How Do Skyscrapers Get Water To The Top Floor?

A lot of us may wonder how water gets to the top of skyscrapers and is able to disperse throughout the entire building. There are actually a couple ways to do this and it has been deemed to be very effective for long periods of time. 

Some of these methods have been around for a century or longer, but the solution you put in place will depend on the building. 

Rooftop Reservoir 

This first method is to utilize a booster pump that will boost water up to the roof of the building and into the reservoir. The reservoir will use gravity and other plumbing systems to be able to successfully run the water down to the other floors of the skyscraper, even the very bottom floors. 

However if this method is used, the water pressure might be too excessive on the lower floors of the building because as the water continues to flow, the pressure will continue to increase. This is where pressure reducing valves come into play and will need to be installed.

These valves allow the pressure of the water to be reduced down to an appropriate psi level. If your building has water pressure issues, get a plumbing inspection or building pipe assessment so it be addressed.

This is what some reservoirs on top of skyscrapers tend to look like. 
This is what some reservoirs on top of skyscrapers tend to look like. 

Multiple Booster Pumps 

This second method is to install and use multiple booster pumps that are located at different levels of the skyscrapers, but inside. This requires a simplex or duplex booster pump to be installed. This is typically located in either the basement or the ground level of the building. This is what is going to push the water to the lower floor levels.

Then for the sake of the psi levels for the higher floors, there will need to be a second mechanical room halfway up the building that stores another set of booster pumps. The second set will hold the job of boosting water to the higher levels. 

This method is recommended because having two smaller systems designed in a building is a cost effective option and it can save you thousands of dollars.

This is what a water booster pump could look like to help with the water pressure on lower levels of skyscrapers. 
This is what a water booster pump could look like to help with the water pressure on lower levels of skyscrapers. 

What is a Reservoir?

You’ve probably seen one before, but didn’t know that it was called a reservoir. A reservoir is what holds clean water in huge tanks that sits on top of buildings or hidden somewhere in skyscrapers.

Without these, it would be impossible to supply clean water to an entire skyscraper. This is important because many house multiple people.

How Does Water Get Into Tanks on Top of Buildings?

This is also a question I wondered when first researching on water availability in skyscrapers. When the water in the reservoir drops below a certain level, an electric pump is triggered by that. This is what causes the tank to refill.

Gravity is what sends the water to the pipes throughout the building. This is either from the roof or at the locations of the reservoirs inside the building. 

Options for Improved Water Pressure

You might find that your water pressure is too high or too low. You will need to have the pipes in the skyscraper inspected or assessed.

Utilizing camera inspections is typically done for this. First, they will check for corroded pipes. They’ll also look for specific pipes that might be contributing to the low-pressure problems on your upper floors.

If there are leaks in the system, especially more than one, this can seriously affect your water pressure. You might have to consider having your plumbing system entirely replaced. This would be a huge job to take on as well as very expensive and time consuming.  

Any water leaks like this one shown here, will cause you to lose water pressure and should be taken care of immediately.
Any water leaks like this one shown here, will cause you to lose water pressure and should be taken care of immediately.

Final Thoughts

Being able to maintain healthy water psi levels is required in order for your high-rise building to effectively operate. The water needs help from a pump to get to the top of the skyscraper.

This is where it sits in a reservoir. Once you turn the faucet on, it will come back down to you and you have running water. The truth is, the physics don’t change and that goes for skyscrapers as well. Whether the reservoirs are held inside or on the roof, they provide water to the entire skyscraper. 

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need help inspecting, repairing or excavating your sewer line. 1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem.

We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.

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