Do-it-yourself plumbing in the country - instructions for use
Plumbing in the country is not a luxury, but a sign of a civilized owner. The suburban area can be made so comfortable that staying and working on it will bring joy and pleasure.
Water supply is one of the important moments of country life. The lack of a normal water supply system causes a lot of trouble and spoils the nerves.
It is quite possible to make plumbing in the country with your own hands. Patience, accuracy, expert advice - and you will be provided with water all year round. So, carefully study what types you can equip in your country house.
Centralized water supply.
Centralized water supply is divided into two types:
- Used all year round;
- For the summer period.
What is a centralized water supply?
This is a system of pipes that are laid at a strictly defined angle towards a distribution or drain well, at the base of which a solenoid or drain valve is necessarily mounted.
Thanks to this design, the intra-house system and in all buildings located nearby is completely freed from the water masses present in it.
With this type of water supply, you can also have hot water in your dacha. It is enough to purchase and install a storage water heater.
Important: to connect all buildings to a centralized water supply, one condition must be met: the pressure in the water supply must be constant, within acceptable values.
If the pressure is rather weak or there are sharp drops, it is recommended to choose the following type of water supply:
Plumbing from a well.
Providing water at your dacha from a well is reliable, practical, profitable.
The basis is a well, which has a number of advantages over a well:
- There are no iron impurities;
- Sludge pollution is less common;
- The cleaning process is easier (bucket + shovel);
- Ease of use;
- Preservation for the winter (and not only) is much easier;
- The solenoid valve or pump can be replaced without dismantling the tight connections.
Modern technologies make it possible to carry out the installation of a water intake from a well in such a way that noise remains minimal during operation, and the conservation process is as simple as possible. To perform these tasks, it is recommended to install water supply systems in which a submersible pump plays the first violin. This unit is located under water, so the noise from the operating unit sinks in the thickness of the water masses.
Draining all the water with such a pump is quite easy. You need to open a special valve and ... That's it, the water is gone without a trace. With a surface pump, things get much more complicated.
Such a submersible pump is installed directly into the well. The distance from the bottom is not less than 0.8 meters. After 3 meters from ground level, a special drain valve is attached to the pipe that supplies water. During operation, this valve will ensure a high-quality discharge of the entire amount of water.
Important: In order for the water to drain completely, do not forget to lay the pipes at a slope to your well!
Please note that the water supply system in your country house, mounted by yourself, will function throughout the entire period without failures if you think carefully about the depth at which it should be located.
The laying depth parameters are as follows (depending on the season of use):
- Spring - autumn: up to 1 meter;
- Winter - more than 2 meters.
You can lay plumbing into the house under the foundation. If direct access to the subfloor is not possible, then installation is carried out through the wall of your house.
Please note: both options will allow you to use the plumbing system even at sub-zero temperatures. A water heating cable laid where there is no heating will allow maintaining a positive temperature in this segment. Install a DHW tank, as well water is cold.
This type of water supply system also allows for high-quality watering of the site. It is possible to install separate watering racks and the option of docking with a crane from the side of the street.
Important: be sure to install a dry running and pressure switch. These devices maintain the required pressure, soften the jumps during the turning on and off of this pump, turn off the unit in case of an emergency drop in the water level.
Video plumbing from a well in the country on their own:
A well for delivering water to the house.
If you decide to live outside the city throughout the year, you can equip the water supply in the country using the well method.
The composition of the water supply system using a well:
I. The well itself.
II. Submersible pump.
III. Inter-house pipelines.
IV. Filter.
V. Complex of automatic adjustment.
VI. Taps, valves, fittings.
VII. Hydraulic accumulator.
Wells are:
- Sandy. May contain clay and sand particles. Requires a mechanical filter.
- Artesian. A special filter is needed to remove iron and some other trace elements. It is worth conducting a chemical analysis of the composition of water.
It should be noted that autonomous water supply of a country house using a well has many advantages:
- Water supplies are not limited.
- You can take a lot of water in case of increased need.
- Long service life (more than 50 years).
To increase the life of the well, equip a pipe of the desired diameter. The top is hermetically sealed with a cap that will not let dust, insects, small particles of debris in. Drilling is carried out only by special organizations.
The water is pumped out by a submersible pump. This operation requires careful handling of long hoses for lowering and raising the pump and electrical cables.
The supply of water from the well to the house passes through the pipeline. Give preference to plastic pipes. Advantages:
- Long service life;
- Are not subject to corrosion;
- Low hydraulic resistance.
For use in the warm season, it can be laid at a depth not exceeding 1 meter. Do not forget to drain all the water in the fall, in order to avoid a gap.
If you plan to spend the whole year in the country, lay the pipes, adding to the freezing depth of the local soil, another reserve: at least 20 cm. The type of soil greatly affects the freezing depth. For example, clay freezes to 1.35 m, and stony soil to 2.00 m.
It is also possible to install a heating wire inside (aka), which will make it possible to install pipes at a shallower depth. Thermal insulation will be provided by modern materials, for example, Penoplex. It will last more than a dozen years.
Filters are selected based on water quality tests.
First, a filter is installed, and only after that a hydraulic accumulator is mounted, which, together with automation, will allow:
- Select the optimum operating mode for the pump. The number of starts and shutdowns that cause equipment wear is reduced.
- The pressure is kept at a constant level.
- The possibility of a sharp increase in pressure when the pump is turned on is nullified, because frequent hydraulic shocks will break the unit.
When installing yourself, do not forget about the important details, which you will need quite a lot. We are talking about various taps, valves, check valves and fittings that will connect all nodes into a closed circuit.
The structure in the form of a tree, which branches from the bottom up, allows a quick drain of water and allows you to quickly repair or preserve for the winter.
Do-it-yourself winter plumbing.
Arrangement in the winter season is real if you have a boiler. The accumulative option is preferable.
Models are predominantly "vertical". Volume - about 100 liters, power: up to 2.5 kW. The calculation is made for a family of 3-4 people.
The basement is rarely heated, so during installation it is necessary to lay a heating cable so that the system works without failures in cold weather.
The sources for the winter version are different:
- Centralized highway;
- Well;
- Well.
The first and second options are preferable, since the well requires large financial costs during operation. And if it is not used for a long time, siltation and stagnation of water occur.
If you decide to carry out winter plumbing in the country, choose polypropylene as the material. They have a lot of advantages if a comparative analysis of indicators is carried out along with metal or polyethylene pipes:
Features of winter water supply in the country.
- The conservation system is the most important attribute. Before the planned departure, all the water is drained, so a gap is excluded.
- They are laid below the freezing depth corresponding to the given area. The average level is below 1.5 m.
- It is important to observe the slope in order to easily drain the water during conservation.
- The special electric heating cable does not freeze.
- The wiring method is necessarily consistent.
Components of the winter water supply system.
- Modern polypropylene pipes.
- Pump (preferably submersible).
- Solenoid tap or drain valve.
- Hydraulic accumulator.
- A special type of water heating cable.
How to make hot water out of cold water.
Who said that your dacha should have Spartan conditions?! Be sure to install an electric storage water heater that will provide you and your family with hot water all year round.
Boiler - the best installation option. Manufacturers of water heating equipment offer consumers models of different sizes, capacities and designs. Choose the one that will fully meet the needs of the family.
From 30 to 100 liters - this is the range of volumes of the electric water heater tank. Pay attention to an important point.
A bathroom or shower cubicle requires a tank with a volume of at least 80 liters. In the absence of a boiler of 30 or 50 liters, it is quite suitable.
A tankless water heater consumes more electricity, the power of suburban substations is small, which can lead to problems and power outages.
Advantages of storage water heaters:
- Automatic mode of operation;
- Maintenance of the set temperature;
- System of automatic shutdown at an overheat;
- Long service life.
Important: during operation, rust, sand, clay particles accumulate inside the heating tank. Once every 2 years, it is necessary to carry out preventive cleaning of the inside of the tank in order to avoid damage to the unit.
When arranging a system using a well, hot water supply is paramount.
The advantage of a deep well is that the water does not heat up well even in the summer heat.
The questions discussed above will allow you to independently install the water supply system at your dacha.
Remember that in such a serious and responsible matter as arranging a water supply system with your own hands, there are no trifles.
Calculate the required amount of materials, make an estimate, consult with experts in this field. After completion of work, it is necessary to draw up documentation giving the right to operate the constructed water supply system.