As those of you who read my writings know already, I follow and comment on some 30 +/- DIY forums daily. Reading these questions brings to mind the need for some simple definitions of terms used by the pros as well as us “not-so-pros”.
Here is my list, write to me to add your favorite definition or to ask for something I’ve missed.
Closet Flange – This is the connection device that attaches to the drain or waste line at the Rough In that the toilet bolts down to. The Wax Ring fits on this flange before you screw the toilet down
Drain Pipes – DUH! these are the collection pipes that run from your fixtures (toilets, sinks, tubs, etc) to the soil pipe or soil stack.
Elbows – these are the premade pipe turns used to make bends in your plumbing piping. Commonly called ELS they can be plastic, copper, or metal depending on the type of piping construction you have in your home.
Main Shut off – this is the primary shut off valve for water coming into your house. Some local codes call for there to be an individual shut off valve for your home, usually located in your basement or a utility area. Other codes refer to the main shut off as the valve from the water utility at your meter at the street. Obviously of you have your own private water source, such as a well, you may have a main shut off at the well head or pump, at the pressure tank and/or yet another separate one inside the house. These are not to be confused with the individual Shut Off Valves that you should have at the water input on each fixture.
Plunger – The “Plumbers Friend”, should be familiar to all of us. It is usually a rubber or flexible plastic suction cup on the end of a wooden rod. This device is used to create suction to remove simple clogs in drains either in your sink, tub or toilet. There are many fancy designs on the market today but the old standby seems to still work best in my humble opinion.
Here’s a great tip I read the other day…to make a better suction especially on oddly shaped holes, put a thick coat of petroleum jelly (that’s Vaseline to us southerners no matter what brand it is).
Riser- a vertical supply or drain line
Rough In – this is the distance from the wall to the drain line where the toilet attaches. If your rough in is not correct then your toilet will either not fit because it will be too close to wall when assembled or the tank will sit too far away from the wall when installed. In this case the crocheted toilet paper cover your grandmother made you as a house warming gift will continually fall off the back of the tank and your guest wont be able to find that spare roll when they need it.
Shutoff Valve – Sometimes called the Stop Valve. Allows you to shut the water supply off to an individual fixture without shutting off the entire house supply. See my article “Another plumbing nightmare and how to avoid it…”.
Trap – or “P” trap (Also discussed in a previous article), is the the “U” shaped pipe under your sink, tub or other drain lines, other than toilets which are “S” and built into the toilet. This simple device traps water in the lowest point of the drain line and prevents sewer gas, methane, from escaping back into your house. A trap allowed to dry out from a lack of use in a seldom used area of the house can be a primary cause for unpleasant smells in the house. See my article WHAT IS THAT SMELL?? This is one of the most frequent complaints I read about in the discussion rooms.
Vent – or vent stack is a pipe or pipes that allow the sewer gas stopped by the Trap escape out into the house and not build up. A build up of these gases can be dangerous both from a breathing stand point or can be explosive. The vent also provides air to your drain system which allows water to flow more freely out of your house and into the septic or sewer system. Vents must extend, by code, a certain distance above the roof line of your house and must be of a certain diameter according to the number of fixtures it is venting. An improperly sized vent or placed in the wrong distance from the fixtures it is venting can be the cause of “burping” drains or toilets, or improperly draining fixtures.
Of course there are dozens of other plumbing definitions, but most, you would rarely read or use as an amateur plumber. I fully believe that if the job requires the actual replacement, or repiping of any type in your home that you call a professional licensed plumber. We take plumbing for granted but it really is a complicated system which must be installed according to proper code, sized, sloped and fitted properly to insure that you will have the least amount of problems.
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