Water is a necessity for multiple household chores. Households need water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes, etc. However, more water is wasted than is utilized. People have been complacent about water usage. The prevalent notion was that water resources are unlimited. However, freshwater resources are fast depleting.
Governments check overconsumption by installing water consumption meters and charging a tax on consumption. The water that households get from the municipality is highly regulated. Control of the flow rate and direction of flow ensures that the city’s plumbing system works fine.
Regulation Of Household Water Supply
Purifying The Water Supply
The water for households has to meet the standards for human consumption. The water that is procured from any freshwater resource needs purification steps. Usually, sedimentation and distillation are used to separate the dirt or sand. However, most municipalities use strainers like filters to remove particulate matter. The filter removes course matter before it can damage the nozzles.
The filter(strainer) can be of two types: t type strainer and y type strainer. The names t and y are given because they roughly resemble these alphabets. Knowing the difference of t strainer vs y strainer is essential to understand their specific usage. Y-type strainers are more helpful in straining particles to protect equipment like nozzles and pumps from damage. They are flexible to use and are pretty affordable.
T-type strainers are usually custom-made. They are more suitable when straining viscous liquids. Hence they have numerous applications in industrial settings. They are also helpful for processes involving fluid transfer at high speeds. However, for municipal systems, the liquid to be filtered is water which has a low viscosity. Hence Y-type strainers are pretty well suited for cleaning municipal water.
Drinking water is chlorinated for further purification. Chlorine has strong oxidizing properties. Hence, it can kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms in the water supply before it reaches the household.
Valves For Regulated Water Flow
Valves are devices that can regulate the flow of fluids. Some valves can control the flow in both directions, called bidirectional valves. Some other valves can regulate flow in only one direction hence are called unidirectional.
The municipal water system uses several types of valves like plug valves and ball valves. Ball valves, for instance, are used to regulate the flow of water in faucets. They have steel balls that align to release either hot or cold water.
Washers For Protecting Plumbing Equipment
Washers and nuts and bolts help to redistribute the weight in the setup. Washers protect plumbing equipment from damage by preventing corrosion. The pipes that supply water to houses are composed of a series of tubes that cover large distances. Whenever a pipe is joined to another, washers are used to maintain the structure’s integrity.
PTFE or Teflon rods are excellent materials for making washers as they have high mechanical strength and they are also chemically inert. A Teflon rod supplier supplies washers of different sizes based on the end use.
Household Pumps
Most residential buildings install pumps to maintain a steady flow of water. The most common type of pump used in households is the centrifugal pump. Centrifugal pumps use impellers to give the energy to the water, which then flows with higher pressure into the pipes. With the emergence of tall buildings, more robust pumps are required to supply the water at high speeds. The taller the building, the higher the energy needed to transport the water against gravity.
Centrifugal pumps have gained popularity because they are easy to use, simple in design, and highly efficient.
Water Flow Meters
Water flow meters help measure the volume of water that flows per unit of time. They are attached to the water supply pipes. It is crucial to attach these meters because the supplier charges the consumer in accordance with the quantity of water consumed. In most flow meters, the water flow in pipes is used to turn a wheel-like structure. The rotation produced can estimate the volume of water that flows in a given time.
Water flow meters are not only useful for the water supply agencies but are also a steady reminder of usage for the consumer.
Conclusion
The water that ultimately reaches the household goes through a complex plumbing system. These valves, washers, and pumps help the system run smoothly. The original manufacturer makes advanced versions of these devices, and the job can be outsourced once the design is standardized. Just like contract manufacturing medical devices produces robust machines by outsourcing, the same is valid for outsourcing plumbing devices.
Some countries have started taxing water, and water flow meters can also aid taxation agencies. More than anything else, the flow rate should remind the consumer of the quantity of water that can be saved by prudent use. There is an urgent need to conserve water. And it is rightly said that what gets measured gets conserved. Hence having a metric to measure water use is the first step toward conserving water.
