The plumbing systems are an important part of any well functioning home, ensuring the supply of clean water, and the safe disposal of waste water. This advice will help to keep your home's pumbing safe for your family.
Plumbing includes all of a home's water supply and waste water discharge lines. In addition plumbers may be called upon to install the gas pipes into the home. This is because the techniques for fitting gas pipes are pretty similar to those for installing water pipes, and also because gas fired central heating systems clearly require sources of both gas and water. Note that plumbers who work with gas pipes as well as water pipes may require some extra training and qualifications.
When a home is first built, a water supply line is installed from the mains water in the street into the home. All water supply lines in the house (sinks, baths, showers, WCs etc) then originate at that point.
Most water supply pipework is made in copper, although plastic (PVC) pipe is becoming more popular. Plastic pipe can be easier to work with for non-professionals, such as home-owners carrying out DIY repairs or installations. Plastic pipework is very often used for the drain and waste water pipes. These are also larger in diameter than the supply pipes.
All homes have a soil stack, or drain-waste-vent pipe (DWV), and all the waste water outlets in the home discharge into it. The DWV's function is to lead the waste water down into the sewers, while allowing sewer gases to be pushed up through the roof of the house.
Every fixture (toilet, sink, shower etc) which outputs waste water to the soil stack will be connected to it through a trap. Traps are either U-, J- or S-Shaped. When the U-shaped trap (also called a U-Bend) is connected to a 90 degree fitting on its outlet side, it forms a P-shape, which is called a P-trap, or a sink-trap (as it is used in most sink outlets in homes).
The purpose of the trap is to create a seal than prevents sewer gases from getting into the home. There is always water at the bottom of the U-bend, so that sewer gases which are present in the soil pipe cannot get through to the sink outlet into the house. Although traps are important they can get blocked up by debris such as hair, and they may also collect heavy objects (e. G. Jewelry) which accidentally fall down the plug-hole. For these reasons they are designed so that they can be easily dismantled and reassembled.
The building codes which apply to plumbing installations will differ from country to country, and possibly from locality to locality, but in most places there are certain standards which must be followed. These usually include regulations relating to health and safety, such as anti-scalding devices which may be required on showers, and regulations to ensure that waste water outlets have the correct traps. Boilers in hot water systems must be properly vented: many deaths occur every year due to carbon-monoxide poisoning caused by improperly fitted and maintained heating systems.
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