19 plumbing Terms you Might Hear your San Antonio Plumber say
The more a homeowner knows the better able he or she is to handle any household hiccup, especially when it comes to leaky faucets, clogged drains, and dirty pipes. The home’s plumbing system may seem like a complicated maze of pipes, and sometimes its sounds as if the plumber is speaking an entirely different language! What did he say about my clogged toilet? And what’s the name of the part I need from the home appliance store? Here are some common plumbing terms that can help even the least handy homeowner understand what the heck the plumber is talking about.
- ABS: Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene:
- This stuff is rigid and rough black plastic pipe used for plumbing system drains, waste, and vent (plumbers often abbreviate drain, waste, and vent as DWV) lines.
- Access Panel:
- That handy opening in your wall, floor or ceiling that allows access for servicing plumbing or electrical systems.
- Adapter:
- This is good to know when buying plumbing parts. The adapter is the fitting that joins two pipes together.
- Air Gap:
- Any water path flow, for example this could be the distance from a faucet to a drain.
- “A”-Valve:
- an automatic gas shut off valve
- Back pressure:
- pressure that resists the flow of liquid in the plumbing system
- Back siphonage:
- the negative pressure that causes back flow in a plumbing system
- Back wash:
- a process of cleaning a filter by reversing the flow of water through it, this sends the dirty water through the plumbing system into the waste
- Backwater valve:
- a sewer line valve that prevents sewage water from flowing back into the house, (should always be in working condition!)
- Branch drain:
- a drain that leads to the main drainage line of the plumbing system
- Cleanout:
- a special (and very handy) plug that is used to access a plumbing pipe in order to clean out an obstruction, blockage or clog
- Commode:
- toilet, (the actual piece of equipment, not the room)
- CPCV:
- This stands for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, which is rough piping used in water supply systems
- Plumber’s putty:
- A soft substance used to seal joints and fixture bases
- PVC:
- This stands for polyvinyl chloride, and is one of the more common plumbing terms referring to white piping used in many home plumbing capacities
- Run:
- From drain to fixture, this refers to the entire length of the pipe
- Solder:
- Metal which is melted in order to fuse one surface to another (pronouced “sodder”)
- Scupper:
- A drain, usually located on the roof or deck that allows for rain water to drain off
- Trap:
- This segment of the drain line keeps harmful gases out and holds in water (also a part of your plumbing system that should always be in working condition)
Sources:
http://www.keidel.com/glossary/a.htm
http://www.superpages.com
http://www.plumbingproducts.com/plumbing-terms-s.html
Your San Antonio Plumbing company, 1-800-Plumbing, is here for all you plumbing needs. Call 1-800-Plumbing today or use our online San Antonio Plumbing request form to request an estimate!
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