Plumbing Installation Basics
When you hire a plumbing contractor to install your plumbing you may wonder what this install will look like. There are of course several different steps involved in plumbing installation. But knowing the order of them and the standards the installation must meet can take some of the stress of not knowing away.
First, plumbing requires all the correct permits from the local government when certain changes are made. These changes are more extreme repairs such as outright construction of a new plumbing system, extending the main line, and repair of a water supply line. In basic terms the local authorities don’t want someone who is not properly trained and licensed working on public utilities. All it takes is one misplaced strike of a shovel to damage a city line which could stop the water flow for an entire block. Leave these kinds of high level repairs to the professionals. Of course a permit is not required for work in your own home. Things like leak fixing, minor repair work, and fixture work is perfectly fine.
Inspections
All plumbing installations have a first inspection and a final inspection. As you can imagine they are done to make sure the installation is progressing within government sanctions and shows the proper levels of safe functionality.
The first inspection has to have all the vents and drains completed at this early phase. Also the plumbing itself must still be exposed for proper inspection. At this stage if any part of the plumbing system is found to be faulty it must either be repaired or replaced as such that it is brought up to code. Also be sure to contact your local inspector at a reasonable time to allow a proper time frame for an appointment to be set up.
The final inspection is a review of the mostly completed plumbing system. All the internal fixtures, such as faucets, have to be installed along with all plumbing equipment such as water heaters and tanks. It has to be ready to use. Minor design elements don’t have to be completed but base functionality has to be completed.
Basic Plumbing Requirements
It is not required that you understand everything about plumbing but there are some basic ideas that are good to know if just for being able to recognize bad designs or work. A working knowledge of drains, vents, and expansion fittings can be useful. Drains are drainage pipes used for basic water removal. Vents allow venting to control the air pressure in the plumbing system. Without them the pipes would burst. Expansion fittings are wider fittings to allow the pipes to expand and contract due to temperature changes. Everyone knows the story of the pipes bursting in winter.
Drains and Vents
The measurements are important as pipes have to be set in a certain way to pass inspection. Drains have a slope requirement. They have to slope away from the housing fixture by 1/4 of an inch for every foot of plumbing pipe. The drains must be set into this position so they require a hanger or base to hold them. Also drainage pipes cannot be installed in external walls due to the exposure to freezing weather in the winter. Vent pipes however can be installed in external walls.
For a vent, the fall of a fixture trap must not be larger in diameter than the drain. This isn’t a requirement if the trap is coming from a toilet. Plus vent pipe cannot be too far from a fixture trap. The fixture trap and vent pipe have to be within five feet of each other. As before with toilet there is a slightly different measurement. A vent pipe has to be within three feet of the toilet.
Using Expansion Fittings
Expansion fittings are installed to account for expansion and contraction of pipes due to weather related temperature changes. They have to be installed in required areas. If your pipes are plastic the expansion fittings must be installed at the base of every waste or soil stick/pipe. As an aside these are the drainage pipes used for liquid waste removal, you wouldn’t want your toilet not disposing of its waste properly.
When You Need Professional Installation
In Jacksonville Florida you have a choice in plumbing professionals to hire. When it comes to installations you need a skilled and experienced plumber. Fenwick Home Services brings decades of experience and only the best plumbers. They make sure to only work with highly skilled and licensed professionals. This way you know your installation will meet all the inspection requirements.