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Home Water Quantity Requirements
Average daily water usage volumes
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the quantity of water used by residential buildings and related wastewater volumes generated
How to estimate daily water quantity usage & wastewater quantity:
This article outlines typical daily residential water usage in gallons for people, appliances, and activities. s.
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Home and Outdoor Living Water Requirements, Plumbing Fixture and Appliance Water Flow Rates
Knowing the average and peak water usage rates for people, fixtures, or buildings permits estimation of wastewater volume (for septic tank size determination) as well as water and well flow requirements and assists in water pump capacity or sizing specifications.
Flow rates for common household plumbing fixtures and appliances is given as well as estimates of peak demand water usage rates for residential buildings.
This data is also useful when evaluating adequacy of private well and water supply quantity, well flow rate, and wastewater loads on onsite residential septic systems.
Daily wastewater volume to be treated and disposed-of at a site determines the design parameters for onsite wastewater treatment or septic systems as well as suggesting choices among alternative septic designs and septic product
How much water does a family use each day? What is the water flow rate for common household fixtures and appliances? How is this data used? Here we will review the following
- How to estimate water quantity usage in order to estimate water supply needs & water pump capacity needed
- How to estimate septic tank size and system capacity needs based on daily wastewater flow
- List of articles giving options for increasing the quantity of water available at a site:
- Well water problems: running out of water, options list
The following table lists water usage requirements and typical fixture flow rates or device flow rates for home and outdoor living in the U.S.
Table 1. Home and Outdoor Living Water Requirements | ||||
| Use | Flow Rate US Gallons GPM |
Flow Rate Liters LPM |
Total Use U.S. Gals. |
Total Use Liters |
| Adult or child total water use | - | - | 60 - 70 / day1 50 - 100 / day2 |
227 - 2651 189 - 3792 |
| Baby care | - | - | 100 / day | 379 |
| Bathroom % of Residential Water Use | 50 - 75%1 | |||
| Bathroom lavatory sink | 2 | 7.6 | 1 - 2 / use | 3.8 - 7.6 |
| Backwash filters | 10 | 37.9 | 100-200 / backwash cycle | 379 - 757 |
| Dishwasher | 2 | 7.6 | 5 - 5 / load | 19 - 57 / load |
| Garbage Disposer | 3 | 11.3 | 4 - 6 / day | 15 - 23 / day |
| Kitchen sink (a) | 3 | 11.3 | 2 - 4 / use | 7.6 - 15 / use |
| REVERSE OSMOSIS water treatment |
* | 3 - 10 wastewater
/ gal. of treated water produced |
11.3 - 37.8 / gal | |
| Shower or tub | 5 | 19 | 25 - 60 / use | 95 - 227 / use |
| Shower head, standard | 4 - 7 | 15 - 26.5 | ||
| Shower head, low-flow | 2 or less | |||
| Toilet flush - standard pre 1980 toilets | 3 | 11.3 | 4 - 7 / use | 15 - 26.5 / use |
| Toilet flush - vintage 1980-1992 | 3.5 / use | 13 / use | ||
| Toilet flush - low-water-consumption | 1.6 / use or less | 5.7 / use | ||
| Toilet flush - high-efficiency HET | 1.28 / use | 4.84 / use | ||
| Outside hose faucet | 5 | 19 | depends on run time | |
| Water softener regeneration | 5 | 19 | 50 / 100/cycle | 189 / 379 |
| Washing machine, clothes, standard domestic |
5 | 19 | 29-55 / load2, 3 |
109 - 208 / load |
| Washing machine, clothes, water-efficient |
15-30 / load2, 3 9.5 / cu. ft. capacity |
57 - 114 / load | ||
| Washing machine, clothes, high efficiency |
5 / cu.ft. capacity |
19 / cu.ft. capacity |
||
Notes to Table Above
(a) water flow restricting valves and shower heads can reduce flow and water use by up to 50%.
Sources:
- RESIDENTIAL WATER USE TABLE [PDF], New York City Department of Environmental Protection, retrieved 2017/09/15, original source: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/residents/wateruse.shtml
- USDA "Water Systems Handbook." (Thanks to Keith Oberg, Professional Home Inspection Service, Binghamton, NY, for providing this information.)
- Clothes Washer Water Use, Home Water Works, Alliance for Water Efficiency, ret. 2017/09/16, original source http://www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/clothes-washer
This data is used to estimate daily wastewater use in order to apply the septic tank sizing table located
*Reverse Osmosis Systems - impact on septic systems and water use
What about water volume from reverse osmosis water treatment systems? These can vary by manufacturer with a range of 3:1 to 10:1 of waste to product efficiency. "Typically" for every gallon produced with a topo of the line system, 3 to 5 gallons goes into the septic tank. Less efficient systems (regardless of shutoffs) can dump up to 10 gallons to waste for every gallon that goes into the storage tank.
See REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATE WASTE DISPOSAL for further details. -- Larry Newcomb Encinitas Learning Center. We also discuss the effects of increased water usage when buildings use reverse osmosis (RO) for water purification.
Also see HOT WATER QUANTITY DAILY USE - daily hot water usage rates & tables
...
Other Water Usage- Requirements |
|
| Usage Type | GPD Estimate |
| Apartments / Mobile home Park |
See APARTMENT / MOBILE HOME WATER USAGE |
| Beauty Parlor | 200 per Operator/Station |
| Cooling Tower | Tonnage x 4 (1) |
| Dormitory | 40 gpm/person 16 gpm/ person |
| Factory | 16 gpm/person W/o process usage |
| Hospital | 250 GPD/bed 170 GPD/hot water |
| Hotel | 350 GPD/room 225 GPD/hot water |
| Motel | See MOTEL WATEr USAGE |
| Nursing Home | 75 GPD/bed 50 GPD/hot water |
| Poultrty Processing | 1 GPD/bird |
| Restaurant | 10 GPD/person 4 GPD/hot water + 2 GPD for cocktail |
| Schools | See SCHOOL WATER USAGE |
- Cooling tower data assumes 2 gpm evaporation & 2 gpm bleed-off per ton of cooling capacity
Table 2: Peak Water Demand Usage Rates Translates into GPM Requirements for Water Pumps
| Typical Residential Building Water Usage Rates: Flow Rates & Plumbing Fixtures | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Usage Point | Water Flow GPM1 | Peak Demand2 Water Volume Gals | Total Water Flow Rate GPM for Number of Bathrooms in Use at Once3 | ||||
| 1 | 1 1/2 | 2 - 2 1/2 | 3 - 4 | Comments | |||
Bath Sink Lav |
|||||||
Dishwasher |
|||||||
Kitchen Sink |
|||||||
Shower |
|||||||
Toilet |
|||||||
Tub |
|||||||
Washing Machine (Clothes) |
WASHING MACHINES & SEPTIC SYSTEMS | ||||||
Peak Demand Total Gallons2 |
SEPTIC TANK SIZE | ||||||
Minimum Water Pump GPM Capacity Needed |
WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM | ||||||
Gallons Per Hour Flow Rate |
|||||||
Notes to the Table Above
1. These are WSC's average fixture flow rates for common household plumbing fixtures. In some cases new fixtures are provided with low-flow-rate orifices or heads that can substantially reduce these flows. For example shower heads may restrict flow to about 2 gpm as may lavatory faucets.
2. Average household total gallons of water used during a theoretical peak demand period of seven minutes. I.e. all fixtures are in use overlapping in time for this interval.
This is the peak demand water volume used just during that interval. In my OPINION these numbers may not represent typical household usage.
For example someone washing dishes by hand at a kitchen sink usually runs water for longer than 3/5 of a minute (3 gallons taken at a 5 GPM rate means that the kitchen faucet was open for just about 36 seconds or that water was run more slowly so as to consume 3 gallons over a 7 minute interval).
3. Notice that there is a presumed reduction in flow rate when multiple bathrooms are in use simultaneously. For this reason the individual or single fixture flow rates are not simply added together. The table also assumes that either a shower or tub is in use in a given bathroom but not two such fixtures in the same bath for the same interval.
Adapted from: Water Systems Council (2003)
Large Scale Water Requirements
Watch out: the tables shown on this page are general guidelines only; your actual water use requirements may differ, and you may need to consult with a local engineer or other design professional.
Apartment / Trailer Park Water Usage |
||||
| Number of Units/Trailers |
Total GPD | Peak GPM Flow 3 |
Hot Water GPD |
Hot Water Peak Flow |
| 4 | 720 | 22 | 240 | 12 |
| 5 | 900 | 25 | 300 | 15 |
| 6 | 1,000 | 30 | 360 | 20 |
| 8 | 1,440 | 40 | 480 | 26 |
| 10 | 1,800 | 50 | 600 | 30 |
| 15 | 2,700 | 75 | 900 | 45 |
| 20 | 3,600 | 90 | 1,200 | 55 |
| 30 | 5,400 | 110 | 1,800 | 65 |
| 40 | 7,200 | 135 | 2,400 | 75 |
| 50 | 9,000 | 140 | 3,000 | 85 |
| 100 | 18,000 | 220 | 6,000 | 110 |
Notes to the table above
- Assumptions: 3 people per living unit, 60 gpd/person
- Assuming also that a central laundry facility is provided for all occupancies
- Flush tank toilets, no landscape irrigation/sprinklers
- Source includes DWC cited in detail below
Motel Water Usage |
|||||
| Number of Units |
Total GPD | Peak GPM Flush- Valves |
Peak Flush |
Hot Water GPD 3 |
Hot Water Peak GPM |
| 10 | 1,000 | 65 | 26 | 400 | 17 |
| 20 | 2,000 | 90 | 43 | 800 | 25 |
| 30 | 3,000 | 109 | 55 | 1,200 | 36 |
| 40 | 4,000 | 128 | 65 | 1,600 | 43 |
| 50 | 5,000 | 145 | 75 | 2,000 | 48 |
| 75 | 7,500 | 180 | 105 | 3,000 | 62 |
| 100 | 10,000 | 210 | 130 | 4,000 | 73 |
| 125 | 12,50015,000 | 240 | 152 | 5,400 | 85 |
| 150 | 270 | 172 | 6,000 | 96 | |
Notes to the table above
- Watch out: this table is for motels, NOT for hotels
Ballpark water usage data for Hotels: 350 GPD per guest room (combined hot + cold water), or 170 GPD (hot water only) per bed. - Sources: Op. Ct. table above, assumes 40 gallons total water use per day per person, and assumes 2 1/2 people per occupancy unit. Estimates do not include restaurants, bars, etc.
- 16 gallons per person
- From other GWD sources in the same document,
With cafeteria and showers estimate 25 GPD per student (total water usage) or
Estimate 10 GPD per student (hot water only).
With cafeteria, no showers, estimate 15 GPD per student (total water usage) or
Estimate 4 GPD per student (hot water only.
School Water Usage |
|||||
| Number of Students |
Total GPD | Peak GPM Flush- Valves |
Peak Flush |
Hot Water GPD |
Hot Water Peak GPM |
| 100 | 2,500 | 60 | 30 | 600 | 15 |
| 200 | 5,000 | 90 | 50 | 1,200 | 23 |
| 300 | 7,500 | 120 | 80 | 1,800 | 30 |
| 400 | 10,000 | 150 | 90 | 2,400 | 40 |
| 500 | 12,500 | 180 | 100 | 3,000 | 50 |
| 800 | 20,000 | 250 | 130 | 4,800 | 60 |
| 1000 | 25,000 | 300 | 160 | 6,000 | 70 |
Notes to the table above
- Sources: DWC Op. Ct. table above & cited in detail below, assumes 25 gallons of water usage per day per student
Water Requirements - Water Usage Levels - research & sources
- DWC, WATER TREATMENT CATALOG [PDF] Duff Co.
201 E. Lafayette St.
Norristown, PA 19401 USA, Tel: 610-275-4453 Web: https://www.duffcompany.com/departments/water-treatment/
This 110-page document offers Duff's potpourri collection of water treatment information, including products that the company sells such as water filters and water treatment equipment. Included too are helpful tables of water requirements or water usage levels, some of which provided data that we excerpt below such as water use estimaets for schiools, apartments, motels, trailer parks. Duff does not give the original sources for that data.
...
Continue reading at SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN: INTRO or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- GREYWATER SYSTEMS
- HOT WATER PEAK DEMAND USE
- PLUMBING DRAIN FIXTURE UNITS DFUs - measure of the wastewater volume or loading of a drain waste or vent system
- SEPTIC DRAINFIELD FAILURE DIAGNOSIS
- SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SIZE
- SEPTIC SOIL & PERC TESTS
- SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN REGULATIONS
- SEPTIC TANK SIZE TABLE
- SEWAGE FLOW & DESIGN FLOW ESTIMATES - plumbing fixture flow rates
- WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES
- WATER HEATER SIZE SPECIFICATION - daily hot water usage rates & tables
- WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
- WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM
- WATER QUANTITY USAGE TABLES
- WELL FLOW TEST PROCEDURE
- WELL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
Suggested citation for this web page
WATER QUANTITY USAGE TABLES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- New York State Department of Health, APPENDIX 75-A WASTEWATER TREATMENT STANDARDS - INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD SYSTEMS , [PDF] New York State Department of Health, 3 February 2010, retrieved 3/1/2010, original source: https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_75/appendix_75-a.htm
- Thanks to Larry Newcomb Encinitas Learning Center, [email protected], for the above opinion concerning reverse osmosis treatment system water consumption rate
- "Sizing a Well Pump", Water Systems Council, (2003), Water Systems Council (WSC). WSC is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promote the wider use of wells as modern and affordable safe drinking water systems and to protect ground water resources nationwide. Tel: 888-395-1033, Website: www.watersystemscouncil.org. Retrieved 1/20/2014, original source http://www.watersystemscouncil.org/VAiWebDocs /WSCDocs/2567958WSC_INST_20.pdf, Quoting: This publication was developed in part under Assistance Agreement No. X-82849101-1 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of WSC. EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.
- Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP; Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
- City eying home water-recycling technology; uses bath and washer water for irrigation., (ReWater Systems' equipment for greywater irrigation): This is an article from: San Diego Business Journal [HTML] (Digital) available online in digital format. I have not (yet) reviewed it -- DF>
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: [email protected]. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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