Plumbing and Hot Water Installations

Abstract

Both theory and practice have an equally important role to play in the planning of plumbing and hot water installations, and they should be suitably blended together to achieve the best possible results. Some forethought on the part of the designer in setting out the system and on the part of the plumber or heating engineer in executing the actual work can so often minimise the cost, as well as ensure greater success. Many of the traditional basic materials, such as copper, cast iron, galvanised mild steel, bronze, gun metal, brass and zinc, used by the plumber in the past, are still much in evidence, but lead, the original material with which plumbers were always closely associated, is sometimes replaced by other less expensive and more readily available materials. In keeping with most other sections of the building industry, the present era of plastics has naturally had its impact on these installations as well. Plastics in many forms, e. g. polythene, or polyethelene (pe) and polyvinylchloride (pvc) are being used with some advantage in cisterns, rainwater goods, tubing and fittings and parts of taps and valves, to name just a few items. Fibreglass too has proved to be a useful substance, particularly in the manufacture of cisterns.