Philippine Plumbing Code – Vocabulary (Page 1)

Court

An open, unoccupied space, bounded on two or more sides by the walls of a building; an inner court is entirely within exterior walls.

Tailpiece

The pipe or tubing that connects a plumbing fixture outlet to its trap.

Sanitary Sewer

A sewer intended to receive sanitary sewage (with or without pre-treated industrial wastes) without rain or ground-water admixture.

Department Having Jurisdiction

The Administrative Authority—including any other law-enforcement agency concerned with the Code.

Pollution (Low Hazard)

Impairment of water quality that does not create a significant threat to health; referred to as “low hazard.”

Seepage Pit

A loosely lined ground excavation that receives septic-tank effluent and allows it to seep through the pit bottom and sides.

Interceptor (Clarifier)

A device installed to separate and retain deleterious or hazardous matter from normal wastes while permitting normal sewage to flow by gravity.

Flood-Level Rim

The top edge of a receptacle over which water would overflow.

Effective Opening

The minimum cross-sectional area at the point of water-supply discharge, expressed as the diameter of an equivalent circle.

Bell and Spigot (B&S)

Pipe ends consisting of a flared bell and a plain spigot for jointing; also abbreviation for Brown & Sharpe.

Fixture Unit (f.u.)

An arbitrary value that expresses the load-producing effect of a plumbing fixture; 1 f.u. ≈ 28.3 L/min (1 ft³/min).

House Storm Sewer

Pipeline carrying storm water from a building to the public or street storm-drainage system.

Regulating Equipment

All accessible valves and controls used in plumbing systems.

Group Vent

A branch vent serving two or more traps.

Bending Pin

Tool for straightening or bending lead pipe.

Air Gap (Water Supply)

Unobstructed vertical distance between a potable-water outlet and the flood-level rim of a receptacle.

Alley

Public space or thoroughfare 2 m – <3 m wide dedicated for public use.

Domestic Sewage

Liquid and water-borne wastes from ordinary living processes, free of industrial waste.

Primary Branch

Portion of the building drain from the base of a stack to its junction with the main building drain.

Catch Basin

Receptacle that retains liquids long enough for settleable material to deposit.

Grease Interceptor (Min. Size)

Required minimum capacity is 3 m³.

Continuous Waste

Drain connecting compartments of multi-compartment fixtures to a trap or common trap.

Building Supply (Water Service)

Pipe carrying potable water from the meter or source to a building or point of use.

Lateral (Plumbing)

Secondary pipeline; in sewerage, a common sewer receiving only building-sewer connections.

Code (Plumbing)

The Plumbing Code, its amendments, or emergency rules adopted by the authority.

Sewage

Wastewater containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or solution; may include chemical liquids.

Siamese Connection

Fire-standpipe fitting with clapper valves to combine two hose lines into one stream.

Backflow Preventer

Device (vacuum breaker) that prevents reverse flow into a potable-water supply.

Yard

Open, unobstructed space on a lot, other than a court, extending from ground to sky.

Bidet

Low plumbing fixture, also called a sitz bath, used for bathing the perineal region.

Listing Agency

Organization accepted by the authority that lists or labels products and performs periodic inspections.

Unconfined Space

Room volume ≥ 1.4 m³ per kCal/h of appliance input; adjacent open rooms count toward the volume.

Pipeline Welder

Person certified by a recognized agency to weld pipes per regulatory requirements.

Soil Pipe

Pipe conveying discharges from water closets, urinals, etc., with or without other wastes, to the building drain/sewer.

2.43 m

Minimum Branch Interval

Plumbing Fixture

Approved receptacle or appliance supplied with water and discharging waste into the drainage system.

Bathroom

Room equipped with a shower stall or bathtub.

Branch Vent

Horizontal vent connecting one or more back vents to a vent stack or stack vent.

Backflow

Reverse flow of water or other substances into potable-water pipes from unintended sources.

Blow-off

Controlled pipeline outlet for discharging liquid or detritus.

Special Wastes

Wastes requiring special handling (indirect waste piping, interceptors, condensers, etc.).

Flush Tank

Tank above or integral with a fixture used to flush excrement from the fixture.

Vent System

Pipes providing air flow to/from a drainage system to protect trap seals from siphonage/back pressure.

Supports (Pipe)

Devices such as hangers, anchors, brackets that secure pipes and fixtures to structure.

Shaft

Vertical building opening for elevators, dumbwaiters, light, or ventilation.

Confined Space

Room volume < 1.4 m³ per 250 kcal/h of appliance input.

Private Sewer

Building sewer serving more than one building drain, discharging to a public sewer or other disposal.

Lateral

In sewerage, a common sewer to which no other branch sewer is connected. It receives sewage from building sewer service connections only.

Contamination (High Hazard)

Impairment of potable-water quality creating a health hazard via poisoning or disease spread.

Master Plumber

Person licensed under RA 1378, holding current PRC certificate to practice master plumbing.

756 °C or less

Combustible Construction is any structure which any part of its structural framework will ignite and burn at a temperature of _______.

Trap Arm

Portion of a fixture drain between the trap and its vent.

Testing Laboratory

Agency that establishes Critical Level markings on backflow-prevention devices.

Branch (Piping)

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

Gooseneck

Return bend pipe (≈30 cm × 7.5 cm) used as faucet spout or flexible service-pipe connection.

Downspout

Vertical portion of a rainwater conductor.

Nuisance (Plumbing)

Work or condition dangerous to life, health, or property—e.g., unsafe water or sewage disposal.

Industrial Waste

Liquid or water-borne waste from industrial/commercial processes, excluding domestic sewage.

Horizontal Pipe

Pipe installed horizontally or at ≤ 45° angle to the horizontal

Repair

The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building for its maintenance.

Chase

A vertical shaft for the installation of different pipe stacks.

Readily Accessible

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

Faucet

A valve located at the end of a water pipe through of which water can be drawn from or held within the pipe

Pipe

A cylindrical conduit or conductor conforming to the particular dimensions commonly known as “pipe size” and is denoted by its interior diameter or l.D.

Backvent 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.

Waste Pipe

A pipe, which conveys only wastewater or liquid waste, free of fecal matter.

Length of Pipe

_____  is measured along its centerline.

Plumbing Appliance

Any one of a special class of device or equipment intended to perform a special plumbing function. Its operation and/or control may be dependent upon one or more energized components, such as motors, controls, heating elements and pressure-temperature-sensing elements. Such device or equipment may operate automatically through one or more of the following actions: a time cycle, a temperature range, a pressure range, a measured volume or weight; or the device or equipment may be manually adjusted or controlled by the user or operator.

Wet Standpipe

A standpipe where water pressure is maintained at all times.

Subsoil Drain

An underground drainpipe that receives only subsurface or seepage water and convey it to a sump for disposal by gravity flow or by lift pump.

Flushometer Valve

It is a device, which discharges a predetermined quantity of water into fixtures for flushing purposes and is actuated by direct water pressure.

Wet Vent

That portion of a vent pipe through where wastewater also flows through.

Polybutylene (PB)

Colored black. The cross-sectional shape is normally OVAL and is denoted by its O.D.

Offset

In a line of piping is a combination of elbows or bends, which brings one section of the pipe out of line but into a line parallel with the original section.

Hubless Pipes

_____ are cast iron soil pipes with plain ends connected together with bolted stainless steel bands and neoprene gaskets.

Gooseneck

This term means the flexible tubing connection between a service pipe and a water main.

Water Main

_________ or street main is the water-supply pipe for public or community use.

Vacuum

An air pressure less than atmospheric. Also, implies siphonage in piping system.

Rim

An unobstructed top open edge of a fixture.

Drainage System

Includes all the pipings within public or private premises which convey sewage or other liquid wastes to a legal point of disposal but does not include the mains of a public sewer system or a public sewage treatment or disposal plant.

Single Family Dwelling

A building designed as a home by the owner of such building, and shall be the only dwelling located on a parcel of ground with the usual accessory building.

(1) septic tank
(1) water closet
(4) faucets/hose bibb
(3) floor drains

Not included in a Plumbing Unit

Static Pressure

The pressure existing without any flow motion.

Fixture Branch

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

Dry Standpipe

A standpipe having no permanent water inside the pipe.

All of these
Grey
Brown
Orange

Per Plumbing Code, PVC Drainpipes with toxic components are colored _____.

Lavatory

Sometimes called a wash basin.

Sand Interceptor

______ are in-ground tanks designed to capture dirt, sand, to keep these substances out of our wastewater system.

Public

_______ shall mean all buildings or structures that are not defined as private or private use.

0.6

Building sewer begins ____ meters outside the building wall.