The Plumbing System

Mana-bloc system

Pontos Grey Water system

One of a Kind Plumbing

The PATH Concept Home Omaha has the plumbing roughed-in. The Concept Home has a state-of-the-art system, featuring an efficient design, water-conserving components, and innovative technologies which show how we'll manage water in the future. And while each individual product is great on its own, together they create an integrated system greater than the sum of its parts.

The plumbing system starts with the home's design. When looking at the floor plans you will notice the home as a centralized mechanical core and all bathrooms and the laundry room are 'stacked' adjacent to this core. This innovative design strategy reduces the necessity to run pipes, wires and ducts throughout the home. Material requirements are reduced, along with the number of joints and time required for installation.

The Seisco tankless water heater produces hot water on-demand. This device won't waste energy keeping water hot while no one is home. The PEX tubing was literally pulled from the basement to the upstairs fixtures, saving on installation time. The "home run" lines have no joints and ensure that hot water arrives quickly when called for, and many of the lines take advantage of 3/8" tubing (instead of ½"), which further reduces water that simply goes down the drain until the hot water arrives. Plus, the Mana-bloc system (see picture, top left) allows the builder and homeowner to control each water line independently, meaning that maintenance and remodeling can take place without shutting off water for the entire home. Installation and updates to the plumbing are also simplified by quick-connect fittings from BrassCraft which allow a quick snap connection between the PEX and each fixture. These innovative components speed installation and make later disconnects easy.

Even the venting of the system is advanced, relying on special 1-way air valves called Air Admittance Vents (AAVs) to let air into the drain system when needed. These units perform the same function as a traditional vent stack (the white pipes going up through the roof in most homes), but eliminate the piping requirements and most of the roof penetrations too.

Water from the lavatory sinks and showers will be cleaned and recycled by the Hansgrohe Pontos Grey Water system (see picture, bottom left). Following filtration and sterilization, the recycled "grey water" is used for clothes washing, irrigation, and supply water to toilets. Besides saving water, the Pontos use no chemicals to clean the water, making it a truly green product. And since the Concept Home has a lot of "firsts", it shouldn't be surprising that this is the first U.S. installation of a Pontos unit!