As the number of urban high-rise buildings continues to increase, building water supply zone design has become a core technology that drainage engineers must master. Reasonable water supply zoning not only ensures water pressure on each floor but also avoids lower floor pipe overpressure damage, extending the service life of water supply systems.

Necessity of Water Supply Zoning

Without zoning, high-rise buildings face two major problems: excessive water pressure on lower floors (above 0.35MPa damages faucets and pipe fittings), and insufficient pressure on higher floors (below 0.1MPa prevents normal use). Taking a 50-story building as an example, without zoning, the basement pressure would exceed 1.5MPa, requiring high-pressure pipes with extremely high costs and safety risks.

Vertical Zoning Principles

According to GB 50015 Building Water Supply and Drainage Design Standards, water pressure in each zone should be controlled between 0.2-0.45MPa, corresponding to a floor height difference of about 20-45m (about 6-15 floors). For a 100m high-rise building, this typically means 3-4 water supply zones.

Common Water Supply Zoning Solutions

Solution 1: High-Level Water Tank Supply (Gravity Supply)

Each zone has a high-level water tank in the equipment floor, supplying downward by gravity. Advantages: stable supply pressure, power outage doesn't affect supply; Disadvantages: occupies building area, large structural load.

Solution 2: Variable Frequency Pump Supply (No Negative Pressure Supply)

Each zone has variable frequency booster pump sets drawing water directly from the municipal network. Advantages: good energy saving, no floor area occupied; Disadvantages: power outage affects supply, backup power needed.

Solution 3: Air Pressure Tank Supply

Uses pressure storage characteristics of air pressure tanks for supply, suitable for small to medium-scale buildings with relatively simple commissioning and maintenance.

Water Tank Selection Recommendations

Water tanks installed in high-level tank zones should prioritize SMC FRP tanks or stainless steel tanks: the former is lightweight, suitable for equipment floors with limited structural load capacity; the latter has good durability, suitable for projects with higher water quality requirements. Tank volume should meet 1-2 hours of water consumption for that zone.

Beijing Yuanhui FRP can provide water supply zone technical consultation and water tank selection services for builders. Welcome to contact our technical team.