What’s the Difference Between Water Pressure & Water Head
In a previous blog, I quoted the number 2.31 when discussing the relationship between water pressure & water head. Since then I have had a request to elaborate on the number 2.31 and where it comes from. Frankly, with many gauges still calibrated in PSI I still relate to the US system of measure. The quoted factor therefore only applies to pressure in units of PSI and water head expressed in feet. The basis of the factor 2.31 is as follows:
- One cubic ft of water weighs 62.4 lbs and contains 1728 cubic inches. Therefore one cubic inch weighs 62.4/1728 or 0.0361 lbs.
- A column of water with a cross-section of one square inch, that is 12 inches tall (one foot), would weigh 0.0361 x 12 or 0.433 lbs. Exerting a pressure of .433 lbs per square inch.
- Based on this, a pressure of 1 lb per square inch would require a one square inch column of water equal to 1/.433 or 2.31 ft tall
PS — In the metric system the conversion factor is 1 Kilopascal [kPa] = 0.101 974 Meters of water column [mH2O] My apologies to my fellow Canadians for not providing the metric Stay tuned, and bye for now.
RJ
