Plumbing Glossary

Is the name for the stopper in a Lavatory Basin that has a push/lift rod in the faucet body that operates the up n down action of the stopper (Pop Up)

Commonly used on a Dishwasher Discharge at the sink counter top. In this common usage it is to stop drain water from flowing down hill from the sink drain into the lower lever that the Dishwasher is in relation to the sink bottom. This Air Gap is a safety device and not just an annoyance. Other more exact definitions exist. This is not a vent nor is it an overflow, it will however discharge water if its connection to the drain is restricted.

A shut off valve. Used for fixtures such as sinks and toilets. 1/4 turn type are ball valve type and generally better. A single outlet port is best. If two supplies are needed it is best to have two separate angle stops, or a double handle / doublestop.

A valve who's shut off part is a spherical ball with a passage cut through it. Standard port ball valves have a smaller port thru the ball than the pipe size they are on. Full port ball valves have a full port that matches the inside diameter of the pipe they are sized to. Ball valves turn on and off in 1/4 turn (90°), and provide an unobstructed path for the fluid to flow through.

Valve used to control the filling of the toilet tank, and refilling the bowl. Sometimes called a fill valve when a floating ball is not used to force valve closed.

A 1/4" or so flexible tube from the Ballcock that is connected to the toilet Tank Over Flow pipe having an air gap when properly positioned. This tube refills the toilet bowl after a flushing siphon has evacuated its contents. not all toilets have this feature some toilet designs don't include it.

The horizontal drain pipe extending from outside the building to the sewage disposal system,(either private or public). 3" Dia. or larger.

The effect of fresh hot water pushing out water in a hot water pipe only in the center of the pipe or at the top of the pipe due to slow velocity. Thus, allowing the old, cooled-off hot water in the pipe to linger on pipe walls due to friction and gravity, making colder water to drag on the bottom of the pipe, or the fresh hot water to slug through the center of the pipe, allowing cold water to dilute the hotter water. The end result causes a longer wait for full temperature water to reach the faucet drawing the hot water.

A device designed to allow a fluid to flow in one direction only.

An opening or fitting in a pipe to allow cleaning the inside of the pipe. Plumber Snakes are inserted thru a Clean Out. (C/O) is abrev.

If water is flowing out a C/O it is safe to assume the blockage is down stream. The reverse also applies.

A hand powered cable in a telescopic tube having a crank handle to rotate as you "Drill" down a toilet bowl to clear a soft blockage within 6ft. from the water level in the bowl. Some Augers are non telescopic and are 3ft. long in a tube that only passes thru the bowl its self and not in the drain pipe below the floor. This is a more aggressive method than a plunger and requires a bit more skill.

A Tub Spout having a knob to lift, push, pull or something to stop flow of water and send the flow to a shower head.

As used in pressure with water that is flowing. Dynamic pressure is less than static, and lower due to relieving of pressure out discharge point. The more discharge the lower the pressure. No discharge, all pressure is present that exists. As used in pressure measurement the dynamic pressure of a fluid is equal to 1/2 the density x the velocity squared.

Valve that lets water rapidly drain from the tank to the bowl using a flapper. Sometimes called a flush valve or a Douglas valve. The flush valve empties the tank water.

Normally on the left side of a toilet tank or flush valve when in commercial tankless toilets or Urinals. The flush Handle when used on a tank is connected to the Flush Valve. Most often to a flapper on the flush valve. Other types of flush valves exist that are flapper less. The Flush handle never the less is used to flush the fixture. Sometimes is a Flush Button.

Fats, Oils, Grease. In drain pipes these float to the top of the pipe collect till falling and causing a blockage. Enzymes can digest them and prevent problems if enzymes are used correctly.

Grey/Gray Water is waste water from a Lavatory/Bathroom sink , Washing Machine w/o Diapers, Shower/Tub drain waste that do not contain "Soil Waste" or Toilet waste. Kitchen Waste is also excluded from Gray waste due to it can have Animal meat and food that is potential hazard to use.

Gray Water is a major potential for re-use and lightly treated can be used for landscape and toilet flushing.

Plumbing functions normally consume water and power. Saving Water and power is needed to offset the growing population and the demand on the limited easily available resources. The word Green is a modern term applied to this effort. Green Plumbing reduces the "footprint" of the people using a smarter or more conservative method. Emerging Technologies are emerging into the power / water food chain. Waste water recovery is an example and re use of it is another. Solar heating and Geothermal are Emerging as cost effective and Investments are being made to capture otherwise lost power.

HET for example is High Efficiency Toilet, Not a toilet having the water it needed to flush well removed, but a complete new design engineered to 3rd. party testing standards and proven to use less water and perform to a standard acceptable to authorities having jurisdiction. Flow restrictions were used in the past with poor performance HET products perform exceedingly well.

An often miss used term, sometimes used to denote an Air gap, a Pressure and Temperature Relief Valve (PTRV) or T&P for short. Neither of these are Overflows anymore than air bags are brakes to a car. Tubs and lavatories often have an overflow but not required to. An overflow on a tub is also an access to clean out the fixture trap and arm. It is the round 3" dia. trim piece having one or two screws. Toilet Tanks have an overflow that flows into bowl(the 1"dia. vertical tube in middle of tank) See Air Gap and PTRV for more on them.

The J bend and Trap Arm that are under all sinks/showers/drain fixtures. Sole purpose is to trap sewer gasses from venting up from the drain into the room. The P Trap keeps water in it from its shape having a dip or the P on its side to retain water.

A Regulator is commonly used to reduce high pressure coming from the utility line/ Meter. Street pressure is often too high for your house or your landscape piping. Code requires <80psi. Partially closing a valve to reduce pressure does not reduce the water pressure when water is not moving, and therefore Pressures above 80 psi need a pressure regulator to reduce to below 80 psi. Less pressure equals less water use. Conservation requires lower pressures to avoid blown out pipes and excessive water use.

Pro Press is a method of connecting water pipe fittings. pecial fittings are used (Pro Press) and Copper is joined this way without Soldering. I consider this method the best joining method.

Water Heaters need a safety device in the event the heating controls do not stop at set/safe temperature. A temperature and Pressure relief Valve AKA Pressure and Temperature relief Valve is this device. This valve is NOT meant to operate unless to avoid an explosion. When a PTRV is weeping call a professional ASAP.

"Shark Bite" fittings are an example, they are brass, while JG, or Nibco are Thermal Plastic Push Fit Fittings. These fittings are used to push onto a Copper tube Size pipe or tube PEX or CPVC, or any approved CTS" size tube. These frittings have keeper rings inside to keep the fitting and tube together and no soldering or solvent/glue is used. Instructions come with these fittings , read them. Use them they are good stuff.

Better said, Circulating Pump. Used for circulating hot water to the distant fixtures, for that "Instant Hot Water" Saving the water that is in hot water pipe but has cooled off to be useless as Hot Wat6er" Waiting for hot water to arrive, allowing the cooled water to waste down the drain is unacceptable these days. A pump to circ. water is a convenience and a code compliance. Setting this pump is done by a timer or Thermally and or Timer.as to not circulate uselessly or wastefully.

Build up removers, not caustic drain openers are good to use in most all drains having organic waste. The build up of Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) clog up drain pipes, enzymes reduce this process. Enzymes are used to digest waste in our bodies and out of our bodies. Powdered Enzymes have a shorter shelf life than liquid Enzymes, dont store a long tine, USE THEM.

Bleach and Anti Bacteria Soaps kill Enzymes, they aren't "Green."

As used in "static pressure" is in relation to water that is not flowing, i.e., the pressure remaining in the pipes with all water use shut off.

Expansion of water or other materials due to heating. In an enclosed container (such as pipes with no valves open) this will increase the pressure in the container. In water pipes this can lead to leaks, and failures of pipes and fixtures.

Threaded, One, End, TOE a nipple having only one end threaded, usually a Sch. 80 Nipple used as an adapter in stead of a Male Adapter. This is a better method of connecting threads to PVC at a Female threaded joint.

A fitting that is usually 3 parts, one on each side of a nut that connects the other two. The other "two" one each connects to either Pipe and a valve or just pipe on either end. The reason to have a Union is so you can loosen the connecting ring and remove a valve or make free the pipe that would otherwise be bound. A good example of a Union is the swivel on a garden hose, another is not plumbing, but functionally the same, The seat belt latch !or a Vacuum cleaner hose connector.

Another name for toilet. Commonly used in Europe

A Regulator is commonly used to reduce high pressure coming from the utility line/ Meter. Street pressure is often too high for your house or your landscape piping. Code requires <80psi. Partially closing a valve to reduce pressure does not reduce the water pressure when water is not moving, and therefore Pressures above 80 psi need a pressure regulator to reduce to below 80 psi. Less pressure less water use, Conservation requires lower pressures to avoid blow out pipes and excessive water use.