Jeff Wilson Everyday DIY Blog

A sump pump is an automatic water pump powered by an electric motor which removes drainage, excluding raw sewage, from a sump or low point. There are two basic kinds of sump pumps: pedestal and submersible. Either will work well with proper maintenance. Pedestal sump pumps are powered by an electric motor which sits on top of a pedestal. The pump itself sits down in the sump, but the motor sits on top, out of the pit. A pedestal pump motor is not designed to get wet. The pump is turned on and off by a ball float. One advantage of this type of pump is that the on/off switch is visible, so the action of the ball float can be easily seen.

A water heater adds heat to water, raising its temperature. A commercial gas water heater consists of a gas fired burner to heat the water, and a separate hot water storage tank. In most residential water heaters, the heater is combined with the storage tank. A commercial gas water heater also differs from a residential water heater in capacity and durability or life expectancy, and in the fact that there can be multiple heaters and multiple tanks.

Residential plumbing fixtures differ from commercial plumbing fixtures in that they are not usually constructed to be as durable. All faucets, spouts, strainers, traps, waste piping, stoppers, stops, and escutcheon plates are considered trim and are included in Residential Faucets, Supplies, and Trim.

Each residential plumbing fixture has associated with it necessary items that are often not included with the fixture. Some of these extra parts are the faucets, supplies, and trim.

Emergency plumbing fixtures consist mainly of two fixtures: an emergency eye wash and an emergency shower or deluge shower. The purpose for both of these fixtures is to rapidly wash anyone who has come in contact with an acid or poison which could be absorbed through the epidermis. The eye has the thinnest epidermis at .05 mm, and the palm of the hand has the thickest at 1.5 mm.

A typical swimming pool has a number of major components including a basin, a motorized pump, a water filter, drains, return lines, and plumbing piping connecting these components. Chlorine is often the sanitizing agent used in swimming pools, and given the corrosive nature of chlorine, PVC plastic is usually the material of choice for swimming pool plumbing and piping. The water in a pool must be sanitized and have debris strained out of it.

Fountain pumps are pumps designed to handle the particular challenges associated with fountains. Most fountains are designed to lift columns of water into the air for decorative effect. Fountains are also open to the atmosphere and subject to surface debris similar to a swimming pool, and therefore, the pumps and pumping systems are designed to operate in this environment. An example is the Debris Pumping Tetra Pond Pump shown below.

This topic covers information related to meters and gauges installed in a plumbing system during construction. They function to measure gases or liquids, indicating usage, temperature, flow, level, discharge, velocity, pressure or vacuum.

This topic covers information related to the thermal insulation of plumbing equipment and piping that is installed during construction. Depending on the application and where the insulation is being added, it could be either glass fiber, glass foam, rubber foam, flexible plastic foam, rigid plastic foam, phenolic foam, or mineral wool.

This topic covers information related to plumbing piping, equipment and valves that are installed during construction. Plumbing piping, equipment and valves are used to distribute and remove water and wastewater within a structure.

This topic covers information related to water pumps that are installed during construction, as part of a plumbing system. A water pump may be a direct lift, displacement, velocity, buoyancy, or gravity type. They are used to move fluids, such as water into or through a structures plumbing system.

This topic covers information related to potable water storage tanks that are installed during construction. Potable water storage tanks are containers used to store water for human consumption. The container may be roof or ground mounted, elevated or installed indoors. They are generally installed in close proximity to the structure they provide potable water too.