Doing minor plumbing, construction, gardening, and interior work can be fun even if you are not an expert. Many DIY enthusiasts are taking up bold and risky home renovation projects on their own just so they don’t have to deal with a contractor. However, you need to know some basics and learning the terminologies related to the work is one of the first steps.
The words related to plumbing below will assist you in understanding basic plumbing terms so you can keep your project on track and solve any future issues that may arise.
Designing and installing an entire plumbing system isn’t easy. The logic is simple: what comes in must flow out. Plumbing is all about supply and disposal of water and other utilities and waste water. The major concern you might have will be leaks, which can affect supply and waste lines.
Clogs, on the other hand, will affect only the waste lines. Clogged drains (and clogs in general) are the worst. Very often, we assume that some major dramatic event will lead to a clog – like a Lhasa Apso sliding down the drain during a kitchen sink bath. But it’s usually the result of a slow-growing collection of grease, food, hair, and soap residue. Clogs especially like to collect at bends and curves in the pipes where they can stick on to something. Some of them form so deep into the system that you must call a professional for the drain cleaning.
Before you set off on a plumbing DIY, you need to understand the plumbing jargon. So, let’s get you started!
Common Plumbing Terms And Definitions
01. ABS Pipe
This is short for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and is basically a rigid plastic pipe (often black) used as drain/waste/vent lines.
02. Ball Cock
Commonly found in the toilet tank, this is a valve that controls water flow from the supply line. When the toilet is flushed, the float ball drops down and opens the ball cock, releasing water into the tank and bowl. When the tank is finally refilled – and quiet – the ball cock shuts off.
03. Float Ball
This floating ball connects to the ball cock valve inside a toilet tank.
04. Closet Auger
When it comes to the toilet tool segment, this one’s definitely your best friend. It is basically a flexible rod with a curved end that is designed to slip into the trap of a toilet and remove clogs. You just need to follow the basic steps to unclog the drain with closet auger.
05. Cock
This is just another term for a valve or a faucet.
06. Core
The inner port or part of an object is referred to as the core. It is machined or ground to fit the cock’s body.
07. Coupling
It is a fitting that links two lengths of pipe to make a straight run.
08. Drain Pipes
We all know this one, right? No, this is not where hopes and dreams go to die. Jokes apart, it is a pipe that carries the waterborne waste away.
09. DWV
In plumbing vocabulary, DWV is an acronym for drain waste vent (DWV) lines. It comprises the outgoing elements of a plumbing system.
10. Rough-In
A rough-in refers to the Installation of supply and DWV lines of future fixtures. Think of it as ‘pipes in waiting’.
11. Soil Stack (Waste Stack)
A star player in the DWV system, this is a large vertical pipe that vents sewer gas out through the root and also carries waste to the sewer line.
12. Vent Pipe
This is basically a pipe that allows gas to escape from plumbing stacks. Plumbing vent pipes also allow air into the drain system.
13. Cowl
As mentioned in the ASSE international plumbing dictionary, cowl is a hood that is attached to the top of a vent pipe or other similar device.
14. Escutcheon
This is a decorative metal flange used beneath a faucet handle to hide the ugly hole in the wall.
15. Fittings
This could be any part used to join sections of pipe. They come in a variety of types and are named after their shapes like Elbow, Tee Type, Cross Type, Reducer Pipe Fittings, Coupling, Unions, Olet, Plug, Cap, Adaptors etc.
16. Fixtures
A fixture is anything that supplies or disposes of water – say for example a tub or a faucet.
17. GPF
GPF is short for gallons per flush. The current law (in the US) mandates that new toilets use only 1.6 GPF. Older toilets use between 3.5 and 3.7 GPF.
18. Galvanized
In plumbing glossary, the term galvanized refers to the zinc coating put over a product to protect it from corrosion.
19. Gasket
This is the rubber equivalent of a washer which creates a watertight seal between joints.
20. O-Ring
A close cousin of the gasket, this is a round rubber washer used to create a watertight seal, primarily in faucets.
21. Mains
This is the primary pipe for either supply or drain systems. All other pipes branch out from the mains.
22. Overflow Tube
This one’s a vertical tube, located in the toilet tank, that directs excess water into the bowl instead of letting the tank fill up and overflow. It’s an insurance policy against a failing ball cock.
23. Flush
The term flush refers to a thorough cleaning with a plenteous amount of water.
24. Flush Valve
The flush valve is installed at the bottom of a flush tank used to discharge water into a urinal or water closet to flush the fixture.
25. Flush Tank
A flush tank is a water container with a flush valve and an inlet valve (ball cock), either wall hung or attach to a closet bowl that is used to flush a toilet or urinal by gravity discharge.
26. Pitch
In the plumbing arena, this is the downward slope of a drain.
27. PVC
In plumbing terminologies, PVC is short form of polyvinyl chloride. This rigid white plastic pipe is used in irrigation systems and for waste and vent lines.
28. CPVC Pipes
Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride or CPVC pipes are thermoplastics used for hot and cold potable water in home construction. They have a higher temperature tolerance than regular PVC, immune to highly chlorinated domestic water, and corrosion-resistant.
29. Water Supply System
This refers to the network of hot and cold water lines that feeds fixtures and water using appliances.
30. Traps
Trap is a short curved section of the waste pipeline located underneath a fixture. The trap’s curve pockets a small quantity of water that prevents sewer gases from entering the room. Different types of traps are used in the plumbing industry. P-traps are placed under tubs and sinks, while S-traps are placed in toilets.
31. Cleanout
This one is an access point for a drain line or trap and looks like a plug that can be unscrewed.
32. Nahni Trap or Floor Trap
The Nahni Trap is also known as the Floor Trap (Nahni means washing / bathing place). It is installed into the floor to collect waste water from the washroom, washbasin, bathroom, and kitchen sink area.
33. Valve
This is a device that regulates the flow of water. When you turn a faucet on, you are opening a valve.
34. Shut-off Valve
This valve enables you to shut off water to specific fixtures and to the whole house. The shut-off valves need to be underneath every fixture in the house, but that’s not always the case. Shut-off valves can have multiple handle styles.
35. Valve Seat
This refers to the non-moving part of a valve. Water flow comes to a halt when the movable part of the valve contacts the seat.
36. Waste
This is a common plumbing term refers to everything that flushes down the drain lines, including your morning toothpaste and coffee remnants!
37. Inspection Chamber
According to ‘Stephen Emmitt & Christopher A. Gorse’ (Author of book called Barry’s Introduction to Construction of Buildings), An inspection chamber is typically built as a brick-lined pit at the intersection of drain branches and at direction changes and gradients to facilitate inspection, testing, and obstruction removal.
A Word of Friendly Advice
You can prevent blocked drains or clogs the natural way by opting for one of the several gentle biological drain treatments available in the market that feed on grease and soap. If you can get past any squeamishness at the thought of actual microscopic organisms feasting on your pipe waste, it’s worth the relatively high price of the treatment.
All you have to do is pour the product of your choice down your drains once a month and buy a little peace of mind.
We hope that the above aforementioned plumbing vocabulary with pictures clarify your doubts and gear you up for your next DIY house plumbing project. All the very best!
If you have any doubt regarding plumbing words, share your query in the comment box. We will sure to clear your doubt. Just like the plumbing slang terms, you will also enjoy the following terminologies. Visit the following pages for more information.
Colour Terms Used in Home Design
Waterproofing Terminology
Image Courtesy: Image 4, Image 5, Image 6, Image 12
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
