Understanding Your Home's Plumbing Systems

Your home's plumbing is secretly two different systems that should never, ever touch.

Seriously. One system brings fresh water in, and the other takes wastewater out.

They are completely separate. The supply system is the one that brings clean water

into your house. It's under a lot of pressure, which is how water can travel upstairs

and around corners to your shower. This system has a main shutoff valve, usually near your

water meter. Knowing where that is can save your house from flooding if a pipe ever bursts.

Then you have the drainage system. This is how all the used water and waste gets out.

Unlike the supply system, this one has zero pressure. It works purely