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Using Revit MEP to Calculate Flows For Sizing Duct & Pipe
Over the course of the last few Revit MEP projects I have been able to use the information in the models
to calculate flows which have assisted with sizing duct and pipe. Based on what I have found this has
made the process productive and eliminates the need to calculate everything on paper. It has also made
it easier to adapt to changes as the design process evolves. I will advise that this works well on simple
projects. It can get challenging when applying to more complex designs. This information is intended to
show the capabilities of using Revit MEP for these calculations. An intermediate understanding of Revit
MEP and some extra training is recommended.
How It Works:
Revit MEP is doing these calculations based off the duct and pipe connectors inside the families. The
connectors have properties for Supply Air, Return Air, Exhaust Air, Hydronic Supply, Hydronic Return,
Domestic Cold Water, Domestic Hot Water and Sanitary system types. Depending on the system type
and flow stream, the connectors are set up in different ways to calculate CFM, Fixture Units & GPM.
Lessons Learned:
Everything must be connected. No exceptions!
Depending on the source of the Revit MEP family, the connectors might need to be edited in
order to calculate accurately.
Lavatories, Water Closets, Urinals, Mop Basins, Service Sinks and Drinking Fountains are typically
in the architect’s model. For this reason I have created connector placeholder families with type
parameters for Cold Water Fixture Units, Hot Water Fixture Units, Waste Fixture Units and
Diameter of pipe. Ideally these should be set up at the beginning of the project to match the
Plumbing Fixture Schedule and the fixture load based on the IPC.
Hot Water Circulation systems are not currently available in Revit MEP. I used a separate
Domestic Hot Water system for the Hot Water Circulation.
Vent systems are not currently in Revit MEP. I used a separate Santiary system which calculates
waste fixture units for the Vents. Lengths will need to be manually added up for sizing.
Duct, Hydronic and Domestic Water systems need to be closed. Any open ends need to be
capped.
Sanitary systems need to have one open end. The open end is typically the pipe leaving the
building.
Creating information schedules has been a great way to manage the parameter in the families.
Some scenarios need to be calculated manually. For example, complex duct and piping in a
mechanical room.
These systems have proven to be accurate if they are set up right. For example, if you click on a
duct or a pipe and the flow is 0 that means something is not connected or there is an opening in
the system somewhere. It could also mean that the connectors in the family are not set up right.
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Calculating CFM’s and Sizing Duct:
Revit MEP is able to calculate the airflows thru ducts back to the terminal unit based on the CFM
entered into the diffusers. It can then calculate the total airflows from all the terminal units systems and
calculate them thru the main duct to the Air Handling Unit.
In the image below the airflows are entered into the diffusers and all the duct is connected back to the
terminal unit. Revit MEP automatically calculates the CFM’s all the way thru the duct back to the
terminal unit. You can click on a duct anywhere in the system and see the calculated airflow. This
information can then be used to size the duct.
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Calculating GPM and Sizing Hydronic Pipe:
Revit MEP is able to calculate the GPM thru pipes from the terminal units back to the mechanical room.
In the images below the GPM’s are entered into the terminal units. Revit MEP calculates the GPM all the
way thru the pipe back to the mechanical room. You can click on a pipe anywhere in the system and see
the calculated GPM. This information can then be used to size the pipe. If a GPM changes on a terminal
unit you can go to the schedule and change the flow. Then go back to the model, view the calculated
GPM and change the size if necessary.
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Calculating Fixture Units/ GPM for Sizing Domestic Water Pipe:
Revit MEP provides a general conversion from Fixture Units to GPM using the values from the 2006
International Plumbing Code (IPC). It does this for both Flush Tank and Flush Valve systems. This will
work for Domestic Cold Water, Domestic Hot Water and Hot Water Circulation systems.
Note: The Plumbing Fixture Connector Types need to be set up with the Fixture Units at the beginning of
the project. I created a separate Domestic Hot Water system for the Hot Water Circulation since revit
does not currently have a system type for HWC.
The image below shows the mains coming into the mechanical room. The GPM totals shown are
calculated from all the Fixture Units in the building. (From top to bottom: CW, HW, HWC)
You can click on a pipe anywhere in the system and see the calculated Fixture Units and GPM. This
information can then be used to size the pipe. If a fixture is removed or you have to re-route piping you
can view the calculated GPM and change the size as necessary. Here you can see the Fixture Units [86.5]
being converted to (63.2) GPM using Predominantly Flush Valves.
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Calculating Fixture Units for Sizing Sanitary & Vent Pipe:
Revit MEP will calculate Fixture Units thru sanitary pipe based on the Fixture Units assigned to each
fixture family.
Note: The Plumbing Fixture Connector Types need to be set up with the Fixture Units at the beginning of
the project. I created separate Sanitary systems for the Vents since revit does not currently have a
system type for Vents.
In the image below shows the total Fixture Units in the Sanitary pipe leaving the building. Revit MEP
automatically calculates the Fixture Units all the way thru the pipe to the open end leaving the building.
You can click on a pipe anywhere in the system and see the calculated Fixture Units. This information
can then be used to size the pipe. If a Fixture Unit changes on a fixture or you have to re-route piping
you can view the calculated Fixture Units and change the size as necessary. Here you can see there are
93 total Waste Fixture Units for this bathroom.
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The same applies to the vents for this bathroom.
Note: I still had to manually click on the vent pipes to see length in the properties .
Duct & Pipe Flow Legends:
The image below shows a Duct Supply Flow Legend. It is an editable legend that will apply colors to
ducts based on the flow. I was able to use this to help size duct based off the flows calculated from a
Ductulator.
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The images below show a Domestic Water Flow Legend. I was able to use this to help size pipe based off
the sizing chart calculated in the Excel DW Service Calc.
