P

S
D

1
2
9
Jail and Prison
Housing Units
Continuing Education from Plumbing Systems & Design
Kenneth G.Wentink, PE, CPD, and Robert D. Jackson
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
PSDMAGAZINE.ORG
Continuing Education
INTRODUCTION
The objective of this chapter is to help the designer under-
stand and deal with the problems of designing water heating
systems for jail and prison housing units. It is important that
the designer recognize that each building is unique and work
closely with the owner, architect, and government authorities
to determine how a building will operate. A buildings opera-
tion will affect when and for how long the peak hot water
demand will occur.
The first part of this chapter discusses generally some of
the design criteria and areas of special concern involved in
designing for jail and prison housing units. The second part
gives two practical examples of sizing methodology, one for
jails and one for prisons.
GENERAL
The design criteria used to design hot water systems
for jail housing units differ from those used for prison hous-
ing units. This difference is due to the fact that the facilities
are used for different purposes. Jails are used primarily
to house people awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
Prisons are used to house convicted criminals serving long
prison terms. This difference affects the prisoners daily rou-
tines, which, in turn, determine when the facilities peak hot
water demands occur.
It is required that hot water temperature for the showers and
lavatories in jails and prisons be limited to between 100 and
110F (38 and 43C). This temperature range has been estab-
lished to prevent inmates from using hot water as a weapon.
1

The generally used standard temperature is 105F (41C).
Push-button type self-closing or timed-control valves are used
to deliver hot water of this temperature to the showers and
lavatories. Occasionally an owner will require that a shower
control valve that allows some inmate control of shower water
temperature be provided. New security type valves provide
this feature. Hot water at the design temperature must be fur-
nished at the fixture because of the lower-than-usual water
temperature and the self-closing features of inmate control
valves.
The designer should take into consideration that the typical
life of a jail or prison is 50 to 100 years and that any system
installed must be accessible for replacement or repair.
Large jail facilities and all prisons have central laundry facili-
ties and central kitchens. The hot water systems for the laundry
and kitchen areas should be separate from those for housing
because these areas have very different hot water demands.
For instance, the temperature of the hot water delivered will
be higher, between 140 and 180F (60 and 82C). If a central-
ized water heating system is used for the general purpose and
kitchen/laundry water, then a fail-safe water tempering system
must be installed for the general purpose water.
Hot Water Demand
The usual fixtures requiring hot water found in housing units
are showers and lavatories. Some units also have small kitch-
ens or serving areas, which may have additional sinks and
small dishwashers. Such serving areas are project specific. In
jails, very often one or two residential type washing machines
are required for each housing unit pod (a group of 10 to 20
cells). The typical housing unit is composed of multiple pods,
with each cell opening onto a day room. Currently it is recom-
mended that there be one shower for every eight inmates
and a lavatory in each cell.
2
The number and location of
the showers are decided by the architect in coordination with
the owner and according to specific code requirements. The
shower operation is the factor that determines the required
sizes of the water heater and storage tank.
Primary considerations
1. The standard recommendation of eight inmates per
shower was made so that all inmates could shower during
a 1-h period. This arrangement allows an average of 7 min
for each inmate to shower. About half that time is taken
up by drying and switching inmates, leaving only about
3.5 min of actual water usage per inmate.
2. Showers are the main factor affecting water heater size.
Allowance should be made for the many lavatories in
housing units when sizing the storage tank.
3. The efficiency of storage systems varies from manu-
facturer to manufacturer, but 65 to 80% is a good
efficiency range to use until you have actual data on the
tank and system specified.
JAIL EXAMPLE
This is an example of a jail housing unit with six pods of 24
cells each (one inmate per cell) and three showers per pod.
Assume that the hot water generated is 140F (60C) and the
incoming water temperature is 50F (10C).
Questions
1. Will the inmates be required to shower at a specific time?
No
2. Will all the cell pods release their inmates for showering
within the same hour?
Yes. (This means that the design must accommodate a
1-h recovery period.)
3. Will the shower duration per inmate be limited?
Yes, to 7 min per inmate, with 3.5 min of water usage
4. Does the facility anticipate double bunking inmates, either
now or in the future?
No
Calculations for Jail Housing Units
The ratio of 140 to 50F (60 to 10C) water flowing at the
shower can be calculated using the mixed-water formula,
Equation 1.7, from Chapter 1:
Jail and Prison Housing Units
1
American Corrections Association, Adult Corrections Institutions, 3d ed.
2
Ibid.
Note: All decimal equivalencies in the metric calculations are rounded. Therefore, the metric conversions
shown in the text may vary slightly from the answers shown in the metric equations.
Sept/Oct 2005 Plumbing Systems & Design 57
P =
(T
m
T
c
)
(T
h
T
c
)
where
P = Percentage of mixture that is hot water
T
m
= Temperature of mixed water = 105F (41C)
T
h
= Temperature of hot water = 140F (60C)
T
c
= Temperature of cold water = 50F (10C)
P =
105 50
=
55
= 0.61
140 50 90
[
P =
41 10
=
31
= 0.61
]
60 10 50
With each shower flowing 2.5 gpm (0.13 L/sec),
2.5 gpm 0.61 = 1.53 gpm will be 140F hot water
(0.13 L/sec

0.61 = 0.08 L/sec will be 60C hot water)

8 inmates 3.5 min = 28 min of water flowing per shower
during the peak hour
6 pods 3 showers per pod = 18 showers total
18 showers 28 min = 504 min
504 min 1.53 gpm = 771.12 gal 140F hot water per
peak hour demand
(504 min

0.10 L/sec

60 sec/min = 3024 L 60C hot
water per peak hour demand)
At this time a judgment will have to be made by the designer
as to whether or not the auxiliary equipment will be operating
during the peak hour. For this example, we will assume it will
not.
Auxiliary Equipment Demand
Door type dishwasher with internal heater = 69 gph
(261.17 L/h)
Single compartment sink = 30 gph (113.55 L/h)
Clothes washing machines, 1 per pod 6 pods = 6
6 2 loads @ 20 gal/load = 240 gph
(6

2 loads @ 75.7 L/load = 908.40 L/h)

Auxiliary equipment demand for 140F water = 339 gph
(Auxiliary equipment demand for 60C water = 1283.12
L/h)
Assuming that operation of the auxiliary equipment does
not coincide with the peak hour demand, sizing the heater
and storage tank to handle the additional load will not be
necessary. The heater size required for inmate showering is
more than twice the size needed for the auxiliary equipment
demand.
Recommendation
Heater sizing
Two heaters should be selected, each sized to serve between
60 and 100% of the total demand. In prison housing units
some redundancy in the water heating system is necessary.
The level of redundancy should be discussed with the facilitys
owners.
Storage tank sizing
If the water heater is sized to meet the recovery required to
handle the peak shower demand, the storage tank may be
sized to handle approximately 50% of the shower demand
during the period of peak use. The storage tank should be
large enough to prevent the heater from cycling on and off
more than four times per hour during off-peak hours. This
requirement necessitates finding a balance between excessive
tank size and short cycling.
Calculation
771.12 gph 0.50 = 385.6 gal
(2.93 m
3
/h

0.50 = 1.47 m
3
/h)
385.6
= 481.6 gal storage tank size
0.80
[
1470 L
= 1837.5 L storage tank size
]
0.80
The auxiliary equipment demand of 339 gph (1283.12 L/h)
will have the greatest influence on the amount of cycling done
by the heater during off-peak hours.
339 gph
= 5.56 gpm average flow of 140F water
60
[
1283.12 L/h
= 0.36 L/sec average flow of 60C water
]
60

60
5.56 gpm 15 min = 83.4 gal
(0.36 L/sec

60 sec/min

15 min = 324 L)
83.4
= 104.25 gal storage
0.80
[
324 L
= 405 L storage
]
0.80
The selected size of a 481.6-gal (1837.5-L) storage tank is
more than adequate to meet this demand.
PRISON EXAMPLE
This is an example of a housing facility for 384 inmates. It
has four wings (96 inmates per wing) and each wing has four
stories (24 inmates per wing per story). A central kitchen and
laundry are located in a separate building. Shower areas are
provided on every floor of every wing, and each of these areas
has three shower heads.
Design Criteria and Assumptions
1. Inmate lavatories and showers will be supplied with 105F
(41C) circulated hot water. Showers are to have 2.5 gpm
(0.16 L/sec) flow restrictors and lavatories 2.0 gpm (0.13
L/sec) flow restrictors.
2. There will be separate systems for the kitchen and laun-
dry areas.
3. The water temperature for the laundry area will be 180F
(82C) and for the kitchen area 140F (60C), plus there
will be a separate loop of 105F (41C) water for the hand
washing lavatories and toilets located in the kitchen area .
4. Water at 140F (60C) will be supplied to the dishwasher.
The dishwasher will have a separate booster heater to
raise water temperature to the 180F (82C) required for
the final rinse cycle.
5. The storage tank capacity varies considerablyfrom
0% for instantaneous heaters to more than100%. Check
Reprinted from Domestic Water Heating Design Manual, 2nd ed. 2003. Chicago: American Society of Plumbing Engineers. Chapter 9, Jail
and Prison Housing Units (pp. 179-188). 2003, American Society of Plumbing Engineers.
Continuing Education: Jail and Prison Housing Units
58 Plumbing Systems & Design Sept/Oct 2005
to determine if the owner has a preference. Remember,
most owners already operate existing jails or prisons; they
may have established design parameters. The initial cost
of equipment, the unit performance, and operating costs
are also factors to be considered when sizing the storage
tank.
6. Look for additional support facilities, such as the barber
shop, pantries, or an emergency medical clinic.
7. Although operating hours for the laundry area are gener-
ally from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., review operational times
and schedules with the owner.
8. Sources of heat: The selection of steam, natural gas, or
electricity will have an enormous impact on the type of
heater and on energy consumption.
Note: A central steam generation plant may favor an
instan-taneous type steam-to-hot-water converter with
minimum hot water storage for surges. Remember, redun-
dancy in heaters is always required for jails and prisons to
allow for problems created by inmates. The cost of gen-
erating and distributing steam is also a factor to be consid-
ered.
9. The method to use for sizing the water heater and storage
tank may be determined by the owner/operator of the
facility.
10. One inmate per cell equals 384 inmates. A question that
should be asked is whether the owner plans to expand in
the future by putting more than one inmate in each cell.
Questions
1. Will the inmates be required to shower at a specific time?
No
2. Will the shower duration per inmate be limited or do
inmates have control over when they shower?
Showers are limited to 7 min per inmate, with 3.5 min
of water usage per shower.
3. Will all of the cell pods release their inmates for
showering within the same hour?
Yes. (This means that the design must accommodate a
1-h recovery period.)
4. Does the facility anticipate double bunking the inmates
now or in the future?
No
5. Does the facility have a work-release program?
Yes
6. What is the time allocated for the work-release inmates
to shower prior to leaving for their duties in the work
release program?
One hour, at the same approximate time as the other
inmates.
Calculations for Inmate Housing Units
Refer to the calculations done for the jail example for the meth-
odology for determining the 1.53 gpm (0.1 L/sec) flow per
shower head and the operation time of 28 min per shower.
48 showers 28 min = 1344 min
1344 min 1.53 gpm = 2056 gal of 140F hot water for
peak hour demand
(1344 min

0.096 L/sec

60 sec/min = 7741.44 L/h of 60C

hot water for peak hour demand)
Storage Tank Sizing
In this example, inmate lavatories will have the only impact on
tank sizing because the kitchen and laundry will have separate
systems.
If the water heater is sized to meet the recovery required
to handle the peak shower demand, the storage tank may be
sized to handle approximately 50% of the shower demand
during the period of peak use. The storage tank should be
large enough to prevent the heater from cycling on and off
more than four times per hour during off-peak hours. This
requirement necessitates finding a balance between excessive
tank size and short cycling.
Calculation
2056 gph 0.50 = 1028 gal 140F hot water
(7.74 m
3
/h

0.50 = 3.87 m
3
60C hot water)
1028 gal
= 1285 gal storage tank size
0.80 eff.
[
3870 L
= 4837.5 L storage tank size
]
0.80 eff.
Kitchen Considerations
1. The item that has the greatest effect on hot water demand
is the dishwasher. Some central kitchens do not have
dining areas, in which case all meals are shipped to the
housing units in bulk for distribution and the dishwashers
are in the housing units.
2. The temperature of the hot water going to kitchen lavato-
ries should not exceed 110F (43C) for safety reasons.
3. Check to see if the dishwasher has a booster heater
and determine the type of energy used (steam or electric-
ity). This information will help you decide whether or not
to generate 180F (82C) water.
Note: Some dishwashers on the market use chemicals
for disinfecting, thus the higher water temperature is not
required.
4. After dishwashers, compartment sinks are the next largest
user of 140F (60C) hot water. The higher temperature is
required to cut through grease on pots and pans. Some
three-compartment sinks have booster heaters in the rinse
tank to maintain the higher temperature.
5. Other kitchen items that use hot water are the prerinse for
the dishwasher, the vegetable sinks, and the cart wash-
down hose bibs.
6. Always check the kitchen consultants plans for hot water
requirements.
7. Refer to the Hospitals chapter for additional information
on kitchens.
Laundry Considerations
1. Review the laundry consultants plans and determine the
type of washing machine/extractor used. Prison laun-
dries are similar to hospital laundries in that they process
sheets, pillow cases, and uniforms. The size and number
Sept/Oct 2005 Plumbing Systems & Design 59
of machines are normally decided by the owner or the
consultant.
2. Inmates each generate about 30 lb (13.61 kg) of laundry a
week. This consists of 1 pillowcase, 2 sheets, 1 towel, and
uniforms.
3. Additionally, prison laundries usually handle the uniforms
of the correctional officers.
4. Sometimes prison laundries do laundry for outside hospi-
tals as a prison industry.
5. Consider the feasibility of a heat recovery system that uses
the wash-water discharge. The laundry consultant can
probably advise you about this.
6. Laundry equipment suppliers are the only reliable source
of information on the hot water demands and required
temperaures of their washers. They can tell you how
many gallons (liters) of water the machines require and
the maximum number of cycles per hour they will oper-
ate.
7. Washers demand their hot water fast. It is not unusual for
a 2-in. (DN50) hot water line to be connected to the larger
washers. Therefore, larger than normal storage capacity is
needed to handle the surges in hot water demand. One
rule of thumb is to provide 75% of the maximum hourly
demand in storage; dont provide less than 50% of that
amount.
8. In 1992 a new federal law (Bloodborne Pathogen) was
passed to protect workers against the human immunodefi-
ciency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). All deten-
tion facilities are now under this new federal regulation.
A major/critical new standard was created by the law:
When an officers uniform becomes contaminated with
blood products, the officer cannot leave his workplace
with the uniform on. The facility must clean that uniform
and reissue it to the officer. The law states further that
inmate labor cannot be used when handling blood con-
taminated items.
A washer and dryer for the aforementioned are required
to achieve compliance with the law. They should be
located in a space that is under the direct supervision of
an officer so the security of the officers uniforms will not
be jeopardized. n
Continuing Education: Jail and Prison Housing Units
60 Plumbing Systems & Design Sept/Oct 2005
1. The sizing of a domestic water storage tank shall be large
enough to prevent the water heaters from cycling no more
than ____________ times per hour during off-peak hours.
a. two
b. four
c. six
d. eight
2. What are some of the most important factors to consider
when sizing a domestic hot water storage tank?
a. operating costs
b. initial costs
c. unit performance
d. all of the above
3. The American Corrections Association ____________.
a. has established the hot water requirements for jails and
prisons
b. requires the temperature of the hot water at inmate
showers be between 100
o
F and 110
o
F
c. has established the generally used standard of 105
o
F for
inmate showers
d. requires the use of push button type showers
4. A typical hot water delivered temperature for inmate
lavatories is ____________
o
F.
a. 95
b. 100
c. 105
d. 110
5. If the water heater is sized to meet the recovery required
to handle the peak shower demand of a jail housing unit,
____________.
a. the storage tank may be sized to handle approximately
50% of the shower demand
b. the storage tank should be large enough to prevent the
heater from cycling on and off more than four times per
hour during off-peak hours
c. the storage tank should be 481.6 gallons
d. both a and b
6. The main factor to consider in sizing a water heating
system for a jail is ____________.
a. showers
b. the many lavatories in housing units
c. the temperature of the hot water to be provided and the
duration of the peak flow
d. the efficiency of the storage system
7. Each inmate generates approximately ____________
pounds of laundry per week.
a. 10
b. 20
c. 30
d. 40
8. In what year was the Bloodborne Pathogen law passed
that was intended to protect workers against human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis B virus
(HBV)?
a. 1986
b. 1992
c. 1998
d. 2004
9. Auxiliary equipment demand ____________.
a. must be included in the water heating sizing
b. must be assumed to not be in operation during the
shower period
c. should be determined whether or not it will be operating
during the peak hour
d. is equal to 69 gallons per hour
10. The item of kitchen equipment that has the greatest effect
on the hot water demand is the ____________.
a. vegetable prep sink
b. triple pot sink
c. dishwasher
d. exhaust hood washdown system
11. A jail housing pod of 20 cells, each with one inmate, would
require how many showers?
a. one per cell
b. three
c. four
d. the number is determined by the architect
12. The objective of this chapter is ____________.
a. to help government authorities determine how the
building will operate
b. to help the designer understand and deal with the
problems of designing water heating systems for jail and
prison housing units
c. to help the designer understand and deal with the
problems of designing water heating equipment for jail
and prison housing units
d. all of the above
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Continuing Education from Plumbing Systems & Design
Kenneth G.Wentink, PE, CPD, and Robert D. Jackson, Chicago Chapter President
CE QuestionsJail and Prison Housing Units (PSD 129)
Sept/Oct 2005 Plumbing Systems & Design 61
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