Container House Plumbing and Drainage Design
Container house plumbing and drainage design must comprehensively address water supply and drainage layout, roof drainage treatment, and other related design points.
Water supply and drainage layout: For the water supply system, the water source is brought into the ground floor of the container through the main supply pipe, with a main valve, water meter (as needed), and filtration equipment installed at the inlet. Vertical supply risers are placed within corner posts or dedicated pipe shafts to deliver water to the second floor; at each floor, horizontal branch lines run from the ceiling cavity or floor joist space to each fixture. If the pressure difference between floors is large, a small pressure-reducing valve can be installed at the start of the second-floor branch, or a booster pump can be installed on the ground floor; pipes exposed outdoors or in non-heated areas should be wrapped with rubber-plastic insulation. Drainage is primarily same-floor drainage: branch drains from ground-floor fixtures collect below the finished floor into a horizontal main drain that connects to the main drainage riser or discharges to an outdoor septic tank or municipal sewer connection; branch drains from second-floor fixtures collect under that floor, with the main horizontal drain and riser routed in the corresponding ceiling space on the ground floor. Prefer PVC-U for drain pipes, with slope ≥2%; install a vent cap at the top of each main drainage riser, and a trap beneath each fixture.
Roof drainage treatment: Design a drainage slope of 2%–5%, achieved with wedge shims or a pitched-roof design. Install metal gutters (such as galvanized steel or aluminum alloy), sized according to the building area and local rainfall; downspouts must be fixed securely to ensure unobstructed drainage. Around the building, provide drainage wells, drain pipes, open ditches, or covered channels to clear standing water. Use high-quality waterproofing such as spray-applied waterproof coatings to prevent seepage or water penetration. Establish a sewer and drainage piping system, and inspect and maintain it regularly to keep pipes clear and outlets free of blockage.
Other design points: When factory-prefabricating piping and related components, follow the principles of “centralized, concealed, efficient, and standardized,” and optimize the design around the structural characteristics of containers. For use in areas with poor access (such as mountains, islands, or forests), options include pile foundations (the container elevated on piles without ground contact, for moisture resistance and thermal insulation), large floor-to-ceiling windows and roof skylights (for daylighting), insulation layers in walls, roofs, and floors (except glazed areas), solar photovoltaic systems (for electrical self-sufficiency), rainwater harvesting systems, and septic systems.
