These pipes are most commonly PVC or copper varieties with an average size of 1/2 inch to 1 inch (12.7 to 25.4 mm) and carry incoming feed to individual water heaters, faucets and toilets. Most of the joints on installation water pipes are either compression fittings in the case of PVC pipes or soldered joints on copper pipes.
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