Building Plumbing System

Plumbing History

▪ Nearly 4000 years ago, the ancient Greeks had hot and
cold water systems in buildings.
▪ The Minoan Palace of Knossos on the isle of Crete had
terra cotta (baked clay) piping laid beneath the palace
floor.
▪ Drainage systems emptied into large sewers constructed
of stone.

Drain Pipes @ Palace of Knossos

 Plumbing History
▪ The first storm sewers of Rome were built about 2800 years ago.
▪ 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.
▪ The term plumbing is derived from the Latin word plumbum for lead (Pb).

Sewage System of Ancient Rome

 Plumbing History

▪ The ancient Egyptians invented water wheels with buckets mounted on them to move
water for irrigation.

Egyptian Water Wheel

 Plumbing History

▪ Over 2000 years ago, Archimedes, a Greek mathematician, invented a screw pump
made of a screw rotating in a cylinder (now known as an Archimedes screw). This type
of pump was used to drain and irrigate the Nile Valley.

Archimedes Screw
 Plumbing History

▪ The beginnings of modern plumbing began in the

early 1800s, when steam engines became capable of
supplying water under pressure and inexpensive cast
iron pipes could be produced to carry it.

Earliest Steam Engines Used to

Pump Water
 Modern Plumbing System

In buildings, the plumbing system performs two

primary function:
1. Water Supply
2. Water Disposal

A complete plumbing arrangement consists of a water

supply system, a sanitary drainage system, and a
wastewater treatment system.
Typical Home Plumbing System
 Modern Plumbing System

The water supply system consists of the piping and

fittings that supply hot and cold water from the
building water supply to the fixtures, such as
lavatories, bathtubs, water closets, dishwashers,
clothes washers, and sinks.

House Water Supply System

 Modern Plumbing System

The waste disposal system consists of the

piping and fittings required to take that
water supplied to the fixtures out of the
building and into the sewer line or disposal
field. This system is typically referred to as a
sanitary drainage system or drain, waste and
vent (DWV) system.

Home Drainage System

 Modern Plumbing System

Because of environmental concerns, wastewater

treatment is also an important component of waste
disposal from building plumbing systems. Although
most buildings rely upon district or community
water treatment plants to dispose of their sewage,
some buildings and facilities operate their own
operations. These are generally known as septic or
on-site sewage treatment (OSST) systems

Waste Water Treatment Process

 Modern Plumbing System

Essentially, a plumbing system is a network of pipes,

fittings, and valves that carry and control flow of
supply water and wastewater to and from points of
use known as fixtures.
Fixtures are components, receptacles, or pieces of
equipment that use water and dispose of wastewater
at the point of water use.

Plumbing Fixtures
 Modern Plumbing System

Piping is a series of hollow channels that carry water to and

wastewater from plumbing fixtures.

Different Types of Plumbing Pipes

 Modern Plumbing System

Fittings are used to connect lengths of pipe in the piping network.

PVC Pipe Fittings

Modern Plumbing System

Valves are used to regulate or control flow of water.

Plumbing Valves
Water: The Substance

Any study of a plumbing system must begin with the substance it

carries, water. Water is the name given to the liquid compound . A
molecule of water is composed of one oxygen atom and two
hydrogen atoms. In a pure state, it is tasteless and odorless.
Water: The Substance

Specific weight (w) or density is weight per unit volume.

The specific gravity (s.g.) of a fluid or solid is the ratio of the specific
weight of the fluid or solid to the specific weight of water.
Properties of Liquid Water
Properties of Liquid Water
Water: The Substance

Volume (V) is the amount of space occupied by a substance.

Volumetric flow rate (Q), frequently called the flow rate, is the volume
of a substance that passes a point in a system per unit of time.

Velocity is the rate of linear motion of a substance in one direction.

Pressure (P) is the force per unit area exerted by liquid or gas on a
surface such as the sidewall of a container or pipe.
Typical Conversions