Plumbing Fundamentals

Piping Materials
Name of the Material
Copper Pipe
Image Usage/Application
Copper tubing is traditionally
the most popular water
supply pipe material. It is also
used in water space heating
(hydronic) systems, air
conditioning and refrigeration
systems, sanitary drainage,
and natural gas and liquid
petroleum gas piping. Soft
temper tubing is often used
as replacement plumbing
because the flexibility of the
tube allows easier installation.
Hard temper tubing is often
used for new installations,
particularly in commercial
work.

Used as water supply piping.

Brass Pipe Brass is an alloy of copper
and zinc.

Black pipe is most commonly

used for natural gas supply
lines and fire suppression
Steel Pipe/Black Pipe sprinkler system lines.

Commonly used for water

supply, waste, and vent lines
in plumbing systems through
Galvanized Steel Pipe the early 1950s.
 Cast iron pipe is commonly
used in gravity building and
Cast Iron Pipe storm drain/sewer systems.

ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene

styrene, is a plastic pipe that
generally comes in black. It
Acrylonitrile butadiene can be used for indoor or
styrene (ABS) Pipe outdoor plumbing, generally
as a drain, waste, or vent pipe
as well as sewer pipe and
electrical wire insulation.

Polybutylene (PB) Pipe
Polyethylene (PE) Pipe
Cross-linked polyethylene
(PEX) Pipe
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Pipe
Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride
(CPVC) Pipe
Styrene rubber (SR) Pipe
Polybutylene pipe is ideal
for most domestic hot and
cold-water plumbing and
heating systems, offering
exceptional durability and
long-term performance.
Polyethylene (PE) plastic pipe
and fittings are the main
materials currently used in a
new medium- and low-
pressure natural gas
distribution systems and to
repair older steel and cast
iron systems.
Cross-linked polyethylene is
often used for pipe and tubing
in the plumbing industry.
Probably the most common
reason for using PEX is to
replace traditional galvanized
steel, copper, and PVC piping
due to rusting, cost, and
circulation.
PVC pipes are commonly used
for manufacturing sewage
pipes, water mains, and
irrigation.
CPVC (chlorinated poly (vinyl
chloride) is a strong and rigid
thermoplastic material that is
used for hot and cold potable
water applications in
residential construction.
It is a rigid thermoplastic pipe
that is generally approved for
use in septic tanks, drain
fields, and storm sewers.
 Polypropylene (PP) is a
thermoplastic pipe material
that is typically used in
chemical waste lines. It can
Polypropylene Pipe also be used for hot and cold-
water applications. It is rarely
used in building plumbing
systems, likely because it is
joined by heat fusion.
PVDF piping is a
multipurpose, specialty
plumbing that is well suited
for many materials,
Polyvinylidene fluoride Pipe ingredients, and industries.
PVDF plumbing is often used
in chemical processing and
transfer, within petrochemical
energy applications,
pharmaceutics, food-beverage
scenarios, and electrical
systems.
Reinforced thermosetting
plastic pipe is produced as a
standard product with a full
line of fittings. It is especially
Reinforced thermosetting suited to applications such
plastic Pipe as water distribution, sewage,
and effluent disposal under
many highly corrosive
conditions; for example, those
resulting from chemical
processing.
The PE-AL-PE pipes can be
installed for transporting
natural gas, LPG, coal gas,
PE-AL-PE Pipe and other gases, with the
maximum allowable working
pressure up to 0.4Mpa.

These pipes are used in

radiant water heating and
cooling systems on both
floors, walls, and ceiling
fittings. They are also used in
PEX-AL-PEX Pipe chilled water piping systems.
PEX-AL-PEX pipes are used
for outdoor ice and snow-
melting purposes. Hot and
 cold-water distribution for
both residential and
commercial plumbing
systems.
These pipes are traditionally
used for sewage, industrial
Clay Pipe waste, stormwater, and drain
field applications.

Concrete pipe is used as a

large water supply pipe.
Concrete Pipe These materials are not
commonly used in building
plumbing systems. The main
attributes of concrete pipe
apply to sanitary, storm
sewers, and culverts.
 Fittings and Valves
Name of the Material Image Usage/Application
Used to change the angle or
direction of the pipe run.
Most commonly in 90
Elbows degrees and 45-degree
turns. The sweep of the
fitting describes how fast a
transition or change in
direction is made.
A tee, the most common
pipe fitting, is used to
combine or divide fluid flow.
Tees can connect pipes of
different diameters or
Tees change the direction of a
pipe run, or both. Available
in a variety of materials,
sizes, and finishes, they
may also be used to
transport two-fluid mixtures.
Couplings are pipe fittings
that help to extend or
terminate pipe runs. These
fittings are also used to
change pipe size. It's also
Couplings used to repair a broken or
leaking pipe. Most pipe
installations require several
lengths of pipe to be joined
together or cut to facilitate
changes in direction and
crossing of obstacles.
 A fitting or adapter is used
in pipe systems to connect
straight sections of pipe or
Adapters tube, adapt to different
sizes or shapes, and for
other purposes such as
regulating (or measuring)
fluid flow.
A reducer is a component in
a piping system
that changes the pipe
size from a larger to a
smaller bore. A reducer
Reducer allows for a change in pipe
size to meet flow
requirements or to adapt to
existing piping. The length
of the reduction is usually
equal to the average of the
larger and smaller pipe
diameters.
These fittings generate
more amount of stress on
the pipe as the temperature
Cross-Type changes, because they are
located at the center of four
connection points. Cross
fittings are generally used
for fire sprinkler systems.
A union is a threaded fitting
that allows the pipework to
be separated and
Unions reconnected without any
horizontal movement in the
pipe. It can be a standalone
pipe fitting connecting two
pieces of pipe, or an integral
part of another fitting that
allows it to be separated.
Olet Fittings (also called
Branch Connection Fittings
or Outlet Fittings) are
fittings that provide an
Olet outlet from a larger pipe to
a smaller one (or one of the
same size). The main pipe
onto which the branch
connection is welded is
 usually called the Run or
Header size.
A gate valve is generally
used to completely shut off
fluid flow or, in the fully
Gate Valves open position, provide full
flow in a pipeline. It is used
either in fully closed or fully
open positions.
Globe valves, so-called
because of their outside
shape, are widely used in
plant piping. They are
Globe Valves suitable for manual and
automatic operation. Unlike
the gate valve, the globe
valve can be used
for regulating flow or
pressures as well as
complete shutoff of flow.
An angle valve has an inlet
and an outlet port which are
perpendicular to each other.
Angle Valves It is classified as a manual
valve, and it's typically
used to halt or control the
flow of a liquid in a pipe,
which is why it's also known
as a stop valve.
Check valves are
designed to prevent
backflow. Backflow simply
Check Valves means flow that has
reversed itself within a pipe
and begins to flow
backward. There are many
designs of check valves, but
the two most common types
are the swing check and the
lift check.
 Ball valves are mechanical
devices that are used to
restrict or allow the passage
of a fluid (liquid or gas) in a
Ball Valves piping system. They are
known as quarter-turn
valves because a
o
90  rotation of the handle is
all that is required to
change the valve position
from fully open to fully
closed or vice versa.
They are used on lavatories
in public restrooms such as
in transportation terminals,
Metered Valves restaurants, and convention
halls to ensure that water is
shut off after a short period
of time.
A flushometer valve is a
metered valve that
discharges a predetermined
quantity of water to fixtures
Flushometer Valves for flushing purposes (e.g.,
water closets and urinals)
and is closed by direct
water pressures.
A very common function of
flow control valves is to
Flow Control Valves control the speed of
cylinders and air motors.
The speed of cylinders or air
motors depends on the
amount of air, which can be
controlled by flow control
valves.
Thermostatic valves are a
common part of heating or
cooling systems. They are
Thermostatic Valves used as temperature control
- to protect against scalding
and also to reduce the risk
of damage to your boiler
due to low-temperature
corrosion.
 Temperature and pressure
relief valves are used in
residential and commercial
water heater and hot water
Temperature-Pressure storage tank applications to
Relief Valves provide automatic
temperature and pressure
protection to hot water
supply tanks and hot water
heaters.
These valves are commonly
used in building plumbing
Pressure-Reducing Valves systems where street water
pressure is excessive and
needs to be reduced before
being sent to plumbing
fixtures.
The hose bib is the small
faucet on the exterior of
Hose Bibbs/Sill Cock your house. It's essentially
an outdoor tap that allows
you to run water from the
inside of your house to the
outside.
Sensor–operated flush
valves were never designed
to save water. They were
designed to allow people to
flush the toilet or urinal
Sensor-Operated Valves without physical contact,
thereby improving hygiene
in the toilet stall. A toilet or
urinal flush valve should
only operate when there is
a need to flush the waste
from the fixture.
 Plumbing Fixtures
Name of the Image Usage/Application
Material
A water closet is a plumbing
fixture that serves as an
Water Closet indoor receptacle and
removal system for human
waste.

A urinal is a container
used to collect urine. It is
shaped to fit either a man or
Urinals a woman. But some women
might find it easier to use a
bedpan.

All waterless urinals use the

same basic principle: gravity
carries urine from the basin
Waterless Urinals through a seal in a cartridge
and into the plumbing drain
system, while the seal
prevents odors and sewer
gasses from rising up the
pipe and into the restroom.

Bidets are bathroom fixtures

Bidet that use a stream of water to
clean you off after using the
bathroom.
 A bathtub is a bathroom
Bathtubs fixture, a tub that you can fill
with water for bathing.

Showers evenly distribute
Showers water over your body and
whisk contaminated water
out of sight.

Lavatory means a plumbing

fixture designed and
equipped for handwashing
Lavatories purposes. Lavatory means a
basin fixed to a wall,
countertop, or floor, having a
drainpipe and piped supply of
hot and cold water.

A sink is a bowl-shaped
plumbing fixture that is
Sink usually used for washing
hands, dishes, and other
small objects.

Laundry tubs, sometimes

called trays, are large deep
sinks used in laundry rooms.
Laundry Tubs They are usually available in
a single or double-bowl
arrangement.

Drinking fountains offer users

a limitless supply of drinking
Drinking Fountains water at any location where
water and sanitary drainage
are readily available.
 A water cooler is an electric
appliance that operates when
Water Coolers plugged into an outlet to
dispense cold water, hot
water, or both.