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WHITE PAPER

The Drainline Transport of Solid Waste in Buildings – Phase 2.0

Potential blockages in commercial building drain lines have been feared by plumbers and building managers due to increasingly efficient plumbing fixtures. The Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition (PERC) identified this issue as a critical research need, and undertook an earlier phase of this study to examine the behavior of drain lines under certain conditions. This report is the second part of that study evaluating the characteristics of transport of solid waste in commercial building drains.

Since the study is actually in two parts, in order to understand the findings and recommendations contained in this second study installment, it is imperative for readers to first read the PERC Phase 1 final report, The Drainline Transport of Solid Waste in Buildings, which was published in November of 2012 and is available for viewing and download at: www.plumbingefficiencyresearchcoalition.org.

The issuance of the PERC Phase 1 report was highly anticipated by a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the Plumbing, Water Utility and Water Efficiency sectors, as it began to provide needed answers to the question of whether or not drain line blockages could regularly occur. The report was presented and well received at numerous industry meetings and conferences. Most notably, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relied on and cited the PERC report in its Notification of Intent (NOI) to develop a WaterSense specification for commercial toilets and flushometer-valves. The EPA is currently developing that specification.

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Adaptive Reuse: Converting Offices to Multi­Residential Family

Adaptive reuse of commercial office spaces to residential multifamily offers opportunities to ease some of the housing shortage in the US. These types of construction projects have many challenges, from zoning restrictions, financing, and also controlling construction costs. Construction costs specifically can have a disparate impact on whether an adaptive reuse project is possible, let alone successful. Therefore, flexibility during the construction process is vital to the success of an adaptive reuse project. Codes for plumbing and mechanical systems that support design versatility and science-based methods, such as the Uniform Codes, will be essential for controlling construction expenses.

Capacities of Stacks and Horizontal Drains in Storm Drainage Systems

The sizing for storm drainage systems are dependent upon flow capacity equations used to calculate velocities and flow rates in pipe conduits. One of the variables in the equations is the coefficient of roughness. This paper explores how the roughness of different types of material will change the computational results that are dependent upon the roughness coefficient of the pipe.

Increase in Flow Diversity From Simultaneous Fixture Use: Impact on Peak Flow Estimate

In calculating peak water demand, there can be instances where an increase in fixture count results in a decrease in the expected peak demand. This white paper explains why this counterintuitive result can occur, especially when there is some probability of stagnation (i.e., zero demand). Using IAPMO’s Water Demand Calculator (WDC), we are not designing with zero flow in mind; hence, zero flows are ignored, and the 99th percentile is extracted from actual flows for any combination of busy fixtures.


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