Residential Plumbing, Heating, and Gas Systems

Basic Components of the Facility

• Counter: Lets you see water usage.
• Pipes: They tend to be copper, and the size depends on the flow which is maintained.
• Shut-off valves: These allow you to interrupt the flow of water within the pipes. The General valve serves to cut the water supply, while a stopcock in each wet room allows for the isolation of that part of the circuit for tap water.
• Pressure regulation valves.
• Drain: It collects all the water and flows into the sewerage system.
• Traps and siphon traps: They prevent the passage of odors.
• Downpipes (Bajantes).
• Chests (Arquetas): These allow you to connect pipes.

Climate Control Systems

Types of heating:

• Urban: A central thermal plant situated in a separate building, distributed throughout the city.
• Centralized: A set of housing units where a common heat source is used, typically in a block of flats.
• Individual: Each house has its own heat source and a stand-alone installation.

Heating Generators and Distribution

Components:

• Boiler (Caldera): Uses gaseous, liquid, or solid fuels, utilizing the same generator for heating and hot water.
• Heat Distribution: Made by black steel pipes; the pipe leads a round of hot water and returns cold water to the boiler.

Distribution Types:

• Monotube: A single tube that acts for both the outward flow and the return (vuelta).
• Bitube: Two parallel tubes, one for the outward flow and another for the return (vuelta).

Other heating systems: Electric heating, solar heating, and air conditioning.

Gas Installation and Infrastructure

Gas is a source of inexpensive energy that produces heat more easily and at a lower cost. It reaches housing through an urban network or via cylinders (bombonas). Channeled gas includes natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) such as butane or propane. If the gas tank is a movable cylinder, it is called a bottle; if it is a fixed tank, it is called a deposit.

Gas Pipeline and Building Components

Gas Pipeline: It carries gas at great pressure from the places of production.

Installation inside the building: Components include counters, studs (risers), filters, pressure regulators, control keys, and valves.

LPG Gas Installation Types

LPG gases are stored and transported in a liquid state. Cylinders are used in individual installations, while fixed deposits are used in collective installations. Both systems have pressure control valves and stopcocks.