Plumbing Terminology

Chapter 01
 Aerator Fitting
• A device designed to deliver a mixture of air and water

• Any apparatus for aerating a liquid, especially water.

2
 Air Admittance Valve

• One-way valve designed to allow air to enter the drainage

system when negative pressures develop in the piping system.

• The purpose is to prevent siphonage of traps.

3
 Airbreak

A physical separation which may be a low inlet

4
4
 Airgap

Water Distribution Drainage

5
5
Authority Having Jurisdiction

• The organization, office, or

individual responsible for
enforcing the requirements of a
code, or for approving
equipment, materials,
installations, or procedures.

6
 Backflow

The reverse flow of liquids

Two types of backflow:

 Backpressure
 Backsiphonage

7 7
 Backpressure

Due to increase of pressure causing reverse flow

8 8
 Back Siphonage

Reverse flow due to negative pressure

9 9
Backwater Valve

10
10
 Battery of Fixtures

• Any group of two or more similar, adjacent fixtures

that discharge into a common horizontal branch.

11
12 12
 Bypass

• Any method that will permit water or other fluid to

pass around a valve, fixture, appliance, connection,
or pipe.
• Sometimes applied to a connection between a drain
pipe and a vent pipe that allows air to exit the
building.

13
Bypass

14
 Carrier

• A device used to mount

plumbing fixtures such as
lavatories, water closets,
urinals, and sinks.

15
 Clinic Sink

For waste from bedpan

• Flushing rim
• Integral trap

16
Contamination

• An impairment of the quality of the potable water

that creates an actual hazard to the public health
through poisoning or through the spread of disease
by sewage, industrial fluids, or waste.
(High Hazard)

17
 CPVC
Chlorinated Poly Vinyl Chloride

• It is a polyvinyl chloride that has been chlorinated to

improve the material characteristics.

18
Developed Length

19
19
 Diameter
Unless specifically stated, “diameter” is the nominal
diameter as designated commercially.

20
 Drainage Fixture Unit (DFU)

A common measure of the probable discharge into a

drainage system by various types of plumbing
fixtures.

• The value for each fixture depends on

– Its volume and rate of drainage discharge,
– the time duration of a single drainage operation, and
– the average time between successive operations.

21
 Dry & Wet Areas

• Washroom layouts
with segregated dry
and wet areas.

22
Ferrule

23
23
 Flood Level Rim
The top edge of a receptor
from which water overflows.

Flood Rim

24
 Graywater
• Untreated household wastewater that has not come
into contact with WC, Bidet or Urinal waste.

• Graywater includes used water from bathtubs,

showers, bathroom wash basin, and water from
clothes washing machines and laundry tubs.

• It does not include waste water from kitchen sinks or

dishwashers.

25
 Head

• A body of water kept in reserve at a height

• The difference in elevation between two points in a

body of fluid

• The resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point

expressible as this height; broadly; pressure of fluid

26
 Head and Pressure

The result of height converted to kg/cm²

27
Indirect Waste Pipe

28
28
 Invert

The lowest portion of the inside of a

horizontal pipe.

29
 Joint – Brazed / Soldered

Brazed Joint:
– Joining metal parts with
alloys that melt above
450° C

Soldered Joint:
– Joining metal parts with
alloys that melt at or
below 450° C

30
30
Lavatories (washbasins) in Sets

31 31
 Macerating Toilet System
Accepts, grinds and pumps waste to point of discharge

32 32
Macerating Toilet System

33
 Metered Faucet

A faucet with a manual or automatic adjustment,

which measures the flow of liquid to a desired rate.

34
PB – Polybutylene

35
35
PE - Polyethylene

36
36
PE – AL - PE

37
37
PEX – Cross Linked Polyethylene

38
 PE & PEX-AL-PEX
Multilayer or composite Pipe

39
39
 Plumbing
Fixture/Appliance/Appurtenance

• Plumbing Fixture
– Water Closet

• Plumbing Appliance
– Water Heater

• Plumbing Appurtenance
– Backflow Prevention Device or
Assembly

40
40
Pollution

• An impairment of the quality of the potable

water to a degree that does not create a hazard to
the public health but which does adversely and
unreasonably affect the aesthetic quality of such
potable water. (Low Hazard)

• Example - Milk mixed with potable water

41
41
PP - Polypropylene

42
42
 PPR
Poly Propylene Random

43
 Push Tap

A metered faucet delivering a certain quantity of water.

44
Slip Joints

45
45
 Slope

• Also called gradient, is a vertical drop in horizontal

plane expressed in ratio or percentage.

46
 Thermostatic Valve
Temperature Control Valve

• A mixing valve that senses the outlet temperature

and compensates for fluctuations in incoming hot
or cold water temperatures.

47
 Trap
• A fitting or device so designed and constructed as to
provide, when properly vented, a liquid seal which
will prevent the back passage of air
• The trap thus prevents sewer gas or vermin from
entering the structure

48
48
 uPVC

Un-plasticized (Rigid) Poly Vinyl Chloride

is a thermoplastic compound

49
Vent System

50
50
 Thank you
Any Questions?

Author : Subhas Deshpande, IPA

Disclaimer : The topics/information included in this presentation and seminar is for informational purpose and plumbing education only. The materials and the oral presentation
accompanying them are for educational purpose and do not constitute legal advice. IPA and individual authors assumes no responsibility for errors or omission in this document, except if
such damages were caused by Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) intentional or gross negligence.