Evaluation of operating conditions of plumbing fixtures in public buildings

Abstract Water for human consumption in building systems is susceptible to various forms of waste. Sometimes, water misuse is a result of the end of lifetime of plumbing fixtures and lack of maintenance. This paper presents the operating conditions of plumbing fixtures in ten public buildings in Joinville, SC, Brazil. It was detected that more than 56.0% of toilets and urinals presented leakages, 2.5% of taps presented some constant dripping, and also that 31.0% of them presented valve leakage when the flow time was activated. The flow rate of taps, drinking fountains and showers was also measured and compared with the values established in the Brazilian standards and LEED and AQUA environmental certifications. The consumption indicators of the ten buildings are also presented and they range from 16.6 to 69.3 litres/user per day.