How to tag pipe elevation in Revit: invert, BOP, centerline, and TOP

A pipe elevation tag tells the installer how high a pipe runs. On a hydronic plan it is the number a fitter reads first, and a missing one is a question waiting to happen. Offices disagree on the datum, so the first job is picking one.

This guide covers the elevation parameters Revit has, how to put them in a tag, how to use Spot Elevation, and how to handle sections and sloped pipe. RayCAD automates MEPF annotation in Revit. Fixtures have their own plumbing fixture guide. Wherever a step costs real project time, a note shows what RayCAD does.

What elevation parameters does a pipe have?

Revit gives a pipe a set of elevation values. They come in three groups.

• Upper End and Lower End. The pipe has a start and an end, and each has its own values. A level pipe has the same value at both.
• Spot-based. A value at one chosen point along the pipe.
• Datum. Within each group, the values are top, centerline, bottom, and invert, plus obvert and the top and bottom of insulation.

Invert is the height of the interior bottom of the pipe, and bottom is the outer bottom surface. The difference is the wall thickness, so a drainage standard that works to invert levels needs the invert parameter, not the bottom one.

All upper end and lower end parameters can be tagged and scheduled. Spot-based parameters can be tagged and cannot be scheduled.

How do you put elevation in a pipe tag?

1. Select a pipe tag in the model and click Edit Family.
2. Save a copy under a new name.
3. Select the label and click Edit Label.
4. Add the elevation parameter your office uses, such as Bottom Elevation, Centerline Elevation, Top Elevation, or Invert Elevation. For a sloped pipe, choose the end you want, upper or lower.
5. Add a prefix such as BOP, CL, or TOP, so the reader knows the datum.
6. Select the parameter and click the format button. Clear Use project settings to set your own units and rounding.
7. Click OK, then Load into Project.
8. Place the tag with Annotate, Tag, Tag by Category, or switch existing tags in the Type Selector.

How do you place a Spot Elevation on a pipe?

1. Go to the Annotate tab.
2. In the Dimension panel, click Spot Elevation.
3. Click the pipe at the point you want. Move the cursor to where the symbol should sit, then click again.
4. Select the spot elevation and, in the Properties palette, choose which elevation it shows, such as the top, the bottom, or both.

Use a Spot Elevation when you need the value at one exact point, such as where a pipe crosses a beam. Because it reads the pipe at one point, the value changes if the pipe is moved or if it slopes.

How do you tag pipe elevation in a section view?

Both methods work in a section. A tag label reads the same values, and a Spot Elevation reads the pipe at the point you click.

1. Open the section.
2. Use Tag by Category with a pipe tag that has the elevation in its label, or place a Spot Elevation on the pipe.
3. Place one for each pipe that crosses the cut, and keep the tags clear of the pipe walls.

Sections show the height of every pipe at once, which makes them useful for checking clearances.

How do you tag a sloped pipe?

A sloped pipe has a different height at every point. One number would be wrong, so offices do one of three things.

• Tag both ends. Use the upper end and lower end elevations in two tags or a two-line label.
• Tag the start of the run with a Spot Elevation. Add the slope next to it. See showing slope with a tag or Spot Slope.
• Tag the invert at each manhole or change. Common in drainage standards.

Where do you place elevation tags?

• At the start of a run.
• At every point where the elevation changes, such as an offset, a drop under a beam, or a riser landing.
• Not on the straight stretches between.

Parallel pipes with different elevations need a tag for each, and a tag between two pipes is easy to misread.

How do you handle risers and offsets?

A riser shows in plan as a dot, so its tag has nothing to point at. Tag the next leg a reader can see, or place the elevation on the riser's base and top.

What goes wrong with pipe elevation tags?

What else breaks when you tag elevations by hand?

Missed elevations. A pipe without an elevation becomes a question from the fitter. RayCAD names every pipe it could not place, says why, and takes you there. See how that reduces RFIs.

Model changes. When a pipe moves, its tag keeps the old position. Select the moved pipes and RayCAD's Retag tool tags them again.

How does RayCAD tag pipe elevations?

You pick the views. RayCAD reads the model, decides where each elevation tag belongs, places it, and lists anything it could not place. A click-saver plugin trims each click, but you still choose and place every tag. With RayCAD you review the result.

RayCAD places pipe elevation tags in floor plans. It does not give a gravity pipe a single elevation, because a gravity line falls along its length, and it tags those pipes with size and system abbreviation. Elevation tags in section views stay a manual step in Revit.

RayCAD works with Revit 2021 to 2027. Try it on your own risers, or email us for a demo. The guide to tagging pipes covers the rest of the pipe tags. For spot elevations, see Revit spot elevation for MEP.