Components[edit]

A variety of stainless steelplumbing components commonly used to connect various pipes and devices
together
See also: Piping and plumbing fittings, Valves, and Plumbing fixtures
In addition to lengths of pipe or tubing, pipe fittings are used in plumbing systems, such as
valves, elbows, tees, and unions.[33] Pipe and fittings are held in place with pipe
hangers and strapping.
Plumbing fixtures are exchangeable devices using water that can be connected to a building's
plumbing system. They are considered to be "fixtures", in that they are semi-permanent parts of
buildings, not usually owned or maintained separately. Plumbing fixtures are seen by and
designed for the end-users. Some examples of fixtures include water closets[34] (also known
as toilets), urinals, bidets, showers, bathtubs, utility and kitchen sinks, drinking fountains, ice
makers, humidifiers, air washers, fountains, and eye wash stations.
Sealants[edit]
Threaded pipe joints are sealed with thread seal tape or pipe dope. Many plumbing fixtures are
sealed to their mounting surfaces with plumber's putty.[35]

Equipment and tools[edit]

A plumber tightening the fitting on a gas supply line.

Plumbing equipment includes devices often hidden behind walls or in utility spaces which are not
seen by the general public. It includes water meters, pumps, expansion tanks, back flow
preventers, water filters, UV sterilization lights, water softeners, water heaters, heat exchangers,
gauges, and control systems.
There are many tools [36] a plumber needs to do a good plumbing job. While many simple
plumbing tasks can be completed with a few common hand held tools, other more complex jobs
require specialised tools, designed specifically to make the job easier.
Specialized plumbing tools include pipe wrenches, flaring pliers, pipe vise, pipe bending
machine, pipe cutter, dies and joining tools such as soldering torches and crimp tools. New tools
have been developed to help plumbers fix problems more efficiently. For example, plumbers use
video cameras for inspections of hidden leaks or problems, they use hydro jets, and high
pressure hydraulic pumps connected to steel cables for trench-less sewer line replacement.
Flooding from excessive rain or clogged sewers may require specialized equipment, such as a
heavy duty pumper truck designed to vacuum raw sewage.[citation needed]

Problems[edit]
Bacteria have been shown to live in "premises plumbing systems". The latter refers to the "pipes
and fixtures within a building that transport water to taps after it is delivered by the
utility".[37] Community water systems have been known for centuries to spread waterborne
diseases like typhoid and cholera, however "opportunistic premises plumbing pathogens" have
been recognized only more recently; Legionella pneumophila discovered in 1976, Mycobacterium
avium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the most commonly tracked bacteria, which people
with depressed immunity can inhale or ingest and may become infected with.[38] These
opportunistic pathogens can grow for example in faucets, shower heads, water heaters and
along pipe walls. Reasons that favor their growth are "high surface-to-volume ratio, intermittent
stagnation, low disinfectant residual, and warming cycles". A high surface-to-volume ratio, i.e. a
relatively large surface area allows the bacteria to form a biofilm, which protects them from
disinfection.[38]

Regulation[edit]

A pipe wrench for holding and turning pipe

Much of the plumbing work in populated areas is regulated by government or quasi-government
agencies due to the direct impact on the public's health, safety, and welfare. Plumbing
installation and repair work on residences and other buildings generally must be done according
to plumbing and building codes to protect the inhabitants of the buildings and to ensure safe,
quality construction to future buyers. If permits are required for work, plumbing contractors
typically secure them from the authorities on behalf of home or building owners.[citation needed]
In the United Kingdom the professional body is the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating
Engineering (educational charity status) and it is true that the trade still remains virtually
ungoverned;[39] there are no systems in place to monitor or control the activities of unqualified
plumbers or those home owners who choose to undertake installation and maintenance works
themselves, despite the health and safety issues which arise from such works when they are
undertaken incorrectly; see Health Aspects of Plumbing (HAP) published jointly by the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the World Plumbing Council (WPC).[40][41] WPC has subsequently
appointed a representative to the World Health Organization to take forward various projects
related to Health Aspects of Plumbing.[42]
In the United States, plumbing codes and licensing are generally controlled by state and local
governments. At the national level, the Environmental Protection Agency has set guidelines
about what constitutes lead-free plumbing fittings and pipes, in order to comply with the Safe
Drinking Water Act.[43]
Some widely used Standards in the United States are:[citation needed]

 ASME A112.6.3 – Floor and Trench Drains

 ASME A112.6.4 – Roof, Deck, and Balcony Drains
 ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 – Plumbing Supply Fittings
 ASME A112.19.1/CSA B45.2 – Enameled Cast Iron and
Enameled Steel Plumbing Fixtures
 ASME A112.19.2/CSA B45.1 – Ceramic Plumbing Fixtures

See also[edit]
 Active fire protection
 Copper pipe
 Domestic water system
 Double-walled pipe
 EPA Lead and Copper Rule
 Fire hose
 Flange
 Garden hose
 Heat pipe
 Hose
 MS Pipe, MS Tube
 Passive fire protection
 Pipe
 Pipe fitting
 Pipe network analysis
 Pipeline transport
 Piping and plumbing fittings
 Plastic pipework
 Plastic pressure pipe systems
 Plumbing & Drainage Institute
 Plumbosolvency
 Sanitation in ancient Rome
 Tube
 Victaulic
 Water supply network

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Muscroft, Steve (2016-03-14). Plumbing. Elsevier. p. 3.
2. Jump up^ Blankenbaker, Keith. Modern Plumbing. Goodheart
Willcox.
3. Jump up^ "What Is The Origin Of The Word
"plumbing"?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 12, 1942.
Retrieved December 27, 2013.
4. Jump up^ "Health Aspects of Plumbing".[permanent dead link]
5. Jump up^ Plumbing: the Arteries of Civilization, Modern Marvels
video series, The History Channel, AAE-42223, A&E Television,
1996
6. Jump up^ "Archaeologists Urge Pentagon To Keep Soldiers From
Destroying". Herald-Journal. Mar 19, 2003. Retrieved December
27, 2013.
7. Jump up^ Teresi et al. 2002
8. Jump up^ Pulsifer,Notes For a History of Lead, New York
University Press, 1888 pp. 132, 158
9. Jump up^ Middleton, The Remains of Ancient Rome, Vol. 2, A &
C Black, 1892
10. Jump up^ Historical production and uses of lead. ila-lead.org
11. ^ Jump up to:a b Kavanaugh, Sean. "History of Plumbing Pipe and
Plumbing Material". Archived from the original on May 24, 2013.
12. Jump up^ "Public Notice .Lead Contamination Informative City Ok
Moscow Water System". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. August 12,
1988. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
13. Jump up^ "Basic Plumbing System". Retrieved 4 January 2016.
14. Jump up^ "Lead in Drinking Water". Epa.gov. Retrieved 22
January 2014.
15. Jump up^ Hansen, Roger. "WATER AND WASTEWATER
SYSTEMS IN IMPERIAL ROME". Waterhistory.org. Retrieved 22
January 2014.
16. Jump up^ Lead
Poisoning: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_ro
mana/wine/leadpoisoning.html [1]
17. Jump up^ "Wooden water pipe". BBC. Retrieved 22
January 2014.
18. Jump up^ "Types of Pipe Material". Virginia's Community
Colleges. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
19. Jump up^ Worldwide Market for Industrial and Domestic Water
Equipment as of 2010. PwC. March 2012. Retrieved January 28,
2014.
20. ^ Jump up to:a b "Difference between Pipes and Tubes".
Retrieved 22 January 2014.
21. Jump up^ "Wall thickness does not affect pipe o" (PDF). Archived
from the original (PDF) on September 3, 2013. Retrieved January
22, 2014.
22. ^ Jump up to:a b http://www.cispi.org/products/types.aspx Cast Iron
Soil Pipe Institute
23. Jump up^ "What's the difference between PVC and CPVC pipe?".
24. Jump up^ Bidisha Mukherjee. "Polypropylene Properties and
Uses". Buzzle.
25. Jump
up^ http://www.greenbuildingpro.com/resources/whitepapers/1337
-one-of-utahs-leeding-residences-full
26. Jump up^ "Walking The Talk". pmengineer.com.
27. Jump up^ Copper Tube Handbook, the Copper Development
Association, New York, USA, 2006
28. Jump up^ California’s PEX Battle Continues. Builderonline.com
29. ^ Jump up to:a b Macek, MD.; Matte, TD.; Sinks, T.; Malvitz, DM.
(Jan 2006). "Blood lead concentrations in children and method of
water fluoridation in the United States, 1988–1994". Environ
Health Perspect. 114 (1): 130–
4. doi:10.1289/ehp.8319. PMC 1332668  . PMID 16393670.
 30. Jump up^ Rabin, Richard (2017-03-06). "The Lead Industry and
Lead Water Pipes "A MODEST CAMPAIGN"". American Journal
of Public Health. 98 (9): 1584–
1592. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.113555. ISSN 0090-
0036. PMC 2509614  . PMID 18633098.
31. Jump up^ Uniform Plumbing Code, IAPMO
32. Jump up^ International Plumbing Code, ICC
33. Jump up^ "Miscellaneous Valves". Archived from the original on
April 26, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
34. Jump up^ "Basic Plumbing Principles". The Evening Independent.
November 10, 1926. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
35. Jump up^ "Key To Pop-up Drain Is Fresh Plumber's Putty". Daily
News. January 12, 2003. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
36. Jump up^ Plumbing Tool Kit
37. Jump up^ Carol Potera (August 2015). "Plumbing Pathogens: A
Fixture in Hospitals and Homes". Environ Health
Perspectives;. 123 (8). doi:10.1289/ehp.123-A217. PMC 4528999 
.
38. ^ Jump up to:a b Joseph O. Falkinham III; Elizabeth D. Hilborn;
Matthew J. Arduino; Amy Pruden; Marc A. Edwards (August
2015). "Epidemiology and Ecology of Opportunistic Premises
Plumbing Pathogens: Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium
avium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa". Environ Health
Perspectives;. 123 (8). doi:10.1289/ehp.1408692.
39. Jump up^ "The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating
Engineering (CIPHE)". Retrieved March 29, 2014.
40. Jump up^ "World Plumbing Council". Retrieved October 11, 2009.
41. Jump up^ "WHO Health aspects of plumbing". Retrieved October
11, 2009.
42. Jump up^ "World Plumbing Council". Archived from the
original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
43. Jump up^ "Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act:
Prohibition on Use of Lead Pipes, Solder, and Flux".
Retrieved December 20, 2016.

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ Materials used to make water pipes are polyvinyl
chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, ductile iron, cast
iron, steel, copper and formerly lead.

Further reading[edit]
 Teresi, Dick (2002). Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of
Modern Science--from the Babylonians to the Maya. New York:
Simon & Schuster. pp. 351–352. ISBN 0-684-83718-8.

External links[edit]
 Media related to Plumbing at Wikimedia Commons
 The dictionary definition of plumbing at Wiktionary
 Quotations related to Plumbing at Wikiquote
 Plumbing at Wikibooks
 ATSDR Case Studies in Environmental Medicine: Lead
Toxicity U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Lead Water Pipes and Infant Mortality in Turn-of-the-Century
Massachusetts
 Case Studies in Environmental Medicine - Lead Toxicity
 ToxFAQs: Lead

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