ENGINEERING UTILITIES 2

PLUMBING SYSTEM

 The term plumbing is derived from the Latin word plumbum for lead (Pb).
 Historians theorize that lead leaching into drinking water from water supply pipes and
lead from other resources poisoned the Roman aristocracy, contributing to the decline of
the Roman Empire.
 The Roman plumber was an artisan who worked with lead. Both male and female
plumbers soldered, installed and repaired roofs, gutters, sewers, drains and every part
of the plumbing supply waste and storm drainage systems.

Plumbing- the system of pipes valves, fixtures & other apparatus of a warm supply or sewage
system.

Water Supply- the supply of purified water to a community, usually including such facilities as
reservoirs & pipelines for storing and distributing this water.

Cistern- reservoir or tank for storing or holding water such as rainwater collected from a roof
for use when required.

Aqueduct- a conduit or artificial channel for conducting water from remote source, usually by
gravity esp. an elevated structure constructed by the romans to carry a water channels across a
valley or over a river.

Well- a hole drilled of bored into earth to obtain water, petroleum of natural gas.

Aquifer- a geological formation containing or conducting groundwater esp. one capable of

providing water in usable quantities to spring or wells.

Artesian well- a well in which water rises under pressure from a permeable/absorptive layer
overlaid by impermeable rock.

Reservoir- a natural or artificial place where water is collected & stored for use, esp. water for
supplying a community, irrigating land or furnishing power.

Raw Water- water that requires treatment before it can be used for drinking.

Water Treatment- the act or process of making water more potable or useful by purifying,
clarifying or softening.

Potable Water- water fit for human consumption.

Types of Potable Water

1. Purified
2. Distilled

Water Tower- a tower into which water is pumped to a height sufficient to maintain a desired
pressure for distribution to customers or for firefighting.
Water Main- a main pipe or conduit through which a public or community water system
conveys water to all service connections.

Corporation Stop- a valve controlling the flow of water or gas from a main to a service pipe.
Also called Corporation Cock.

Curb Cock- a control valve for shutting off the water supply to a building in case of an
emergency, installed in a water service pipe & operated by means of a long key inserted
through a curb box. Also called Curb Stop.

Curb Box- a vertical enclosure with a removable cover providing access to a curb cock. Also
called Buffalo Box.

Service Pipe- a pipe connecting a building to a water or gas main, usually installed by or
under the jurisdiction of a public utility.

Shutoff Valve- any valve for shutting off the flow of water or gas from a supply pipe.

Water Meter- a device for measuring and recording the quantity of water that passes through
a pipe.

Head- the pressure at the lower of 2 given points in a liquid, expressed in terms of the ver.
Distance bet. The points, also called Pressure Head.

Gravity Water System- a water supply and distribution system in which the water source is
set at a height sufficient to maintain adequate supply pressure throughout the water
distribution system.

Branch- any member of a piping system other than a main riser or stack.

Riser- a vertical pipe, conduit or duct in a utility system.

Drainage System- a system of pipes, traps and other apparatus for conveying sewage, waste
water or rainwater to a public sewer or a private treatment facility.

Vent System- a system of pipes supplying a flow of air to or from a drainage system or
providing a circulation of air within the system to protect trap seals from siphonage and back
pressure.

Fixture Drain- a drain extending from the trap of a plumbing fixture to a junction with a waste
or soil stack.

Battery- a group of two or more similar plumbing fixtures discharging into a common waste or
soil branch.

Stack Vent- the extension of a soil or waste stack above the highest horizontal drain
connected to the stack. Also called soil vent or waste vent.

Relief Vent- a vent that provides circulation of air between a drainage and a venting system
by connecting a vent stack to a horizontal drain between the first fixture and the soil or waste
stack.
Branch Drain- a drain connecting one or more fixtures to a soil or waste stack.

Vent Stack- a vertical vent installed primarily to provide circulation of air to or from any part of
drainage system.

Stack- a vertical waste pipe or vent pipe serving a number of floors.

Branch Vent- a vent connecting one or more individual vents with a vent stack or stack vent.

Soil Stack- a vertical soil pipe.

Loop Vent- a circuit vent that loops back and connects with a stack vent instead of a vent
stack.

Common Vent- a single vent serving two fixture drains connected at the same level. Also
called Dual Vent.

Circuit Vent- a vent serving two or more traps and extending from in front of the last fixture
connection of a horizontal branch to the vent stack.

Continuous Vent- a vertical vent formed by a continuation of the drain line to which it
connects.

Back Vent- a vent installed on the sewer side of a trap.

Fall- the downward slope of a pipe, conduit or channel expressed either as a percentage (2% is
the Ideal Slope as per NPCP)

Branch Interval- a length of soil or waste stack corresponding to a story height but never less
than 2.40m (8ft.) withing which the horizontal branch drains from one floor are connected.

Wet Vent- an oversized pipe functioning both as a solid or waste pipe and a vent.

Building Drain- the lowest part of a drainage system that receives the discharge from soil and
waste stacks inside the walls of a building & conveys it by gravity to the building sewer. Also
called House Drain.

Cleanout- a pipe fitting with a removable plug giving access to a soil or waste pipe for
inspection or cleaning.

Building Trap- a trap installed in the building drain to prevent the passage of sewer gases
from the building sewer to the drainage system of a building. Not all plumbing codes require a
building trap. Also called House Trap.

Sump- a pit or reservoir serving as a drain receptacle for water or other liquids.

Sump Pump- a pump for removing the accumulations of liquid from a sump.

Invert - the lowest point of the interior of a drainpipe or sewer where the liquid is deepest.

Fresh-air Inlet- a vent pipe admitting fresh air into the drainage system of a building,
connected to the building drain at or before the building trap.
Building Sewer- a drain connecting a building drain to a public sewer or private treatment
facility, also called House Sewer.

Sewer- a pipe or other artificial conduit, usually underground, for carrying off sewage and
other liquid waste to a treatment plant or other point of disposal.

Waste Pipe- any pipe carrying the discharge from plumbing fixtures other than water closets
or urinals.

Sanitary Sewer- a sewer conveying only the sewage from plumbing fixtures and excluding
storm water.

Sewage- the liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or solution that
passes through a sewer.

PROGRESSION OF A FIRE

There are 4 stages in the progression of a fire:

1. Ignition
- the first stage of any fire begins, Ignition requires the proper blend of oxygen (air),
heat and fuel.
2. Flame Spread
- the characteristic of rapid crawling tongues of fire that lick across the surface walls,
ceilings, floors and supporting timbers. The nature and combustibility of the material
govern the speed and intensity of flame spread.
3. Flashover
- as the fire intensifies & mixture of gases and air reach critical proportions, the
material ignites in a great ball of fire called the flashover stage.
- it instantly consumes the surrounding oxygen and can raise the premise temperature
to exceed 1500°F (816°C)
- during the flashover stage, the fire might reach explosive proportions.
4. Consumption
- the final stage in the burning sequence is the fiery consumption of the material itself
as it burns to ash.
- the rate of destruction depends on the amount of oxygen-rich air reaching the
burning area and the combustibility of the fully ignited material.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
According to National Building Code of the Philippines

Type I- wood construction.

Type II- wood construction with fire-resistant materials and 1-hour fire-resistive.

Type III- masonry and wood construction.

Type IV- at least four-hour fire-resistivity.

LIFE SAFETY SYSTEM

Fire-Rated- noting or pertaining to a material, assembly, or construction having a fire
resistance rating required by its use.

Fire-resistance rating- the time in hours a material or assembly can be expected to

withstand exposure to fire without collapsing, developing any openings that permit the passage
of flame or hot gases or exceeding a specific temperature on the side away from the fire.

Flash Point- the lowest temperature at which a combustible liquid will give off sufficient vapor
to ignite momentarily when exposed to flame.

Tunnel Test- a test measuring the time it takes for a controlled flame to spread across the
face of a test specimen, the amount of fuel the material contributes to the fire, and the density
of smoke developed by the fire.

Flame-Spreading rating- a rating of how quickly fire can spread along the surface of an
interior finish material.

Fuel-contribution rating- a rating of the amount of combustible substances an interior finish

material can contribute to a fire.

Smoke-developed rating- a rating of the amount of smoke an interior finish material having
a smoke-developed rating above 450 are not permitted to be used inside buildings.

BUILDING CONVEYING SYSTEM

 Building conveying systems mechanically move occupants and goods. In most buildings,
these systems include passenger and freight elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, moving
ramps and walkways, and lifts for people and wheelchairs.
 Business and industrial operations may require specially designated material handing
equipment (i.e., conveyors, chutes and pneumatic tube systems), hoists, cranes and
scaffolding. Facilities on large sited may have monorails and other types of people
movers.

LU/LA Elevator- limited use/ limited application elevator; a relatively compact hydraulic
elevator having limited capacity and travel for use in new & renovated low-rise, low-occupancy
buildings.

Bank- a row of elevators in a high-rise building, controlled by a common operating system &
responding to a single call button.

Machine Room- a room housing the hoisting machinery, control equipment and sheaves for
raising & lowering an elevator cat.

Hydraulic Elevator- an elevator system consisting of a car supported by a piston that moved
by or moves against a fluid under pressure.

Penthouse- a structure housing elevator machinery on the roof of a building.

Top Car Clearance- the vertical distance from the top of an elevator car to the nearest
overhead obstruction when the car platform is level with the top landing.
Rise- vertical distance traversed by an electric car from the lowest to the highest landings of
the hoistway.

Elevator Pit- the portion of a hoistway extending from the level of the lowest landing to the
floor of the hoistway.

Bulkhead- a boxlike structure on a roof providing access to a stairwell or an elevator shaft.

Hoistway- a vertical enclosed space for the travel of one or more elevators. Also called
Elevator Shaft.
Electric Elevator- an elevator system consisting of a car that is mounted on guide rails,
supported by hoisting cables and driven by electric hoisting machinery, also called Traction
Elevator.
Buffer- a piston or spring device for absorbing the impact of a descending elevator car or
counterweight at the extreme lower limit of travel.

Counterweight- a weight balancing another weight, such as the rectangular cast-iron blocks
mounted in a steel frame to counterbalance the load placed on the hoisting machine by an
elevator car.

Limit Switch- a switch that automatically cuts off current to an electric motor when an object
moved by it, such as an elevator car, has passed a given point.

Escalator- a power-driven stairway consisting of steps attached to a continuously circulating

belt, used for moving passengers up and down between floors.

Moving Sidewalk- a power-driven moving surface, used for carrying pedestrians horizontally
or along low inclines.

People Mover- any of various forms of mass transit, such as a moving sidewalks or automated
driverless vehicles, used for shutting people around airports or in congested urban areas.

ACOUSTICAL CONTROL SYSTEM

FUNDAMENTALS OF SOUND

Acoustic- is the science of sound, including the generation, transmission and effects of sound
waves.

 This chapter introduces the elements of acoustical design to limit noise issues in
buildings, the control of acoustical problems is of prime concern, and the best results
achieved by anticipating the problems before they occur.

Sound- is defined as a rapidly varying pressure wave within a fluid medium such as air or
water that is capable of being detected by the human ear.

The Decibel (dB)- is a measure of the intensity of sound. The decibel scale runs from the
faintest sound the human ear can detect, which is labeled 0 dB, to over 180 dB, the noise of a
rocker at the pad during launch. Decibels are measured logarithmically.
Wave- a disturbance or oscillation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a
medium or space without advance by the points themselves, as in the transmission of sound or
light.

Wavelength- the distance, measured in the direction of the propagation of a wave, from any
one point to the next point of corresponding phase.

Wavefront- a surface of a propagating wave composed at any instant of all points having
identical phase, usually perpendicular to the direction of propagation.

Hertz- the SI unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second, Abbr.: Hz

Amplitude- the maximum deviation of a wave or alternating current from its average value.

Frequency- the number of cycles per unit time of a wave or oscillation.

Reverberation- the persistence of a sound within an enclosed space, caused by multiple

reflections of the sound after its source has stopped.

Decay Rate- the rate of decrease of sound pressure level after its source has stopped, usually
expressed in decibels per second.

Reverberation Time- the time in seconds required for a sound made in an enclosed space to
diminish by 60 decibels.