Plumbing involves the installation and repair of pipes, fixtures, and appliances that convey water and sewage in a building. This profession requires a significant amount of knowledge and specialized training. Many plumbers attend trade school or community college, and some obtain their license through apprenticeships.
While technical competence is important, customer service should not be overlooked. You want a plumber who can answer your questions and give you an accurate estimate.
The plumbing and piping systems in your home are a network of pipes that carry water in and drain it out. The system also delivers hot and cold water throughout the building and provides sewage and waste removal services. Plumbing and piping systems are designed according to strict codes and regulations that must be followed. These standards ensure the safety and effectiveness of the system.
Piping systems convey fluids for a wide variety of purposes and are often used in the semiconductor, paper processing, petroleum refinery, pharmaceutical, and textile industries. Pipes are tubes or cylinders that can be made of metal, ceramics, plastics, or concrete. They are typically round, although they can be rectangular or square in shape. Pipes can range in diameter from less than an inch to several feet, depending on the size and pressure requirements of the piping system.
Pipes in plumbing systems are usually made of galvanized steel, brass, or copper. They are usually joined with special fittings to prevent leakage. In some cases, these joints are soldered. Regardless of their materials, all pipes in plumbing systems must be properly sized and fitted to the system in order to function properly.
Plumbing systems are regulated by local and state codes that govern construction and installation. They also require regular inspections to maintain compliance with code requirements and safety regulations. Many states have separate plumbing codes for commercial and residential buildings. These codes regulate the size and location of pipes, the material from which they are made, and the type and amount of water they can hold.
Piping engineering is a highly specialized field of mechanical engineering that focuses on the design of piping systems. It includes calculating the amount of force required to move a particular liquid through a specific length of pipe. Piping engineers are also responsible for designing the layout of plant facilities and the location of equipment and process units within these facilities. They use a number of different tools to prepare piping drawings, including isometric drawings. Isometric drawings are a 3-D projection of an object in a 2-D plane, and they provide information about the pipes’ size, material, end edge type and thickness, and code to follow.
Blueprints
A plumbing blueprint shows the location of pipes and fixtures in a structure. It usually includes water supply lines, drains and vent pipes, and fixtures such as sinks and toilets. A plumber must know how to read and interpret these plans in order to install the plumbing for a home or building. Blueprints contain a large amount of information and use many symbols to convey it all. To make reading them easier, the dimensions of the blueprint are drawn to scale. This means that 1 inch on the plan represents a foot in reality. The scale will be noted somewhere on the blueprint and may change from drawing to drawing.
Another important part of a plumbing plan is the diagram showing the drainage system. This can be done either as a flat line or a curved line, depending on the type of plumbing layout needed. It also includes the location of any water sumps or catch basins. A plumbing blueprint will generally include a diagram for each floor of the building. If a complex plumbing system is being installed, such as in-floor radiant heating, a separate drawing will need to be completed by the head plumber.
Before beginning to read a plumbing blueprint, it’s a good idea to spread it out on a table or counter. This will allow you to see the entire page at once and make it easier to spot important details such as piping sizes, fixture units, water supplies, and drain locations. Also pay attention to the legend on the drawing and any arrows that indicate which way a pipe should go.
A helpful way to learn how to read a plumbing blueprint is to find a book that explains the different symbols used and their meanings. One such book is “Blueprint Reading for Plumbers, Residential and Commercial,” by D’Archangelo. This is a comprehensive text that includes a chapter on the types of piping drawings and the skills necessary to understand them. It is a recommended text for post-secondary vocational plumbing students and should be available at most libraries.
Supply Drawing
In a plumbing plan, the supply drawing shows the route pipes will take for water (potable and non-potable) into and wastewater out of the house. It typically includes the water-supply line sizes and locations, fixture locations, isolation valves, hot-water heater capacities and locations, drain locations and routing, and the sanitary stack. It is often included in the mechanical-drawing division of a set of construction drawings, although it may be placed on its own sheet if the project is very small and the number of fixtures is limited.
A supply drawing should include a legend that distinguishes between hot and cold supply lines. It should also indicate the length of each pipe run. It is a good idea to color-code drainpipes, vent pipes, and supply pipes to avoid confusion during the installation process. It is also helpful to add a description of the location and type of each fixture, along with its size and flow rate. The final plumbing plan should also include a drain-waste-vent elevation that describes the upward path of the stack, vents, and traps.
Detailed plumbing plans can save time and money. They can also enable a homeowner to see the full picture of their home’s plumbing system, which can help them spot problems that might not be obvious without a visual aid. In addition, a clear, professional-looking plumbing plan can benefit projects that require a permit by making it easier to obtain a building department’s approval.
To make a plumbing plan, you need good software that supports the creation of symbols and layouts. EdrawMax is a comprehensive tool that offers multiple options for creating piping and plumbing diagrams. It has a large template community, and its libraries contain more than 25 million pre-built symbols that are customizable to suit any project. The software also allows users to create isometric diagrams and provides a built-in library with hundreds of isometric symbols for plumbing and piping systems.
To start a new plumbing design, open the Plumbing and Piping Plans solution on the Solutions panel and activate its libraries from there. Alternatively, you can create your own custom symbol library by selecting individual vector stencils and importing them from your computer.
Rough-In Drawing
A rough-in plumbing diagram is a drawing that shows the layout of your venting and drainage pipes behind walls and underneath floorboards. It is usually necessary for the permit application process and serves as a guide during installation. Rough-in drawings use simple symbols to illustrate where fixtures will connect and their size. These symbols can be found in plumbing code books or online. Using the right tools will make it much easier to create a rough-in plumbing diagram. One of the best tools is a 30-60-90 plastic triangle. This tool is very inexpensive and makes illustrating pipes that run horizontally with the code-required slope a snap. It is also helpful when creating plumbing diagrams in Revit, a software program used by architects and engineers to design buildings and other structures.
During the mechanical rough-in, contractors install ductwork and other mechanical systems. This includes laying out lines, mounting junction boxes, and pulling wiring. It is important to complete this stage before any other stages of the project because it is difficult to work around ductwork and plumbing during later phases of construction.
In this phase, plumbers also reroute water and drain lines, mount sink assemblies, and install water system valves. The capped-off gas lines to appliances are installed during this time as well. The rough-in stage is a great time to test all connections for leaks.
Some projects may require a plumbing permit even when there is no new equipment to be installed. The permit requires a rough-in plumbing diagram and an inspection of the completed work. This will determine if the plumbing meets code requirements and will allow the project to proceed to the next phase.
It is important to follow the rough-in plumbing diagrams exactly so that your plumbing passes inspection. This will prevent delays and expensive mistakes that can occur during installation. A plumbing permit can also help you save money by ensuring that all pipes are properly sized and that all fittings are rated for the pressure and temperature of the water or gas they carry. This can help reduce the risk of bursting or ruptured pipes that could cause major damage to your facility.
