Plumbing is the system of pipes, fixtures, and appliances that supply water and remove waste in homes and businesses. It is vital for cooking, washing, bathing, and heating.
Plumbers must have strong technical knowledge and skills. They also need to be able to work well with customers and explain complex issues in simple terms. Contact Holmes Plumbing and Drain now!
The supply of safe, potable water is vital for homes and other buildings, public needs such as firefighting and street flushing, and commercial establishments and industry. Water is collected from various sources and transmitted to end users through pipes, often under pressure.
Sources for water supply may include surface water, such as rivers and lakes, or groundwater that infiltrates pores and fractures in underground rock layers called aquifers. Water from these sources may be purified and distributed as is or treated, such as by adding fluoride, and sometimes disinfected to protect health. Water may be stored in tanks, reservoirs, or other containers. Alternatively, it may be pumped to reservoirs or the demand points of consumers.
In distribution systems, water may be conveyed either by gravity or by pressure (pumpage). Most large water supply systems use both. In some gravity systems, water is impounded at locations elevated above the point of demand to create working pressure. When this is impractical, the required working pressure is provided by pumps within the system.
Whether a distribution system is based on gravity or pumping, it must be well designed to minimize corrosion and other problems that can reduce water quality. This is particularly important for municipal water supplies. A deteriorating pipe will not only degrade the quality of the water, but it can also affect public health.
In most countries, the distribution of water is the responsibility of a public utility, which can be a department in a municipality or city, or a separate agency. This entity typically collects water tariffs and provides the service to homes and businesses, and it usually employs trained water engineers to manage and operate the distribution system.
Most water supply services are based on public ownership, but a few countries have private providers. There are also a number of federal-level service providers that cover most or all cities and towns in a country. These companies differ in terms of their geographical coverage; their sectoral or functional structure; and their governance arrangements. The type of supply system you choose for your residential building depends on these factors and other considerations.
Drainage
A plumbing system has two basic functions: delivering water to fixtures and appliances, and removing waste. The piping network that carries wastewater away is called the drainage system, and it’s a vital part of every home. It operates on the principles of gravity and water flow to remove wastewater and sewage from sinks, toilets, bathtubs, showers, washing machines, dishwashers, and other household appliances. A well-designed drainage system ensures that sewage and waste are quickly and safely removed from a house, preventing backups, flooding, and other costly problems.
The main drainage pipe in a house connects to the sewer line or septic tank and transports all of the household’s wastewater. Problems with this component of the plumbing system can be very serious and expensive, and it’s a good idea to regularly check for signs that it’s malfunctioning. These include unexplained odors in the home, wet spots on the lawn, or visible water leaking from drains and pipes.
Most residential plumbing systems use copper, PVC, PEX, cast iron, galvanized steel, or stainless steel piping. The pipes must be properly sized and pitched, or sloped, to ensure that wastewater flows away from the property and does not back up into living spaces. In addition to drains, the drainage system includes venting and a soil/waste stack. The venting system consists of pipes that lead from an air inlet to the drainage pipe and into a chimney or other outdoor structure. The venting system helps prevent sewer gases from entering homes and also protects the water trap seals in drainpipes from siphonage.
A home’s drainage system must be designed to accommodate the waste produced by its occupants, including food particles, cleaning chemicals, and sewage. The drainage system must be able to dispose of this waste without contaminating drinking water or leaking sewage into the environment, both of which can be very hazardous to human health. This requires that the drainage system be sized carefully and constructed with high-quality materials to ensure its longevity and performance. Moreover, it must be located away from any occupied areas to avoid unpleasant odors and prevent the buildup of mold and other harmful substances.
Venting
Plumbing drains and vent pipes work together to move water and waste efficiently out of the home or business. The drainage system carries the wastewater to the city sewer or septic tank, while the venting pipes bring fresh air into the pipe system to regulate the pressure. When the venting and drainage systems become out of balance, the result can be a host of plumbing issues that are costly to repair.
If you have ever dropped a soda bottle upside down, watching the water glug as it is replaced by air, you understand the need for ventilation in your drain pipes. Without it, the drain would get clogged with an airlock that prevents wastewater from moving to the sewer line or septic tank. Without a vent, you might experience slow drainage and even gurgling sounds when a fixture is flushed.
The venting system is a network of pipes that extend from each drain to the roof, where they connect to the main vent stack. The vent pipe is sized to allow air to flow freely through the entire system, maintaining equal pressure throughout the drainage pipes and preventing harmful sewer gas from building up in living spaces.
Vents also prevent the siphoning of the p-traps. The movement of water through the drainage pipes creates negative pressure that can pull the water from a p-trap if there is no open air supply to break the suction. If this occurs, the dangerous sewer gases will enter living areas through the vents and the drains themselves.
A clogged vent can be caused by a variety of factors, including birds, animals, debris from landscaping or construction, and changes in usage patterns. Most plumbers recommend keeping an eye on the vent pipe and removing any obstructions as soon as they appear.
The most common sign of a blocked vent is slow drainage. However, gurgling noises from toilets or other drains may indicate a problem with the venting system as well. If you notice any of these problems, call your local plumber for service. They will check your venting system to ensure that it is working properly and safely to keep water flowing and hazardous sewer gases out of your living spaces.
Sewage Disposal
Sewage disposal is something most people do not give much thought to, but it is vitally important. It involves breaking down and disposing of the wastewater produced by a house’s inhabitants. This includes toilet waste, bath and laundry water, kitchen sink wastes, dishwashing liquid, oily substances, grease and trash. In most modern cities, sewage is directed to centralized treatment plants that are fed by a network of pipes and sewerage lines. The treated sewage is then discharged into larger bodies of water, such as rivers and streams.
The sewage disposal system consists of pipes or ‘laterals’ that connect homes and businesses to the main sewer line, a network of manholes for accessing these pipes, pump stations to assist in moving the sewage when gravity alone is not enough and wastewater treatment plants where the sewage is processed. The sewage treatment plant treats the sewage by using physical, chemical and biological processes to remove any solids and organic material, break down bacteria and other disease-causing organisms and reduce the amount of pollutants in the sewage.
In urban areas, the sewage may also be treated to reduce levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, which are nutrients that can pollute freshwater bodies. These nutrient reductions are achieved through a process called denitrification, which uses natural bacterial processes to oxidize the nitrates and phosphates.
Industrial sewage may be added to the municipal sewage system and is processed at industrial wastewater treatment plants. This wastewater may contain chemicals at very high concentrations, which require special treatment to separate out these materials.
In rural areas, sewage is often handled by septic systems and cesspools. These on-site disposal systems collect and store wastewater in a tank and drain it into the surrounding soil. This type of disposal is environmentally friendly, and provides a natural way to treat and dispose of sewage. It is also a good alternative to expensive treatment plant facilities. However, these on-site systems can be problematic when they are not properly maintained and inspected. Historically, most unreticulated areas relied on cesspools, which are large holes in the ground, for sewage disposal.