subject: Mechanical Aspects Of Plumbing Drains [print this page] The importance of plumbing drains is easily overlooked, until the flood waters start to back up. Every house hold has to deal with a clogged drain eventually. It's never known to be a pleasant experience. Expensive and sometimes difficult to diagnose the location, these problems can be very expensive today.
Most plumbing drains are invisible to those that rely on them on a daily basis. We never see them. There installed out of sight. Tucked away in the hidden resources of our homes. When a problem does occur, finding that problem can be as hard as it is to fix. Many times a professional will be required just to locate a clogged drain.
Plumbing drains today come in all sizes, colors and materials. Plastic pipe has replaced the traditional copper and cast iron of latter times. The light weight and ease of cutting for installation have helped this along. Metals of all kinds corrode, plastic's resist corrosion for great lengths of time. Plastic pipe also has the benefit of being able to glue the fittings as opposed to soldering joints. The times have changed and with this part of construction the industry has changed with it.
When drainage lines are installed, it is imperative they be pitched the proper amount per foot. Normally horizontal pipes smaller then four inches around will be pitched at a rate of one quarter inch per foot. Lines four inches and larger will have an eighth inch per foot pitch. These standards have been found to best carry the solids along with the liquids as they drain. Less or more is not acceptable and will result in solids being left behind and eventually they will build up and clog the line.
Plumbing drains should be well hung according to the industry standards as well as local codes. Not installing enough hangers can lead to sags in the pipe which will collect the solid waste and eventually cause a clog. Making sure there are more then enough hangers and that they have been adequately installed to support the pipe will avoid this situation.
The new plastic pipe and fittings used today is installed using a primer first and then a glue to connect all pipes and fittings. Priming the pipe is imperative to a god bond and this operation should never be ignored when using this material. The primer prepares the materials to be bonded chemically. The glue is then absorbed into the softened material, forming a permanent liquid proof bond.
Most codes require all commercial and industrial drainage piping to be made of Metal Cast iron and copper pipes are the widely excepted materials for these applications. Cast iron pipes and fittings are normally connected to each other with the aid of stainless steel band clamps of the appropriate size. Copper pipe and fittings is used on smaller drains and these are soldered together. Installing these lines is usually a lot more work then plastic and also much more expensive initially.
Some systems are made of other materials to carry highly corrosive materials. These are usually in factory settings used in the plating process.
This world has a continued need to dispose of it's waste. More and More, we're taking for granted the mechanical aspect of such a simple job. Installing your plumbing drains properly now, will save you a bundle in the future.
