Recently purchased a house and am in the middle of replacing the lead water service line along with what I think are more lead pipes.
From the water service line, the pipe goes underground then re-emerges ~40 feet later to convert to 1/2" pex line. That pex line splits on a 't' adapter. The first line supplies cold water to the house and travels ~10 feet up to the 1st floor and ~20 feet for the second floor. The second line doubles back ~40 feet to reach the water heater, converts the cold to hot water then heads off to its final destination.
The longest distance traveled by cold water is between 50 and 60-ish feet while hot water is 90 and 100 feet.
No change in pressure/flow anywhere in the house unless the washing machine or dishwasher are in use. Both showers can be on at the same time.
I'm planning on adding a new pex or copper line that will be above ground and parallel to the cold-water line that goes to the water heater.
Will pressure/flow change if i only use 1/2" line or should i use 40 feet of 3/4" line then convert to 1/2"?
Is this plumbing route okay? From the water meter I was thinking of putting put in a FIP to 1/2" ball value, three or four inches of pipe, an elbow to turn up, 3 feet of pipe, an elbow to turn back parallel above the meter, then a third elbow to go across to the other end of the basement. Finally I’ll have another elbow to point down then attach to the existing T line. This will be visualized in the additional pics
Will the additional elbows change the pressure/flow at all?
