How to Set Up a Gravity-Fed Plumbing System
Two primary kinds of domestic gravity-fed plumbing systems exist. One kind is landscape-based; it requires a large hill near the house. The other kind is self-contained within the house. The amount of water pressure a gravity-fed plumbing system achieves depends on the amount of water it stores and the altitude difference between where it stores water and the point where the water is used. An increase in water quantity or altitude increases the system's water pressure. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Flexible, black polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, 2-inch-diameter
- Shovel (optional)
- Backhoe (optional)
- PVC-to-copper pipe adapter (optional)
- Pitcher (optional)
- Large, plastic, water reservoir (optional)
Instructions
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Landscape-Based System
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1
Create a reservoir pool that is at a higher altitude than your house. You can use an existing pond or lake, or build a small dam in a stream to create a reservoir pool.
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2
Run a 2-inch-diameter flexible, black, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe from the reservoir to the house. If you live in an area that never has freezing temperatures, then you may run the pipe over the ground, although the pipe would be more secure buried. If you live in an area that has freezing temperatures, then bury the pipe below the frost line.
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3
Connect the PVC pipe to your household plumbing's intake pipe with a PVC-to-copper pipe adapter.
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4
Activate a below-ground PVC pipe by filling it from its top end with a pitcher of water and then submerging the pipe's top end in the reservoir pool. Use the same procedure for an above-ground PVC pipe, but run the pipe from the bottom of the reservoir pool, over the pool's berm and then down the hill. As long as the pipe is full when it is submerged, water will be siphoned out of the reservoir when taps are opened in the house.
Self-Contained System
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5
Assess the load-bearing capacity of the floor joists in the house's attic. If you lack the technical knowledge to do that task, hire an engineer or house inspector. If the attic's structure isn't strong enough to support the substantial weight of a large water reservoir, then either reinforce the structure's framing or use a different system.
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6
Install a large, plastic, water reservoir in the attic. A rigid reservoir may not fit through the attic door, but a reservoir made of flexible material can be moved into the attic and then expanded to its full size.
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7
Plumb the house's main water intake up to the reservoir in the attic. This task requires either an exposed water pipe or cutting away a few walls to get access the pipe. Ideally, the job is part of construction or a major renovation, reducing the amount of wall cutting that is necessary.
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8
Plumb the outflow from the water reservoir into your household plumbing system. Unlike a landscape-based plumbing system, a self-contained plumbing system depends on a source of water that is off the property. Self-contained gravity-fed systems usually connect to municipal water supplies solely for the purpose of increasing household water pressure.
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