Importance of service ducts

A home or building requires proper planning to run its electrical, plumbing and airconditioning lines.

Over the past decade or so, there has been so much focus on concealing these wires and pipes that one wonders where the drains and water lines, seen in old buildings, have disappeared. These days, architects conceal them within the structure of buildings and homes, and in most cases, there are service ducts to run these lines. This week, let's look at the various precautions to be taken while planning and carrying out the ducting of service lines.

The ducts must be planned and given importance right from the building and planning stage. We're talking about a small space in the building that runs through all the floors vertically with three walls and a door on each floor.

• Categorise the services, like water lines, electrical, air-conditioning, automation etc.
• Group services like electrical, air-conditioning and telephone together. (But telephone or intercom and electrical also should have some gap between them. Consult an expert on this). All water services like hot water, cold water, garden line etc. should be together.
• Make sure you have at least two ducts on either side of the house/building. This prevents confusion and helps in easy maintenance. Divide the two ducts further to segregate water and electrical on both sides of the house.
• The ducts must be big enough for a per son to freely move and work inside them.
• Have a fixed metal ladder in the ducts or make provisions to open one on every floor.
• Make sure that the openings of the ducts are from the outside, so that one doesn't have to enter the house to attend to service lines.
• Keep the ducts locked for safety and also make sure they are rat proof.

TIP: If you face space constraints, you can run the plumbing line outside the building and cover it up with a simple metal grill or steel mesh. Fix it on the plumbing lines with an 8 to 10 inch gap from the wall and have it run on top of the plumbing line. This will also work as an elevation feature. Paint it in a colour that matches the building or paint it like wood with grains as a contrast. Make sure that the grill is fixed in a way that it can be removed with ease for maintenance.

Parvathi Reddy is the executive director of NAR INFRA PVT. LTD. Interestingly, she also designed her own house. Write to info@deccanmail.com for more specialist DIY tips and guides on which brands to use for home building.