> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.strata.hendersonengineers.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.strata.hendersonengineers.com/workflows/plumbing-planning/plumbing-planning-overview.md).

# Plumbing planning overview

Understand the plumbing workflow, fixture model, and limitations.

Plumbing is a discipline within the design environment, alongside Mechanical and Electrical. It runs on the same canvas and data infrastructure, with its own space program, fixtures, and supply-fixture-unit calculations. See [Design Environment Overview](/workflows/workspace/workspace-overview.md) for the shared layout and navigation.

At schematic design, the plumbing workflow starts with **spaces and their fixtures** — you define spaces, add fixtures to each, and Strata accumulates the Supply Fixture Units (SFU) that drive downstream water-supply sizing. You then group those spaces into groups and water services to build the supply hierarchy.

> 📸 **Screenshot — Plumbing discipline** The design environment with the discipline switcher set to **Plumbing**, showing the service and group hierarchy in the left panel, the tabular grid with spaces and their nested fixtures in the center, and the fixtures detail pane on the right.

***

## Switching to Plumbing

Use the discipline switcher in the top nav bar and select **Plumbing**. See [Navigating Strata](/workflows/get-started/navigate-strata.md).

Plumbing spaces and data are isolated from mechanical and electrical — each discipline has its own space list, hierarchy, and canvas layer. Switching disciplines loads the plumbing space program and clears the undo/redo history.

***

## Before you start: assign a plumbing code

Fixture unit values are code-specific — a fixture is weighted differently under IPC than under UPC. You must assign a **plumbing code** to the project before you can add fixtures.

Set it in **Project Settings → Applicable Codes → Plumbing** (IPC 2024 or UPC 2024). Until a code is assigned, the Fixtures panel shows *"Select a plumbing code to start adding fixtures."* See [Project Settings](/workflows/projects/project-settings.md).

> ⚠️ Changing the plumbing code later **removes all fixtures** assigned to your spaces, because fixture unit values are drawn from the selected code library.

***

## Hierarchy

The plumbing hierarchy is **Service → Group → Space**. Plumbing skips the intermediate "region" tier that mechanical (Zone) and electrical (Distribution/Branch) use.

```
Service
  └── Group
        └── Space
              └── Fixtures
```

Groups and services are optional — a space can sit unassigned, be served from a group, or be served from a service directly. See [Groups and Services](/workflows/plumbing-planning/groups-and-services.md) to build the hierarchy, and [System Hierarchy](/reference/reference/system-hierarchy.md) for how it compares across disciplines.

***

## Views

* **Canvas** — draw spaces on the floor plan, same tools as mechanical and electrical. See [Canvas View](/workflows/workspace/canvas-view.md).
* **Data** — tabular entry: a tree grid of spaces with their fixtures nested underneath. This is where most plumbing work happens. See [Plumbing Data View](/workflows/plumbing-planning/data-view.md).

The **Topology** view is not yet available for plumbing.

***

## What you can do

* Create spaces — draw on the canvas, add them in the Data view, or import from a file
* Add, edit, and remove fixtures per space; set the count for each
* Edit space metadata — name, space type, floor area, floor assignment
* Group spaces into groups, and groups or spaces into water services — see [Groups and Services](/workflows/plumbing-planning/groups-and-services.md)
* Multi-select spaces and edit them together
* Duplicate and delete spaces (with undo/redo)
* Review live **Hot / Cold / Combined SFU** totals for the current selection
* Export the plumbing space and fixture data to Excel (**File → Export → Grid Data**)

***

## Not yet available

The plumbing discipline is earlier in its build-out than mechanical and electrical. The following are planned but not in the product yet:

* **Topology view** — shows a *"Plumbing topology is coming soon"* placeholder.
* **On-canvas view overlays** — plumbing has no equipment/map layer toggles in the Views switcher.
* **Equipment schedule export** — the Schedules export is hidden for plumbing. Use **Grid Data** for tabular output.
* **Pipe sizing and demand-flow (GPM)** — Strata accumulates fixture units only; it does not size pipe or convert SFU to flow at this stage.

***

## Related

* [Spaces and Fixtures](/workflows/plumbing-planning/spaces-and-fixtures.md)
* [Groups and Services](/workflows/plumbing-planning/groups-and-services.md)
* [Plumbing Data View](/workflows/plumbing-planning/data-view.md)
* [Project Settings](/workflows/projects/project-settings.md)
* [System Hierarchy](/reference/reference/system-hierarchy.md)