definitions

Chapter 2
abs

Acrylonitrile - Butadiene – Styrene

(C8H8)x·(C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z) is a
common thermoplastic polymer.
are non-toxic and resistant to
abrasion.
ABS pipes are easier to install
compared to PVC pipes, but also
more likely to deform when
exposed to the sun
ALLEY

any public space. public park or

thoroughfare less than three (3)
meters but not less than two (2)
meters in width dedicated or
deeded for public use.
airbreak

a physical separation. which may

be a low inlet into the indirect
waste receptor from the fixture,
appliance or device indirectly
connected.
Air Gap, Drainage

The unobstructed vertical distance

through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from a
pipe, plumbing fixture, appliance,
or appurtenance conveying waste
to the flood-level rim of the
receptor.
Air Gap, Water Distribution

The unobstructed vertical distance

through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from a
pipe or faucet conveying potable
water to the flood-level rim of a
tank, vat, or fixture.
Backflow

The flow of water or other liquids,

mixtures, or substances into the
distributing pipes of a potable
supply of water from sources other
than its intended source.
Backflow Connection

An arrangement whereby backflow

can occur
Backsiphonage

The flowing back of used,

contaminated, or polluted water
from a plumbing fixture or vessel
into a water supply pipe due to a
pressure less than atmospheric in
such pipe
Backflow Preventer.

A backflow prevention device, an

assembly, or other method to
prevent backflow into the potable
water system.
Backpressure Backflow

Backflow due to an increase

pressure above the supply
pressure, which may be due to
pumps, boilers, gravity, or other
sources of pressure.
Backwater Valve

A device installed in a drainage

system
to prev ent reverse flow.
Bathroom Group

A group of fixtures consisting of a

water
closet, one or two lavatories, and
either a bathtub, a combination
bath/shower, or a shower and may
include a urinal or
bidet and an emergency floor drain
Bathroom, Half

A room equipped with only a water

closet and lavatory
Battery of Fixtures

A group of two or more similar,

adjacent fixtures that discharge
into a common horizontal waste or
soil branch.
BELL OR HUB

that portion of a pipe which, for a

short distance, is sufficiently
enlarged to receive the end of
another pipe of the same diameter
for the purpose of making a
caulked or push-on joint
BENDING PIN (or IRON)

a tool for straightening or bending

lead pipe
BIBB

synonymous with faucet, cock, tap,

plug, etc.
The word "faucet" is preferred.
BIDET

A plumbing fixtures used for

washing the middle private part of
the body, especially the genitals.
Also called a "sitz" bath.
blind flange

a flange that closes the end of a

pipe.
There is no opening for the passage
of liquid or gas.
BLANK FLANGE

A pipe flange that is not drilled for

bolt holes.
BOILER BLOW-OFF

a valved outlet of a boiler that

permits discharge
of accumulated sediment.
BRANCH INTERVAL

a length of soil or waste stack

corresponding in general to a story
height, but in no case less than
2.43 meters within which the
horizontal branches from one floor
or story of a building are
connected to the stack
BRANCH, FIXTURE

The water supply pipe between the

fixture supply pipe and the water
distributing pipe
BRANCH, HORIZONTAL

A branchdrain with a horizontal extension from

a waste, soil, or vent
stack, or from a building drain, which receives t
he discharge from a single
fixture or a group of fixtures and conducts it to
the soil or waste stack or to the building drain.
BRANCH VENT

a horizontal vent connecting one or

more individual vertical back vents
with the vent stack or stack vent.
vent stack, main vent

the vertical vent pipe installed

primarily for providing circulation
of air to and from any part of the
soil, waste of the drainage system.
STACK VENT

The extension of a soil or waste

stack above the highest horizontal
drain connected to the stack.
The uppermost end above the roof
is called stack vent through roof
(SVTR).
Also called a soil vent or waste
vent.
HOUSE DRAIN- is that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a plumbing
system which receives the discharges from soil, waste and other drainage
pipes inside of a building and conveys it to the house sewer outside of the
building.

HOUSE SEWER- is that part of a plumbing system extending from the

house drain at a point 0.60 meters from the outside face of the foundation
walt of a building to the junction with the street sewer or to any point of
discharge, and conveying the drainage of one building site.

HOUSE STORM SEWER- is the pipeline from the building to the public
or street storm drainage system.
BRAZED JOINT

any joint obtained by joining of

metal parts with alloys which melt
at temperatures higher than 449
degrees centigrade, but lower than
the melting temperature of the
parts to be joined.
BUILDING DRAIN

that part of the lowest horizontal

piping of a drainage system which
receives the discharge from soil,
waste and other
drainage pipes inside the walls of
the building and conveys it to the
building sewer beginning 0.6 meter
outside the building wall
BUILDING SEWER

that pat of the horizontal piping of

a drainage system which starts
from the end of the building drain
and which receives the discharge
of the building drain and conveys it
to a public sewer, private sewer,
individual sewage disposal system
or other point of disposal
BUILDING SUBDRAIN

that portion of an underground

system, which cannot drain by
gravity into the building sewer
BUILDING SUPPLY

-the pipe carrying potable water

from the water meter or other
source of water supply to a
building or other point of use or
distribution on the lot.
Building supply shall also mean
water service connection.
CAULKING

plugging an opening with oakum,

lead or other materials that are
pounded into the annular space.
Also, the material pounded into
the annular opening .
CAP

a fitting, screwed or caulked

over the end of a pipe for closing
the pipe end.
CATCH BASIN

a receptacle in which liquids are

retained for sufficient period of
time to allow settleabe material to
deposit.
CERTIFIED BACKFLOW ASSEMBLY TESTER

- a person who has

shown competence to test and
maintain backflow assemblies to
the
satisfaction of the Administrative
Authority having jurisdiction.
CESSPOOL

a non-watertight lined excavation in

the ground which receives the
discharge of a sanitary drainage system
or part thereof,
designed to retain the organic matter
and solids discharging therefrom, out
permitting the liquid to seep through
the bottom and sides of the cesspool
CHASE

a vertical shaft for installation of

different pipe stacks
CIRCUIT VENT

a group vent pipe which starts in

front of the extreme fixture
connection on a horizontal branch
and connects to the vent stack.
Circuit venting can be used when
two or more fixtures, such as
lavatories, are installed in a row.
The circuit vent is connected to
the waste drain line between the
last two fixtures in the row. Then
the circuit vent is connected to the
main vent.
COMMON VENT

unit vent and dual vent

COMBINATION WASTE AND VENT SYSTEM

a specially designed system of

waste piping embodying the
horizontal wet venting of one or
more sinks or floor drains by means
of a common horizontal waste and
vent pipe, adequately sized to
provide free movement of air
above the·flow line of the drain.
CONFINED SPACE

a room or space having a volume less

than 14 m with 250 kilogram calorie of
the aggregate input rating of all fuel
burning appliances installed in that
space
Continuous Vent

A vertical vent that is a

continuation of the drain to which
it connects.
Continuous Waste

A drain connecting the

compartments of a set of fixtures
to a trap or connecting other
permitted fixtures to a common
trap.
CPVC

Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride

A plastic, widely used for piping in both hot
- and cold
water systems and in drainage Systems —
especially where corrosion may be a proble
m
CORPORATION COCK -

a stop valve placed at the connection

of the water service pipe to the water
main.
Critical Level

The critical level (C-L or C/L)

marking on a backflow prevention
device or vacuum breaker is a
point conforming to approved
standards and established by the
testing laboratory (usually stamped
on the device by the
manufacturer) that determines the
minimum elevation above the
floodlevel rim of the fixture or
receptor served at which the
device may be installed.
Cross-Connection

.A connection or arrangement,
physical or otherwise, between a
potable water supply system and a
plumbing fixture or a tank,
receptor, equipment, or device,
through which it may be possible
for nonpotable, used, unclean,
polluted, and contaminated water,
or other substances to enter into a
part of such potable water system
under any condition.
DEAD-END

the extended portion of a pipe that

is closed at one end to which no
connections are made on the
extended portion, thus permitting
the stagnation of liquid or air
therein
Drainage System

Includes all the piping within

public or private premises that
conveys sewage or other liquid
wastes to a legal point of disposal,
but does not include the mains of a
public sewer system or a public
sewage treatment or disposal
plant.
Durham System

A soil or waste system in which all

piping is threaded pipe, tubing, or
other such rigid construction, using
recessed drainage fittings to
correspond to the types of piping.
DRY VENT

a vent that does not carry liquid or

water-borne wastes
Wet vent

A vent that also serves as a drain.

FERRULE

a metallic sleeve, caulked or

joined to an opening in a pipe, into
which a plug is screwed that can
be removed for cleaning or
examining the interior of the pipe.
FIXTURE UNIT

is an arbitrary quantity in terms of

which the load producing effects or
water requirements on the
plumbing system of different kinds
of plumbing fixtures are expressed
in some arbitrarily chosen scale.
One fixture unit is equivalent to a
rate of flow at 28.3 liters per
minute ( l cu. ft./minute).
Flood Level - the level in a fixture at which water begins to overflow over the
top or rim of the fixture.
Flood-Level Rim - The top edge of a receptor from which water overflows.
Flooded - A fixture is flooded where the liquid therein rises to the flood-level
rim.
Flush Tank - A tank located above or integral with water closets, urinals, or similar fixtures for the
purpose of flushing the usable portion of the fixture.

Flush Valve - A valve located at the bottom of a tank for the purpose of flushing water closets and
similar fixtures.

Flushometer Tank - A tank integrated within an air accumulator vessel that is designed to discharge a
predetermined quantity of water to fixtures for flushing purposes.

Flushometer Valve - A valve that discharges a predetermined quantity of water to fixtures for flushing
purposes and is actuated by direct water pressure.
Gate valve

a valve in which the flow of water is cut off by means of a circular disc fitted
against machine-smoothed faces, at right angles to the direction of flow.
The disk is raised or lowered by means of a threaded stem connected to the
handle of the valve.
The opening in the valve is usually as large as the full bore of the pipe.
Gate valve
Globe valve

a valve in which the flow of fluid is cut off by means of a circular disc that fits
over and against the horizontal valve seat.
The movement of the plane of disc is parallel to the normal direction of flow
of water through the orifice resulting to a tortuous passage which offers a
high pressure loss.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Globe Valves

Advantages Disadvantages
Good shutoff capability Higher pressure drop (compared to a
Moderate to good throttling capability gate valve)
Shorter stroke (compared to a gate Requires greater force or a larger
valve) actuator to seat the valve (with
Available in tee, wye, and angle pressure under the seat)
patterns, each offering unique Throttling flow under the seat and
capabilities shutoff flow over the seat
Easy to machine or resurface the seats
With disc not attached to the stem,
valve can be used as a stop-check
valve
GOOSENECK

a return bend of small-sized pipe,

one end of which is about 30 cm.
long and the other end is about 7.
5 cm. long.
It is commonly used as a faucet for
a pantry sink.
Also, the term means the flexible
tubing connection between a
service pipe and a water main.
HOUSE DRAIN- is that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a plumbing
system which receives the discharges from soil, waste and other drainage
pipes inside of a building and conveys it to the house sewer outside of the
building.
HOUSE SEWER- is that part of a plumbing system extending from the house
drain at a point 0.60 meters from the outside face of the foundation wall of a
building to the junction with the street sewer or to any point of discharge,
and conveying the drainage of one building site.
HOUSE STORM SEWER- is the pipeline from the building to the public or street
storm drainage system.
INDIRECT WASTE PIPE

is a pipe that does not connect

directly with the drainage system
but conveys liquid wastes by
discharging into a plumbing
fixture, interceptor or receptacle
directly connected to the drainage
system
INDIVIDUAL VENT

is a pipe installed to vent a fixture

trap and which collects with the
vent system above the fixture
served or terminates in the open
air
LA VA TORY

a fixture designed for the washing

of the hands or face.
Sometimes called a wash basin
loCAL VENT

a pipe or shaft to convey foul air

from a plumbing fixture or a room
to the outer air
LOOP OR CIRCUIT VENT

a vertical vent connection on a

horizontal soil or waste pipe
branch at a point downstream of
the last fixture connection and
turning to a horizontal line above
the highest overflow level of the
highest fixture connected thereat;
the terminus connected to the
stack vent in the case of loop
venting or to the vent stack nearby
in the case of circuit venting.
MAIN VENT

the principal artery of the venting

system to which vent branches are
connected
MASTER PLUMBER

a person technically and legally

qualified and licensed to practice the
profession of Master Plumbing without
limitations in accordance with
Republic Act 1378, having passed the
examination conducted by the
Professional Regulation Commission,
has received a Certificate of
Registration from the Board of Master
Plumbing and possesses the current
license to practice.
OAKUM

hemp or old hemp rope soaked in

oil or tar to make it waterproof.
PB - Polybutylene

Tube made of plastic material and

colored black. The cross-sectional
shape is normally oval and is
denoted by its outside diameter or
OD. Normally used as water service
connection from main to meter.
PE - Polyethylene

Tube made of plastic material and

colored black. The cross-sectional
shape is circular and is denoted by
its outside diameter or O.D.
PLUMBING

- the art and technique of

installing pipes, fixtures and other
apparatuses in buildings for
bringing in the supply, liquids,
substances and/or ingredients and
removing them and such water,
liquid and other carried wastes
hazardous to health, sanitation,
life, property, also the pipes and
fixtures after installation i.e., the
plumbing system.
PLUMBING APPLIANCE

any one of a special class of device or equipment intended to perform a

special plumbing function.
Its operation and/or control may be dependent upon one or more energized
components, such as motors, controls, heating elements and pressure-
temperature-sensing elements.
Such device or equipment may operate automatically through one or more of
the following actions: a time cycle, a temperature range, a pressure range, a
measured volume or weight or the device or equipment
may be manually adjusted or controlled by the user or operator.
PLUMBING APPURTENANCE

a manufactured device or a prefabricated assembly or an on-the-job assembly

of component parts, and serves as adjunct to the basic piping system and
plumbing fixtures.
An appurtenance demands no additional water supply nor does it add any
discharge load to a fixture or the drainage system. It performs some useful
functions in the operation, maintenance, servicing, economy or safety of the
plumbing system.
PLUMBING FIRM-

a sole proprietorship or corporation composed of Registered and Licensed

Master Plumbers together with allied professionals, with the Master Plumbers
composing the majority of the membership, incorporators, directors and/or
executive officers and Licensed Master Plumber only render work and services
within the cognizance of a Registered Master Plumber and members of the
allied professions also only render work and services within the cognizance of
their respective professions.
Plumbing fixtures

are approved-type installed receptacles, devices or appliances supplied with

water or receive liquid or liquid-borne wastes and discharge such wastes into
the drainage system to which they may be directly or indirectly connected.
industrial or commercial tanks, vats and similar processing equipment are not
plumbing fixtures, but may be connected to or discharged into approved traps
or plumbing fixtures as provided for in the Code.
PLUMBING OFFICIAL

the Administrative Authority or the officer charged with the administration

and enforcement of the National Plumbing Code, or his regularly authorized
deputy.
PLUMBING SYSTEM

includes all potable water supply and distribution pipes, all plumbing fixtures
and traps; all sanitary and storm drainage systems; vent pipes, roof drains,
leaders and downspouts; and all building drains and sewers, including their
respective joints and connections; devices, receptacles, and appurtenances
within the property; water lines in the premises: potable, tap, hot and chilled
water pipings; potable water treating or using equipment; fuel gas piping;
water heaters and vents for same.
PLUMBING UNIT

a minimum standard quantity of plumbing fixtures that discharge wastes into

a plumbing installation including:
one (I) water meter,
one (I) water closet,
one (I) lavatory,
one ( l) shower head and drain tor a bathtub or shower stall,
one ( 1) kitchen sink,
one ( 1) Iaundry tray and
three ( 3) f1oor drains
And four (4) faucets/hose bibb.
PRIVY

an outhouse or structure used for

the deposition of excrement.
RELIEF vent

a vertical vent line, the primary

function of which is to provide
additional circulation of air
between the drainage and vent
systems or to act as an auxiliary
vent on a specially designed system
such as a ''yoke vent" connection
between the soil and vent stacks.