plumbingdrainageequipmentmaintenance
How is the make-up water line designed for a splash pad?
Quick answer
The make-up line replenishes water lost to evaporation, splashout, and backwash. It connects to the recirc loop or surge tank through an air gap or RPZ backflow preventer, sized 1/2 to 1 inch typically. Includes a meter for tracking consumption and a solenoid valve for automatic top-off.
The make-up water line is the city water connection that maintains the splash pad's recirculating volume. Sizing: 1/2 inch for small residential pads, 3/4 to 1 inch for typical municipal, 1.25-2 inches for large resort installations. The line includes a master shutoff valve, a reduced-pressure-zone (RPZ) backflow assembly for cross-connection control, a positive-displacement water meter for tracking daily consumption, a pressure regulator to prevent surging the surge tank, and a solenoid valve controlled by the level sensor in the surge tank for automatic top-off. The discharge into the surge tank must be through an air gap (open-top discharge above the high-water level) so any contamination cannot siphon back to potable supply. Daily meter readings are tracked in the maintenance log. Average daily consumption depends on bather load and weather but typically 100-1000 gallons for a recirc pad.