Plumbing Fixtures and Piping Overview

Plumbing Fixtures

• Plumbing fixtures are designed to attach to pipes for access and drainage of water/waste water.
• Water closet receptacles receive human excrement and discharge it through a waste pipe
• Lavatories are designed for washing hands and face.
• Sinks are designed for washing objects.
• Shower baths are apparatuses for spraying water on the body.
• Bidets are designed to wash the middle part of the body, especially genitals.
• Tubs are designed to bathe in.
• Drinking fountains consist of a shallow basin with a water jet and are designed to provide potable water.
• Plumbing accessories include soap holders, paper holders, toothbrush and tumbler holders, tower holders/bar holders, and seat covers.
• Dishwashing machines are used to clean dishes.
• Emergency shower/eye wash stations provide first aid materials to prevent further damage.
• Food waste grinders grind food wastes to prevent clogs.

Piping

• Piping conducts or transfers fluids (liquids and gases) from one place to another.
• The outside diameter (OD) of a tube is determined by the tube size.
• Nominal pipe size (NPS) in piping corresponds to the standard wall thickness.
• Internal diameter (ID) - is the nominal pipe size used for standard wall thickness.

Piping Materials

• Earth/Concrete: used for canals
• Reinforced Concrete Pipes (RCP): usually used for canals
• Vitrified Clay Pipes (VCP): commonly used in gravity sewer collection systems
• Bituminous Fiber Pipe (BFP): usually used for natural resources
• Asbestos: prohibited for use because it is known to be harmful
• Metal: cast iron, galvanized steel, lead, copper, brass
  • Cast Iron: used for wastewater in sewers, drains, stacks, and vents in a waste system
  • Galvanized Steel: better than regular steel pipe due to increased resistance to acid, coated in zinc to protect against corrosion.
  • Lead Pipe: oldest piping material
  • Copper Pipe: best material for use, comes in 3 types: K (heaviest, suitable for underground), L (lighter, suitable for residential), and M (thinnest, lightest)
  • Brass: yellow alloy of copper and zinc
• Plastic: commonly used for clean water, durable, lightweight, flexible. Requires less energy for fabrication, transport, and installation.
  • PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride): Most commonly used and found in machinery industries such as aerospace and automotive
  • PPR (Polypropylene): lightest piping materials, resistant to chemicals

Piping Valves

• Valves are incorporated into pipelines to control flow into, through, and from them.
• They have a variety of functions including: control, closure at over-speed flow, over pressure protection, backflow prevention, and on/off service.
• Gate Valves: utilize a movable gate or door to allow or prevent flow.
• Globe Valves: compression-type valve that controls the flow of liquid by means of a circular disk.
• Angle Valves: commonly used in toilets for bidets.
• Ball Valves: features a large sphere with a central hole that is equal to the internal diameter of the pipe.
• Butterfly Valves: used for stabilizing high-pressure water, isolating or regulating flow.
• Check Valves: prevent the flow of liquid or gas in a reverse direction.
  • Swing/lift check valves: used in pipelines where the pressure and velocity of flow are low.
• Float Valves: used in toilets for flushing.
• Flushometer: devices that discharge predetermined quantities of water to fixtures for flushing.

Piping Fittings

• Fittings are pipe attachments placed at the end of a pipe that provide flexibility in piping systems and are commonly used to change the direction of flow, distribution, increase or decrease flow capacity, and interconnection.
• Elbow/ell: change the direction of the pipeline.
• Offset: carries soil or waste line past an obstruction in a building.
• Tee: the most common pipe fitting used when a pipe run branches at a 90-degree angle.
• Wye: fitting in which the side inlet pipe enters at a 45-degree angle.
• Coupling: used to connect two lengths of a pipe.
• Cleanout: removable, threaded, placed in drainage lines for cleaning or removing stoppages.
• Bushing: reduce a fitting outlet or connect a pipe to a larger outlet.
• Reducer: allows for a change in pipe size
• Caps and Plugs: used to seal off openings in fittings or pipe ends.
• Flange: used for steel pipes, a disc, collar, or ring that attaches to the pipe.
• Nipple (male): used to make an extension from a fitting or to join two fittings.

Pipe Engagement

• The distance the pipe goes into a fitting is determined by the nominal size diameter of the pipe

Pipe Connections

• Threading and Compression: Steel and Copper
• Solder: Copper
• Solvent Cement: Plastic
• Oakum and Lead: Cast Iron

Pipe Distance Measurements

• FF: Face to Face
• CC: Center to Center
• **EE: ** End to End
• Offset:
• OC: On Center
• BOT: From Bottom of
• TOP: From Top of