PIPES and INSTALLATION AS IT AFFECTS PLUMBING INSTALLATION SERVICES.

Plumbing is generally refers to as a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of portable water and removal of waste water.
But in a wider scope, Plumbing installation services can be categorised into the following classes namely: * Cold & Hot water supply system: This is basically distribution of Portable water to building/buildings both internally and externally. * External Water Reticulation: This is water distribution network for a vast area of land. This could either be for a city, town, village, community or an Estate. * Soil & waste drainage system: This is piping system for the removal of both Soil waste from WCs and bidet and Waste water from WHB,K.S, and baths to be drained to a septic tank/soakaway pit, sewage treatment plant or public sewer. This also could be both internally or externally. * Rainwater system: This involves piping to remove rain water from building/buildings to be channelled to storm drain or external gutter. * Fire fighting system: This aspect of services is to combat any class of fire outbreak within and outside the building/buildings. It is also sub-divided into the following categories: a) Fire hose reel pipe installation - internal b) Dry & wet riser pipe installation - internal c) Sprinkler pipe installation - internal d) Fire extinguisher installation – internal & external e) Fire hydrant pipe installation - external * Gas Pipe installation: This also involves piping for gas supply to building/buildings both residential and industrial. This also can be internal and external installation.

In general, all the services highlighted above are what Plumbing installation service entails and the pipes used for all these services shall be discussed as follows.

PLUMBING PIPES AND FITTINGS
There is no plumbing installation that can be carried out without the use of pipes and fittings.
There are two major classes of plumbing pipes and fittings namely:

Metallic Pipes: i.e. Ductile Iron, Mild steel, Copper and Galvanize pipes and fittings.
Plastic Pipes: UPVC, Polythene pipes and fittings. The use of these different classes of pipes and fittings are peculiar to the service that they perform i.e. water supply, drainage, fire fighting and Gas installation systems.

Water supply pipes and fittings
The pipes and fittings use for this purpose are as follows: * Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (UPVC) Pipes and fittings. This is also known as pressure pipes * Multilayer Pipes with compression fittings made of stainless/brass. * Polypropylene Pipes and fittings (PPR) * Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride pipes and fittings (C-PVC) * Copper Pipes and Fittings * Galvanize Pipes and fittings. * Stainless Pipe and fittings

Soil & Waste System Pipes and fittings
Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes and fittings (PVC)

Fire Fighting System Pipes and Fittings
Mild steel pipes and fittings
Galvanize Pipes and fittings.

Gas Pipe system
Copper Pipes and Fittings.
Mild steel pipe and fittings

QUALITIES OF PIPES AND FITTINGS
There are conventional pipes like UPVC, Galvanize, copper and mild steel used in plumbing installation especially for supply of portable water. These pipes are known to have challenges of leakages, clogging and short life span.
Modernization they say is the mother of invention, which is why in resent times new pipes and fittings are discovered, produced and adopted for water supply system. These pipes possess properties that are not borne by the conventional ones. These pipes are: Multilayer, PPR, and C-PVC.

The table below shows the qualities of all the pipes used in plumbing:

S/N | CHACTERISTICS/PROPERTIES | MULTILAYERPPR/C-PVC | COPPER | GALVANIZE | UPVC | MILD STEEL | 1 | CHEMICAL RESISTANCE | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | LOW | 2 | CORROSION RESISTANCE | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | LOW | 3 | THERMAL RESISTANCE | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | 4 | ELASTICITY | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | LOW | 5 | LONGITIVITY | VERY HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | LOW | 6 | DUCTILITY | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | LOW | 7 | TOUGHNESS | LOW | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | VERY HIGH | 8 | COST | REL. HIGH | EXPENSIVE | LOW | LOW | EXPENSIVE |

PIPES SIZES AND SPECIFICATION
Pipe sizes are determined either with imperial units or metric units.
Imperial units are in inches, feet, miles e.t.c. while Metris units are millimetres, centimetres, metres e.t.c.
The table below will show different pipe sizes in imperial units relative to metric units.

IMPERIAL(inches) | PVC(mm) | UPVC(mm) | PPR(mm) | MULTILAYER(mm) | C-PVC(mm) | COPPER(mm) | GALVANIZE(mm) | MILD STEEL(mm) | 1/4” | 6 | | | | | 6 | | | 5/8” | | | | | | 15 | | | 3/8” | 10 | | | | | 10 | | | ½” | 15 | 15 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 12 | | 15 | ¾” | 20 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 20 | | 20 | 1” | | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 25 | | 25 | 1-1/4” | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 40 | 32 | | 32 | 1-1/2” | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | | 40 | | 40 | 2” | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | | 50 | 2-1/2” | 65 | 63 | | | | 65 | | 63 | 3” | 75 | 75 | | | | | | 75 | 4” | 100/110 | 100/110 | | | | | | 100 | 5” | 125 | 125 | | | | | | 125 | 6” | 150/160 | 150/160 | | | | | | 150 |

PIPING AND JOINING MATERIALS
Pipe joining in plumbing installation can be achieved in different ways. The methods are borne by the materials in which the pipe is made.
Below are different methods of joining pipes and fittings: * Compression: usually use for copper and multilayer pipes. * Push fit connection: used for UPVC and PVC pipes * Fusion welding: use for PPR pipes * Soldering: for copper * Arc Welding: for mild steel pipes * Oxy-acetylene welding: for copper * Solvent welding: for UPVC and PVC pipes * Threading: for UPVC, Mild steel and Galvanize pipes

PRESURE TESTING
Pressure testing is a process of exerting pressure on an installed pipe work to detect leakages especially at the joints.
Pressure testing is required in all piping installation especially internal pipeworks to prevent unnecessary breakage after tilling and other finishing works has been completed.
There are two types of pressure testing i.e. Electric type and the manual type.
Electric type requires electricity to power the testing machine. This is usually recommended for testing of a large network of pipeworks.
Manual type can only be used for sectional pressure testing.
Pressure testing can be achieved by plugging some terminal points on the pipework with test plugs while some points would be connected to pressure gauge/gauges and a singular point to the pressure testing machine.
Inject water into the line with the aid of the test bucket or pump and then lock off when the pressure gauge on the system must have attained the desired or specified pressure the material could withstand.
The isolating valve on the line is later closed while pressure drop on the gauge is put under watch fo a minimum of 4hrs or more.
Any pressure drop will indicate leakages on the pipework.

LEAK TEST

Leak test is usually carried out in a building that is already in use and on a new pipe work installation that has not been covered up.
This test will identify the specific location of leakage/leakages with the aid of a digital instrument.
This instrument is brought to the location/pipe work to be checked and a beep on the instrument signifies that the leakage is happening at the spot.
This instrument makes trouble shooting very easy as it minimises breakages especially during maintenance. The instrument effective but is not available locally.

INSTALLATION
Under this topic, we shall discuss about the standard practise of installing different materials of pipes, fittings and sanitary fixtures.
International standard requires that before any pipe installation can be carried out, the following underlisted procedures must be followed for a perfect installation. * Marking Out: This is the first task that must be carried out before the commencement of any installation. The physical location of sanitary fixtures relative to the construction drawing must be marked out. * Chiselling: This is the step that follows marking out. The already marked out sanitary fixtures location must be chiselled so that the pipe to be installed can be effectively accommodated within the wall. * Pipe cutting/Measurement: Precise measurement and cutting of pipes into required sizes must be done to accommodate appropriate fittings required for water supply, soil/waste, fire fighting or gas supply purposes.
However, this task has to be done with high level of precision otherwise; the installation will be roughly done with too many fittings in use. * Pipe/fitting Joining: The installation of pipe and fittings would definitely be based on the type of material in use and the joining method adopted.
For PPR pipes and fittings, fusion welding method is applicable for joining of the pipes and fittings.
This is usually achieved by heating up the parts to be joined such that when the pipe and fitting is coupled, it would give a permanent joint. Also note that any joint made by fusion welding is permanent and can no longer be disconnected for amendments.
Another material is Multilayer pipes and compression fittings. The method of installation here is compression and it is reversible i.e. coupled joints can be disconnected while the fitting can be re-use.
These are flexible pipes and their installation can be achieved by coupling the pipe to its fitting that already has screw-able nut and compression ring.
The nut on the fitting would be unscrewed, pipe is then connected to the fitting and the nut is screwed back with compression ring inside to tighten the pipe to the fitting.
The fittings use on multilayer pipes are not much compared to other pipes. This is because of the flexibility nature of the pipe which may not necessitate the use of elbows especially at corners within pipe work installation.

Copper is another material that its method of joining is either by Soldering or Compression.
Soldering joint is one in which alloys with a lower temperature than copper i.e. tin, are used to join the pipes with the aid of applied heat. This method requires good skill and composure.
There are two types of soldered joint:
Soft soldered joint: This joint are made with propane blow touch using composite solder (tin) that melts in the temperature range of 180 - 230 degree C.
Hard soldered joint: This joint are made with oxyacetylene equipment and it melt composite solder at temperature range of 600 – 850 degree C.

While compression method of joining copper is similar to that of the multilayer pipes and fitting.

SANITARY FIXTURES INSTALLATION AND DIMENTION

There are different types of sanitary fixtures namely: WC, Wash hand basin, Kitchen sink, Bath Tub, Water heater, Bidet e.t.c.
Installation of these sanitary fixtures are the same every where both here in Nigeria and Overseas.
But due to innovation as a result of modernisation, new designs of sanitary fixtures are now available. These new fixtures usually come with their installation manuals for appropriate and proper installation.

To mention a few, we would hightlight below the international standard dimension of regular sanitary fixtures

Low level WC 900mm Standard height

WHB with Pedestal 800mm max. Height

Kitchen sink 900mm Standard height

Bath tub 525mm min. Height

Electric water heater usually 1000mm below source of Supply except if it is a pressurised System.

CONTROL VALVES USE IN INSTALLATION

Valves are installed to isolate system or installation for the purpose of maintenance. There are different types of control valves use in plumbing installation. To mention a few, we have:

Angle or Tee valves: This type of valve is mostly use at the terminal point to the sanitary fixture. Its purpose is to isolate the fixture from the entire water supply network in case of maintenance purpose.

Stop Cork: This is also a control valve use internally for either isolation or shower control. The choice of this valve is its fancy nature and durability.

Gate valve: This is use both for internal and external installation.

Air valves: This is another isolating valve with a control bar at the top for opening and closing.