Building Utilities

backpressure

a suction created by the flow of liquids in a pipe;
a pressure less than the atmospheric pressure

ball valve

(type of valve)
the flow of liquid is controlled by a rotating drilled ball that fits tightly against a resilient (flexible) seat in the valve body

battery of fixtures

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

branch interval

a vertical length of soil or waste stack at least 8 feet in height (one storey high) within which the horizontal branches from one story or floor of the building or structure are connected to the stack

building sewer

(part of drainage system)
extends from the end of the building drain and conveys its discharge to the public sewer, private sewer, individual sewage disposal system or other appropriate point of disposal

building supply pipe

(part of drainage system)
located between the water main and water meter

cesspool

a loosely lined excavation in the ground which receives the discharge of septic tank and designed to permit the effluent from the septic tank to seep through the bottom and sides of the pit

drainage fixture unit

a common measure of the probable discharge into the drainage system by various types of plumbing fixtures on the basis of one unit of this being equal to a discharge rate of 7.5 gallons per minute or one cubit foot of water per minute

drainage, waste, vent

DWV

globe valve

a valve in which the flow of water is cut off by means of a circular disk

gooseneck

a p-shaped trap commonly used on most plumbing fixtures except for a fixture having an integral trap

gooseneck

a kind of return bend of small-sized faucet;
one end of which is about one foot long and the other end is about three inches

gooseneck

commonly used as a faucet for pantry sink and drinking fountain;
the lead connection between the service pipe and the water main

fixture

a receptacle attached to a plumbing system wherein water and wastes may be collected

full bath

a bathroom containing a water closet, lavatory, and bath tub

plumbing

the art and science of installing pipes, fixtures, and other apparatus for bringing in water supply and removing water and waterborne waste in buildings

privy

an outhouse or structure used for the deposition of excrement

riser

a water supply pipe that extends vertically one full storey or more to convey water to fixture branches or group of fixtures

septic tank

a watertight receptacle which the discharge of sanitary plumbing system or part thereof, designed and constructed to retain solids, digest organic matter through a period of detention and to allow the liquids to discharge into the soil outside of the tank through a system of open jointed subsurface piping or seepage pit

soil pipe

any pipe which conveys the discharge of water closets, urinals, or fixtures having the similar function, with or without the discharge from other fixtures, to the building drain or building sewer

trap

a fitting or device designed and constructed to provide, when properly vented, a liquid seal which prevents back flow and passage of foul air and gases without materially affecting the flow of sewage or waste water through it

waste stack

a vertical pipe which conveys only waste water or liquid waste free of fecal matter

water distributing pipe

first section the water supply piping in a building after the water meter

water distributing pipe

a pipe which conveys potable water from the building supply pipe to the plumbing fixtures and other outlets

water supply system

consists of the water service pipe, water supply line, water distributing pipes, and essential branch pipes, valves and all other appurtenances for the supply of potable water

yoke vent

a pipe connecting upward from a soil or waste stack below the floor and below the horizontal connection to an adjacent vent stack at a point above the floor and higher than the highest spill level of fixtures for preventing pressure changes in the stack;
vent to vent

ampere

unit of electrical current

farad

unit of capacitance

horsepower

unit of mechanical power

mho

reciprocal of ohm

ohm

unit of resistance

tesla

unit of magnetic flux

volt-ampere

unit of volt-electrical potential

watt

unit of electrical power

cables

conductors that are larger than wires and stranded (no. 6 AWG and larger)

cable tray

a unit or assembly units or sections and associated fittings forming a rigid structural system used to support cables

conductors-on-insulator wiring

concealed knob and tube; open wiring on insulators

conduit

a cylindrical conduit or conductor;
the wall thickness is sufficient to receive a standard pipe

copper

has the property of being ductile and malleable

current

analogous to pressure in water flow

heat resistant thermoplastic

THHN;
insulated conductor

Hermholtz resonator

named in honor of a German physicist;
consists of a hollow material with a small hole on one side;
used to detect individual frequency of complex acoustic wave configuration

impedance

used in transformers and other devices in AC;
combination of resistance and reactance

individual resonator

a type of resonator made from empty clay vessels of different sizes;
absorption ranges from 100-400 hertz

metal clad cable

type MC;
a factory assembly of one or more conductors, each individually isulated and enclosed in a metallic sheath of interlocking metal tape, or a smooth corrugated metallic tube

multi-outlet assembly

a type of surface flush raceway designed to receive conductors and receptacles assembled in the field or in the factory

non-metallic sheathed cable

type NM and NMC;
a factory assembly of two or more insulated conductors having an outer sheath of moisture resistant, flame retardant, non-metallic material

panel board

also known as the electric panel or load center

rigid metal conduit (RMC)

a type of raceway specially constructed for the purpose of pulling in or the withdrawing of wires or cables after the conduit is in place

roughing-in

the installation of parts of the plumbing system which can be completed prior to the installation of fixtures or finishing;
includes drainage, water supply, and vent piping, and necessary fixtures

series circuit

(circuit type)
components are electrically connected end to end

parallel circuit

(circuit type)

transfer switch

a type of switch used for transferring one or more load conductor connections from one power source to another

transformer

a mechanical device used to step up or step down voltage in AC

Nikola Tesla

"Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishment. The present is theirs, the future for which I really worked for is mine."

Wallace Clement Sabine

an American physicist who pioneered work on sound;
father of architectural acoustics

act as a switch, open or close position easily detected, can be used again after correcting fault

advantages of a circuit breaker over a fuse

2-s3w and 1-s4w

a switch combination used in order to control a lamp or group of lamps in three different locations

low resistance, high current

characteristics of a short circuit

positive and negative polarity, average value is zero, has frequency

characteristics of an alternating current

lead, iron, tin

fusible materials in a fuse

length, area, temperature

factors that affect the resistance of a conductor

source, conducting path, electrical load

basic elements of an electric circuit

fungus and corrosion resistant

over-all covering of underground feeder and branch circuit cables

hydraulic elevator

(type of elevator)
supported by a piston at the bottom of the elevator that pushes the elevator up

2-8 stories

(hydraulic elevator)
scope of floors serviced

200 feet per minute

(hydraulic elevator)
speed

lowest level adjacent to elevator shaft

(hydraulic elevator)
location of machine room

traction elevator

(type of elevator)
lifted by ropes, which pass over a wheel attached to an electric motor above the elevator shaft

mid and high-rise

(traction elevator)
scope of floors serviced

faster than hydraulic

(traction elevator)
speed

counter weight

makes traction elevators more efficient

balustrade assembly, continuous belt, step assembly

basic components of an escalator

558 mm

minimum distance between the handrails of escalators

90-120 fpm

recommended speed for escalators

4 section truss

typical truss configuration for escalators

3 ropes required for traction type elevator

example of a violation of all provisions in the Mechanical Code on Elevator Design and Installation

British Thermal Unit

BTU;
the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound (0.4 kg) of water 1F

R12

(type of refrigerant)
dichlorodifluormethane

R22

(type of refrigerant)
recommended for residential, commercial, and industrial application using split type air conditioning system

seasonal energy efficiency ratio

total cooling output of an air conditioner during its annual usage, in BTU/hr, divided by the energy input during the same period, in watt-hours

thermal load

a factor used in calculating cooling load that includes heat transferred from walls, doors, ceilings, etc.

air handling unit, control equipment

elements of centralized air-conditioning systems

temperature of the surrounding air, motion of air

air-conditioning system for human comfort

uses ducts, has a cooling tower, has an air handling unit

characteristics of a centralized air-conditioning system

conduction, convection, radiation

methods of transferring heat

acoustics

transmission of sound;
effect of sound waves;
generation of sound

creep

the phenomenon whereby sound travels in a curved surface

environmental acoustics

a branch of acoustics that involves the control of noise pollution, environmental noise;
e.g. motor vehicles, aircraft noise, etc.

gold

the best conductor of electricity among copper, aluminum, and iron

inverse square law

sound intensity varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source

sound

doesn't travel in a vacuum;
aural sensation;
caused by an oscillation in an elastic medium;
caused by the vibration of particles which move in an infinitesimal amount causing particles to impart motion and energy to them

sound absorption

the product of surface area (sq. ft.) and sound absorption coefficient (SAC);
has the unit sabin

structure-borne sound

when sound impinges on a surface such as walls, floor, ceiling, etc.

threshold of hearing

e.g. the rustling of leaves in breeze

transondent facings

transparent facings with holes;
10% opening will reflect more sound compared to 20%, 30%, and 40% opening

acoustical tile

manufactured from rock wool, glass fibers, hair felt;
generally installed on wood or metal framing system

bonded acoustical panel

BAP

carpet

any of a variety of soft floor finishes made of synthetic materials such as nylon or natural material such as wool;
either glued directly to the floor or installed over n underlayment of hair felt or foam rubber

carpet

exhibits the highest sound absorption coefficient (SAC) value among:
(marble, wood, carpet, plastic)