COLOMBIAN TECHNICAL STANDARD NTC 1500

This regulation establishes the requirements that must be considered when carrying out
hydraulic and sanitary network works that guarantee the proper functioning of the
drinking water supply systems. Therefore, it is taken as a guide with a
step by step guide on how to carry out installation, operation, and maintenance
of the different accessories that are part of this system.
Now, this regulation has several items that allow for a breakdown of the
information, among these are:

1. Scope and management: the provisions of the standard are presented for
existing facilities that must be kept in use and maintained
respective maintenance only if it does not pose any danger. it also speaks
of maintenance, expansions, modifications or repairs, these make
allusion to the adjustments that must be made without requiring the hydraulic installation
meets all the requirements of this standard, but emphasizing that it must guarantee
that it is safe and that there is no overload. Finally, it touches on topics such as
change of use, which will not be allowed unless there is an approval
by a competent entity, use of historical monuments, buildings
transferred, among others.
2. Regulatory references: these are the documents used for the preparation of this.
regulations and with the support of various international standards.
Colombian Technical Standards
(American National Standards Institute), AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute)

Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration), ASME (American Society of

Mechanical Engineers), ASSE (American Society of Sanitary Engineering), ASTM,
AWS (American Welding Society), CISPI (Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute)
Cast Iron), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), ICC, ISEA, NFPA, NSF,
PDI and UL.

3. Terms and definitions: for the proper identification of each one of the
elements that are part of the hydraulic and sanitary system and installation of
agreement with technical parameters established in the standard. Among these we can
find
Drain accessory (these being a combination of components)
that carry sanitary waste to the drainage system.)
Accessory for supply (considered as an accessory that controls
the volume or directs the flow of water.
Public aqueduct (considered as the hydraulic piping for supply of
water for public use).
Potable water (Water free from the presence of impurities).
Sewage (Any liquid waste that contains animal matter or
vegetable in suspension.
Public sewer (Common drainage directly controlled by the
public authority).
●Sanitary sewer (Drain that carries wastewater and excludes
rainwater, surface and underground
 Rainwater drainage (Drainage tube to conduct rainwater)
from the roof or from the rain gutters to an approved means for
at your disposal).
Ventilation riser (Extension of a sanitary waste downpipe)
wastewater or sewage above the horizontal sanitary branch more
high connected to the downspout.

4. General Requirements: Emphasizing safety, on how they should be

installed the different hydrosanitary systems to preserve the resistance of the
structural components and prevent damage either in the walls or in the
surface. Example:
Connections to the sanitary drainage system: All devices
hydrosanitary, drainage, accessories and fixtures used to receive or
discharge or wastewater must be connected directly to the
sanitary drainage system of the building or its dependencies.
●Prohibited areas: Hydraulic and sanitary installations must not
to be installed in the elevator shaft or in the machine room of the
elevator
Industrial waste: The waste products of manufacturing or
industrial operations should not be introduced into the sewer system
public until it has been determined by the competent authority.
Protection against rodents is discussed in relation to grilles, boxes.
for gauges, openings for pipes.
About the entire aspect of breakage, corrosion, stress, and deformation, among others.
The drainage pipes cannot be drilled or threaded to allow
connection to another network.

design the independence of water by zones in the apartments,

housing and commercial premises, through control valves, me
facilitates repairs and modifications.

5. Devices, faucets, and accessories for the devices: In this item it will be possible to
find the regulation used for materials, the design and installation of the
different groups of plumbing fixtures, faucets, and accessories for a good
drinking water supply.
Any damp area in a residential, commercial, or industrial property.
It must have a floor siphon that contains the hydraulic seal. It is important.
It is emphasized that 2 siphons are needed in the bathrooms, patio, kitchen, and premises.
basements.
Each hydraulic point must have a vertical pipe of 0.30 m.
that assures me a air chamber; it must be protected so that it does not
break the cold and hot water pipes.

6. water heaters: it is based on the different ways to raise the

water temperature and give it the proper use according to the need, the installation of
the security devices for the protection of the equipment.

7. Supply and distribution of water: Regulates the materials, design, and installation of
the different systems of drinking water supply for consumption
 human, personal hygiene, food preparation and processes, medical products and
pharmaceuticals. It is important to emphasize that preventive maintenance is carried out
fundamental for this type of systems, which are responsible for storage
and conservation of drinking water.
Maintenance of water storage systems must be carried out;
such as elevated tanks, intermediate tanks, and low tanks either
made of plastic or concrete.
The installation of elevated storage tanks must have a pipe.
for filling, another pipe for distribution not less than 1”. have an overflow,
to have a washing system and make its maintenance easy.

8. Sanitary drainage: the places where the fixtures are installed

sanitary hydraulic systems, which must include a sanitary drainage pipe with
the purpose of eliminating wastewater to a respective sewage network
public.

[Link] discharges: it is the different systems of sanitary drainage that

they find some special discharges, which require treatment
different, this based on its high level of pollution causing impacts,
therefore, they must be complemented with mechanisms of control, protection, and
prevention according to environmental regulations.

10. Ventilation: Every sanitary drainage system must be provided with a

ventilation pipe system or other mechanisms that allow passage
bidirectional movement of air. Helping to preserve the hydraulic seals of the
buildings.
All sanitary drainage systems must have a pipe of
ventilation, re-ventilation with outlet to the exterior of the roof of the
built.

11. Stormwater drainage: this item primarily focuses on the topics

Rainwater networks, industrial networks, and sanitary sewers should not be mixed.
since when a combined system is given, it is more easily given the
Blockage and flooding due to the increase of water.
The stormwater network can carry solids, sands, among others.
elements, making it necessary to construct a sand separator
before the sending of these waters to the channels.
● Rainwater networks and sanitary drainage networks and industrial networks
they must be done independently.
dimension, design, calculate hydraulic networks sanitary and rains
to ensure a good flow of input and equally of evacuation
of the same.
reuse gray water and rainwater to meet cleaning needs in the
projects already built.
 SANITARY INSTALLATIONS IN BUILDINGS

CHAPTER 1: WATER SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION IN BUILDINGS

distribution systems:
a. direct feeding system: public water supply is continuous and
at a suitable minimum pressure.
Gravity distribution system from an elevated tank: the
public water supply is not continuous.
c. Distribution by combination of tank lower, lift pump and tank
high: it is used when the service is not continuous and the pressure is not adequate.
d. Distribution with hydro-pneumatic equipment: it is used in places where the
supply does not guarantee pressure and it is desired to maintain it constant.

Rainwater collection: the diameter of the water collectors is determined by

according to the area that needs to be drained, the slope and intensity of the rain. 100l/m²
(100 mm/hour) if the intensity of the rain is unknown.

Wastewater, black or sewage: the diameter of water collectors depends on the

number and type of downloads.

water distribution project

First: Find out the location of the building.

Second: Amount of water needed for the sanitation services.
Third: the determination of the sum of expenditure units according to the design or
distribution diagram.
Fourth: Likely simultaneous expenses.
Fifth: Pressure losses due to friction inside the pipe.

Water supplies: They are calculated based on the area of the plot.
It is important to emphasize that the units U.D.G refer to the units of expenditure.
Now, with regard to all the information previously provided, we can
perform a calculation of probable simultaneous expenditure, following the proposed methodology
by Hunter. and which provides us with a theory based on the probabilistic determination of
design expenses in hydraulic and sanitary installations in buildings. It consists of
to ensure that each healthcare device has a specified number of expense units
experimentally.
 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICS FOR INSTALLATION CALCULATION

F( Force)
P( Pressure)=
S¿¿

Water pressure: the force that water exerts in all directions. The force on the
The bottom of a container does not depend on the amount of water it contains. It depends on the area.
of the bottom and the height of the liquid.

kg lbs
the pressure measurement is meters of height, so 10 meters=1=14.24 =1atmó1¿ ¯
cm² inch²

Pressure drop or loss: these losses occur due to the friction of water with the
pipes, changes of direction and diameter. There are formulas by William Hazen. These
they assign a constant value for different materials which are identified with the letter C
determining the inherent porosity and roughness and how it affects fluid friction
they come into contact with the internal surfaces of a pipe.
The Hazen formula is used specifically for calculating the velocity of the
water in filled circular pipes or ducts that work under pressure. A high factor
indicates a higher speed of water and, therefore, a greater flow rate of the liquid.

J=α∗L∗Qn
1.21957∗1010
J=
C 1.85∗D 487
1.21957∗1010
J= 1.85 487
∗L∗Qn
C ∗D

Nomenclature

J = loss due to friction in m.

α Coefficient as a function of the "D" Diameter and the "C" roughness coefficient of the pipes
which depends on the class and material.
L = length of the pipe in meters
n= Exponent that varies from 1.85 to 2.00
D= Diameter mm.
C = Coefficient of roughness.

Now, when it comes to understanding the calculation of pipes and the losses that can occur
an example is carried out:

Image. example

In this we observe 3 specific sections, the first one from pipe 11 to 10 which has
a cost of 30.50 units, for this section water must pass, which goes from connection 10 to
heaters that sum 13.75 units of expenditure and the 16.75 units of expenditure that pass
from the connection 10 to 9.

Now, if we refer to the table, we can see that, for example, for the section of
From 11 to 10, there was an expenditure of 30.5 U.D.G; for this, the table provides me with 4 diameters that I
I can apply to this section 2” with a loss of 1 cm, 1½” with a loss of 5 cm, 1¼” with
loss of 13 cm and 1" with a loss of 38 cm per linear meter of pipe.
table.

The 10 crossing was resolved with an 11/2” 'T' reducing to 1” towards the heater.
this connection is equivalent to having a 1.5" tube that is 2.75 meters long, and in the sense
A reduction is placed from 10 to 9 that is equivalent to having 0.52 meters of the same pipe.
diameter.

The diameters of the water pipes in the apartment and annexes will be calculated according to
with the expenses obtained based on the sum of the units of expenditure that are assigned to
the sanitary fixtures.
In the meantime, to determine probable expenses, diameters, speeds, and losses of
pressure, the tables for calculating water distribution pipes are sought for
buildings, tank pieces, roughness coefficient.
According to the design or the distribution diagram that we represent in this plant and in
the perspective diagrams the calculation process, enumerating the sections from
the farthest pieces to the meter.

Calculation of distribution pipes for direct supply system

 1. Water supply calculation: for single-family homes with a lot area of
13x22 between 200 and 300m² the daily supply is in liters/day.
2. Pipe class according to the material used and the coefficient of
roughness
PVC for cold water with a roughness coefficient R=140
Galvanized iron for hot water with a roughness coefficient R= 120.
3. Pipe calculation: with the sum of the corresponding expense units
For each section, the corresponding probable expenses are determined using the
tables to determine the diameter, velocities, and pressure losses within the
standardized values.
Based on these diameters, we will determine the equivalent lengths due to.
connection pieces, keys, and similar items.

for the determination of available pressures and/or loads in the sections and pieces more
distant or unfavorable from the meter to the farthest piece which is the shower, with
crosses at 2 and B.

A. Determine the total loss J*L of segment 13 to M, with the value J= 0.04 M/M
On this occasion, what is done is to search for the section of the piece in the table that appears at
continuation
this is to know the sum of expenses by section and for which it defines a specific diameter,
in this case it will be 11/2”, then the actual length data, check valve, is searched for
gate valve, among others, for the previously mentioned diameter.
B. Determine the total loss J * L from segment 8 to 13 with the value J=0.03 M/M

C. Determine the total loss J* L of section 7 to 8 with J=0.06 M/M

Similarly for each of the sections that are part of the installation, such as
final example is as follows:

D. Determine the total loss between the hot water junction B and the shower A being the
value of J= 0.05 M/M for the ¾ '' pipe and J= 0.37 for the half.

These calculations can be performed for the distribution pipes for a system
direct feed, a gravity-fed elevated tank system, among others.

Operation, installation, and formulas for the calculation of the Hydropneumatic equipment

Operation of the hydro-pneumatic equipment: if the distribution outlet is opened, the water
It will be pushed out by compressed air and the tank will provide water to the home when the water comes out.
the air expands and the pressure gradually decreases, when the water reaches its level
minimum, an appropriate control device activates the pump that will send
water to the tank, raising the level until it reaches the maximum, at that moment it
turn off the bomb.

power of the pumps

Q∗H
HP(Bomb)=
45

The power of the engine to absorb the starting energy can be calculated using the formula.

HP(motor)=1.44∗Hp(Bomb)

Pump capacity in liters per second.

H = Pump load in meters.

Pressure tank capacity: The size of the tank depends on the pressure
minimum and maximum total, as well as the number of starts and stops of the pump.
the volume of the pressure tank is equal:

VTP=Q∗Multiplicative factor

That is, the capacity of the pump in l/s multiplied by the chosen multiplier factor according to the
number of starts per hour.
Centrifugal pump (½”, ¾”, 1”, 1½” HP) for single-family homes comes with a power of ⅓.
1/2, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/2 HP for minimum working pressures of 12 to 26 meters and maximum of 26 to 40.
subways, their selection will be made according to the characteristic curves of commercial equipment.

1. The calculation of the water supply for single-family homes with an area of
plot of 13 x 22 meters (13 x 22 = 286m²) between 200 and 300 m² the allocation
daily is 1700 liters/day.
2. Pipe calculation: with the drain pipes corresponding to the pieces
sanitary and with the sum of the expenditure units of each section
determine the probable expenses accordingly in order to choose the
diameters, speeds, and pressure losses within the values
recommended.
3. Minimum pressure in the hydropneumatic tank: It must be such that
ensure at all times a pressure of 7 meters in the piece least
favored and is obtained by adding to seven meters, the suction height of the
pump, the sum of the pressure losses through pipes between the least piece
favored and the hydro-pneumatic tank, plus three meters of losses of
pressure from pipes and connections, corresponding to the suction and discharge of
the bomb.
4. Maximum pressure in the hydro-pneumatic tank: it is obtained by adding to the
minimum pressure, 14 which is the recommended differential between the start and the
bomb stop.
Determine the total loss J* L of section 13 to H with the value J= 0.04 M/M
Determine the total loss J*L from section 8 to 13 with the value of J= 0.03 M/M

Determine the total loss J * L from section 7 to 8, with the value of J = 0.06
M/M
Determine the total loss between the hot water crossing B and the shower A.
with the value of J= 0.05 M/M for the ¾" pipe and J= 0.37 for the pipe of
½”.