Let’s continue with this video series in which we are presenting the new features introduced in DESAGÜES version 3.
Here we will explain how to vent the plumbing drains in a toilet using the individual vent method.
We had already, in the previous video, made the modifications to the sanitary network number 4 in the example project that you will find in the support files in the program’s installation folder.
This modification consisted of introducing these new nodes in the sanitary fixtures’ drain pipes.
For example, this shower drain vent pipe will be connected here, where a sanitary tee now exists. The same for the water closet vent.
In the case of this lavatory, as it is the highest fixture and, also, has its drainage pipe embedded vertically in this wall, no modification is required, since the connection point is already available.
The program will include the fitting needed to guarantee the individual vent connection.
Additionally, remember that, in this case, the vent system dimensioning will be carried out based on the fixture units and development lengths that you have specified in the Individual Vent tab here in the project’s diameters Manager.
We have kept the default values in these fields below, 1 in each case.
Let us begin.
Creating the Individual Vent Network
Remember that what we want is to ventilate, so to speak, the fixture units of each sanitary fixtures at these points, through the respective vertical vent pipes that will be connected to the branch vent, which will go inside of the wall.
So what we will do is create a new Vent type network in our project.
This creation is done in a similar way to what we do with sanitary networks in the program, that is, click the Add button in the Current Network panel and, from this dialog, set its properties:
A name that associates it with the ventilated network.
The corresponding description.
And a prefix for node labels.
You will see that this dialog includes a third type of installation. The Vent Network.
When selecting it, you will see that a list, with the project’s available sanitary networks, is presented.
From here, we choose number 4, since it is the one that currently concerns us in our individual vent design.
Click OK.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you can only edit the nodes and pipes of the network that appears as active here.
That is: if having the vent network four selected, I try to select any of the objects in the ventilated system, the program will do nothing.
I must change here to the corresponding sanitary network, to be able to edit any of its objects, if applicable.
Then you will see that, by default, the program assigns as a display area the limits that you have previously defined for the ventilated network, that is, Number 4 in the project.
But in any case, you can set specific limits for the vent network by pressing this button. Thus, each network, despite theoretically representing the same work area, will be able to have its display area to make the drawing process more comfortable for you.
Drawing the Toilet’s Vent System
That said, what remains is to start drawing the vent network from its lower node to the upper one, that is, I will start drawing from the point where the main ventilation column, the Vent Stack, will be, and from there I will create the nodes in the branch vent pipe in this way.
Remember that you have the option of drawing orthogonally by pressing the F2 key, or by clicking on the status bar on this button.
Also remember that, in the program, changes of direction must be made by inserting a vertex into the pipe, holding down the Control key when you are going to enter the point in question, as I have done here to create this 90-degrees elbow.
Note that, when I am going to insert the node of the ventilation network, clicking inside the perimeter of any of the nodes of the ventilated network, the program automatically captures its coordinates to assign them to the new node, and thus obtain aligned nodes vertically.
This must be so since we are expected to have vertical pipes at these points. The only node that can be disconnected is the one that corresponds to the connection node to the vent stack.
If, by mistake, I create a node of the ventilation network without connection to the ventilated one, as in this case, I only have to select it and use the Move option.
I take the first point of the displacement and make sure that the second is inside the node of the corresponding ventilated network.
The program takes the coordinates automatically to guarantee the connection.
As with sanitary drainage networks, you can edit the position of the vertices as I will do with this one here.
Defining the Vent Stack Node
Well, I must now specify the concentration point of the ventilated fixture units, which will be done at this node. So I select it and edit its properties.
At this point, will be located the Vent Stack pipe associated with the sanitary network four’s Soil Stack.
So, I change the name and activate this property.
When you select the Vent Stack property for a node, a second option is presented: that of dimensioning it independently of the ventilated network’s soil stack.
This, as we will explain in another video, is used for those cases in which you need to create a vent stack that is not connected to any sewage stack.
Since in this case the vent stack will be connected and ventilating the soil stack, we keep it unchecked.
We are ready here. We click OK to save the changes.
You will see that the symbol changes to indicate that there is a vertical pipe here, that is, the main ventilation column will pass through here.
Defining the Vented Sanitary Fixtures
The last thing that needs to be done, before clicking the Calculate button, is to define, for each node in the individual vent network, which are the sanitary fixtures ventilated through it.
We will do this through the nodes’ properties dialog. So I select, right-click and Properties.
In this case, we are going to vent the lavatory one.
So, I select it from the list on the left and double click or hit this button to assign it to the list of vented nodes.
Although, we insist, the best option is the individual ventilation, this feature would allow, for example, if you opt for wet ventilation through the lavatory drain pipe, to specify which are the fixtures that will be ventilated from here. That is, you would have, in that case, more than one ventilated part per node.
We will do the same for the remaining nodes of the individual ventilation network.
In the end, only the cleanouts should be on this list, if they exist, as they are not fixtures to be ventilated.
Obtaining the Bathroom’s Vent Pipe Sizes
With everything set, we can click the calculate button to allow DRAINS to design each vent pipe section in the individual ventilation network.
We see that there are no errors.
And that the diameters are updated, if applicable. We have not noticed it here since, as in most cases, these small networks result in the minimum diameter.
If you look now at this network objects properties, for example, this pipe. You will see that, in case you do not agree with the automatic design, you can modify the diameter by checking this box and selecting the corresponding diameter from the list.
Likewise, if you estimate that the length is not adequate, you can cancel the calculation by coordinates, activating here and entering the respective value.
The computation carried out determines the accumulated total of ventilated fixture units for each pipe section.
This value, together with the length, is the one used to determine the vent pipe size from the reference table in the project’s configuration.
Also, if you consider it necessary, you can, to generate bills of material, specify here the fittings to include in the edited pipe.
In the case of the 90 and 45-degree elbows created through the definition of vertices, remember that the program assigns them automatically, just as it did with this first section with the 90 degrees elbow that you see here.
Let us look at the tables of nodes and pipes of the individual vent network.
In this case, you will see that the node presents the labels of the ventilated fixtures, as well as the corresponding fixtures units.
While the pipes table gives the necessary details to verify the design or diameter determination.
Toilet’s Individual Vent System Isometric View
We could not leave out the, perhaps, most crucial part of any wastewater evacuation project in buildings, which is the network’s isometric views generation.
In this case, the drawing of both, the ventilated and the toilet’s vent networks, will always be shown, as you can see here.
But, if this is not to your liking, you can control the display of each component through the layers manager in the isometric views viewer.
Note that the creation of vertical pipes from the sanitary network to the branch vent pipe has been performed.
Regarding these vertical pipes, we must tell you that you can also edit them to modify their properties, if you deem it convenient.
Let us go to the plan view to explain how.
When you select any node, other than the Vent Stack, you can access the vertical connection pipe properties by pressing this button.
Here you can modify the diameter by activating this box and add the fittings that you consider necessary.
You cannot change its length since it is automatically calculated by the program, based on the elevation specified for the ventilation network and the height of the ventilated node or sanitary fixture.
Finally, we go to the material lists.
We have the list for the drainage network number 4, with the tees necessary to make the connection to the ventilation network.
You will notice a difference in the number of 50 mm Tees.
There is one more of those required by the nodes we have inserted previously.
This is so because one Tee is required to connect the lavatory’s vertical drain pipe with the branch vent. The program has made this change automatically.
And, for sure, you cannot miss the list of materials of the vent system that we have designed.
Of course, all these quantities are included in the total bill of materials for the project.
Easy and practical, as you will see.
Thus, we have shown you how the design of individual vent systems, one of the most tedious tasks in any plumbing design project, is carried out in a convenient, and, we think, intuitive way with our DRAINS software.
In the following video, you will see how the vent stack connected to the soil stack is also easily dimensioned.
So, don’t miss it.