[RA 1378] Revised National Plumbing Code of the Philippines

Contents: History of Plumbing Practice; Basic Principles; Master Plumber’s Code of Ethics; CHAPTER 1: Administration (p.1); CHAPTER 2: Definitions (p.8); CHAPTER 3: General Regulations (p.34); CHAPTER 4: Plumbing Fixtures (p.42); CHAPTER 5: Inspection and Test (p.52); CHAPTER 6: Water Supply and Distribution (p.56); CHAPTER 7: Excreta Drainage System (p.78); CHAPTER 8: Indirect Waste Piping, Wet-vented Systems, and Special Wastes (p.90); CHAPTER 9: Vents and Venting (p.101); CHAPTER 10: Traps and Interceptors (p.106); CHAPTER 11: Storm Drainage System (p. 117); CHAPTER 12: House Drains and House Sewers (p.129); CHAPTER 13: Joints and Connections (p.137); CHAPTER 14: Quality and Weights of Materials, Plumbing Materials, and Referenced Standards (p.143)

17th century Intramuros

birth of plumbing practice in the Philippines

18th-19th century

Filipino plumbers were tasked to maintain, repair and/or remodel plumbing systems in towns

20th century

Health and hygiene became priority amidst epidemics; arrival of American soldiers

1902

Plumbing trade recognized by the government

Master Plumber John F. Hass

first Chief of the Division of Plumbing Construction and Inspection

1935

NAMPAP was orgnized and registered

National Master Plumbers Association of the Philippines

NAMPAP

Plumbing Code for the City of Manila

City Ordinance 2411

PLUMBING LAW OF THE PHILIPPINES

R.A. 1378

June 18, 1955

PLUMBING LAW OF THE PHILIPPINES approved on

November 28, 1959

PLUMBING LAW OF THE PHILIPPINES amended on

National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority

NAWASA

Feati University

first Curriculum for Plumbing Engineering

pure and wholesome water supply

PRINCIPLE 01: All premises intended for human habitation, occupancy, or use shall be provided with ___, neither connected with unsafe water supplies nor subject to hazards of backflow or back-siphonage.

sufficient volume and pressure

PRINCIPLE 02: Plumbing fixtures, devices and appurtenances shall be supplied with water in ___ to enable them to function satisfactorily and without undue noise under all normal conditions of use.

minimum quantity of water

PRINCIPLE 03: Plumbing shall be designed and adjusted to use the ___ consistent with proper perfomance and cleaning.

explosion through overheating

PRINCIPLE 04: Devices for heating and storing water shall be so designed and installed as to prevent dangers from ___.

connected to the sewer system

PRINCIPLE 05: Every building having plumbing fixtures installed and intended for human habitation, occupancy or use on premises abutting on a street, alley, or easement where there is a public sewer, shall be ___.

one water closet and one kitchen-type sink

PRINCIPLE 06: Each family dwelling unit on premises abutting on a sewer or with a private sewage-disposal system shall have at least ___. Further, a lavatory and bathtub/shower shall be installed to meet the basic requirements of sanitation and personal hygiene .

smooth non-absorbent

PRINCIPLE 07: Plumbing fixtures shall be made of ___ material, free from concealed fouling surfaces and shall be located in ventilated enclosures.

cleanouts

PRINCIPLE 08: The drainage system shall be designed, constructed and maintained to safeguard against fouling, deposit of solids, clogging and with adequate ___ so arranged that the pipes may be readily cleaned.

Registered Master Plumbers

PRINCIPLE 09: All pipings of plumbing systems shall be of durable NAMPAP-APPROVED materials, free form defective workmanship, designed and constructed by ___ to ensure satisfactory service.

water-sealed trap

PRINCIPLE 10: Each fixture directly connected to the drainage system shall be equipped with a ___.

circulation of air

PRINCIPLE 11: The drainage piping system shall be designed to provide adequate ___ free from siphonage, aspiration, or forcing of trap seals under ordinary use.

Vent terminals

PRINCIPLE 12: ___ shall extend to the outer air and installed to preempt clogging and the return of foul air to the building.

leaks and defects

PRINCIPLE 13: Plumbing systems shall be subjected to such tests to effectively disclose all ___ in the workmanship.

clog, explode, destroy, or interfere

PRINCIPLE 14: No substance which will ___ with the pipes and sewage-disposal process shall be allowed to enter the building drainage system.

contamination by backflow of sewage

PRINCIPLE 15: Proper protection shall be provided to prevent ___ of food, water, sterile goods and similar materials. When necessary, the fixture, device or appliance shall be connected indirectly with the building drainage system.

lighted and ventilated

PRINCIPLE 16: No water closet shall be located in a room or compartment which is not properly ___.

septic tank

PRINCIPLE 17: If water closets or other plumbing fixtures are installed in buildings where there is no sewer within a reasonable distance, suitable provision shall be made for disposing of the building sewage by some accepted method of sewage treatment and disposal, such as a ___.

overflow

PRINCIPLE 18: Where a plumbing drainage system may be subject to backflow of sewage, suitable provision shall be made to prevent its ___ in the building.

serviceable condition

PRINCIPLE 19: Plumbing systems shall be maintained in ___ by Registered Master Plumbers.

properly spaced

PRINCIPLE 20: All plumbing fixtures shall be installed ___, to be accessible for their intended use.

strength of structural members

PRINCIPLE 21: Plumbing shall be installed by Registered Master Plumbers with due regard to the preservation of the ___ and the prevention of damage to walls and other surfaces through fixture usage.

the ground or waterways

PRINCIPLE 22: Sewage or other waste from a plumbing system which may be deleterious to surface or sub-sutface waters shall not be discharged into ___, unless first rendered innocuous through subjection to some acceptable form of treatment.

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene·Styrene

ABS

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

ALTER/ALTERATION

any change, addition or modification in construction or occupancy

ACCESSIBLE

when applied to a fixture, connection, appliance or equipment, shall mean having access thereto, but which may require prior removal of an access panel, door, or similar obstruction.

READILY ACCESSIBLE

direct access without the necessity of removing any panel, door or similar obstruction.

AIRBREAK

a physical separation, which may be a low inlet into the indirect waste receptor from the fixture, appliance, or device indirectly connected

DRAINAGE AIR GAP

the unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe, plumbing fixture, appliance, or appurtenance conveying waste to the flood level rim of the receptor.

WATER DISTRIBUTION AIR GAP

an unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet conveying potable water to the flood-level rim of any tank, vat, or fixture.

APPROVED

accepted or acceptable under an applicable specifications or standard stated or cited in this Code, or accepted as suitable for any proposed use under procedures and powers of the Administrative Authority.

APPROVED TESTING AGENCY

an organization primarily established for purposes of testing to approve standards and approved by the Administrative Authority.

ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY

including the Building Ofiicial, the Commission, the Board, and such other department or agency established and authorized to administer and enforce the provisions

BACKFLOW

the flow of water or other liquids, mixtures, or substances into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any source other than from its intended source.

BACKFLOW CONNECTION

condition or any arrangement whereby reverse flow can occur.

BACKPRESSURE BACKFLOW

occurs due to an increased reverse pressure above the supply pressure. This may be due to pumps, boilers, gravity, or other sources of pressure.

BACKFLOW PREVENTER

vacuum breaker; device or means to prevent flow of liquid from returning to the source of supply.

BACK-SiPHONAGE

the flowing back of used, contaminated, or polluted water from a plumbing fixture or vessel into a water supply pipe due to a negative pressure in such pipe

BACKWATER VALVE

a device installed in drainage system to prevent reverse flow

BACKVENT PIPE

individual vent or revent pipe; the part of a vent line, which connects directly with an individual trap underneath or behind the fixture and extends to the branch or main vent pipe at any point higher than the fixture or fixture traps it serves.

BALL JOINT

a type of pipe connection in which a ball-shaped end is held in a cuplike shell and allows movements in every direction.

BATHROOM

a room equipped with a shower stall or bathtub.

BATTERY OF FIXTURES

any of two or more similar adjacent fixtures which discharge into a common horizontal soil or waste 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

"sitz" bath; A plumbing fixtures used for washing the middle private part of the body, especially the genitals

BLANK FLANGE

A pipe flange that is not drilled for bolt holes.

BLIND FLANGE

a flange that closes the end of a pipe; has no opening for the passage of liquid or gas.

BLOW-OFF

a controlled outlet of a pipeline to discharge liquid or detritus.

BOARD

Licensure Board for Master Plumbers

BOILER BLOW-OFF

a valved outlet of a boiler that permits discharge of accumulated sediment.

BRANCH

any part of the piping system other than a main, riser, or stack.

BRANCH INTERVAL

a length of soil or waste stack corresponding in general to a story height, but never less than 2.43 meters within which the horizontal branches from one story of a building are connected to the stack

FIXTURE BRANCH

the water supply pipe between the fixture supply pipe and the water-distributing pipe

HORIZONTAL BRANCH

a drain pipe extending laterally from a soil/waste stack/building drain with or without vertical sections or branches, which receives the discharge from one or more fixture drains and conducts it to the soil/waste stack/building drain.

BRANCH VENT

a horizontal vent connecting one or more individual vertical back vents with the vent stack or stack vent.

BRAZED JOINT

any joint obtained by joining of metal parts with alloys which melt at temperatures higher than 449°C, but lower than the melting temperature of the parts to be joined.

B & S

Brown and Sharpe (Specification) or Bell and Spigot (Ends of Pipes)

BUILDING

a structure built, erected, and framed of component structural parts designed for the housing, shelter, enclosure, or support

BUILDING DRAIN

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

part of the horizontal piping of a drainage system which starts from the end of the building drain; receives the discharge of the building drain and conveys it to a public/private/individual sewage disposal system or other point of disposal.

BULDING SUBDRAIN

portion of an underground system, which cannot drain by gravity into the building sewer.

BUILDING SUPPLY

water service connection; the pipe carrying potable water from the water meter or other source of water supply to the other point of use on the lot.

CAULKING

plugging an opening with oakum, lead, or other materials that are pounded into the annular space.

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 a suflicient period of time to allow settleable material to deposit.

CERTIFIED BACKFLOW ASSEMBLY TESTER

a person who has shown competence to test and maintain backtlow assemblies to the satisfaction of the Administrative Authority.

CESSPOOL

a non-watertight lined excavation in the ground that receives the discharge of a sanitary drainage system or part thereof, designed to retain the organic matter and solids discharging therefrom, but permitting the liquid to seep through the bottom and sides.

CHASE

a vertical shaft for installation of different pipe stacks.

CHECK VALVE

a valve that automatically closes to prevent the flow of liquid or gas in a reverse direction

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

CLARIFIER or INTERCEPTOR

device designed and installed to separate and retain hazarduous/undesirable matters from normal wastes and permits normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the disposal terminal by gravity.

COMMON VENT / DUAL VENT / UNIT VENT

an arrangement of venting so installed that one vent pipe will serve two (2) traps.

COMBINATION WASTE AND VENT SYSTEM

a specially designed system of waste piping embodying the horizontal wet venting of one or more sinks/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.

COMBUSTIBLE CONSTRUCTION

a structure which any part of its structural framework will ignite and burn at a temperature of 756°C or less.

COMMON

part of a plumbing system designed and installed to serve more than one ( 1) appliance, fixture, building, or system.

CONFINED SPACE

a room or space having a volume less than 1.4 cu.m with 250 kilogram-calorie of the aggregate input rating of all fuel-burning appliances installed in that space

CONTAMINATION / HIGH HAZARD

an impairment of the quality of the potable water which creates an actual hazard to the public health through poisoning or spread of disease by sewage, industrial fluids, or waste.

CONTINUOUS VENT

vertical vent that is a continuation of the drain to which the vent 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.

CONDUCTOR or DOWNSPOUT

a vertical pipe to convey rainwater.

CORPORATION COCK

a stop valve placed at the connection of the water service pipe to the water main.

COURT

an open, unoccupied space, bounded on two (2) or more sides by the walls of the building.

INNER COURT

a court entirely within the exterior walls of a building

CRITICAL LEVEL

marking on a backflow prevention device; a point which determines the minimum elevation above the flood level rim of the fixture served where the device may be installed. When the device does not bear this marking, the bottom of any such approved device shall constitute it.