this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024
81 points (95.5% liked)

Explain Like I'm Five

14397 readers
1 users here now

Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

It seems like such a huge amount of water and would require so much energy to get it that high, plus there's the waste to deal with

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It still has to pump it the elevation though?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

Yes.

Take New York for example. It is my understanding that New York's municipal water system has enough pressure to pump water 5 stories high, so many of the relatively smaller buildings have large wooden water tanks on their roofs to keep that building's water pressure relatively constant even during peak demand times. Larger buildings are responsible for pumping their own water hundreds of feet into the air.

[–] jqubed 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but multiple tanks throughout the building means they don’t have to pump all the water all the way to the top. They only need to pump the water for the highest floors to the top.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Ah, thanks for the clarification. That makes a lot of sense.