BUILDING UTILITIES 01 [ PLUMBING AND SANITARY SYSTEMS ]

PLUMBING efficient water supply and waste disposal

system
The art and science of installing pipes, fixtures
 resorted to indigenous and ingenious
and other apparatus to convey and supply
methods for their water supply and waste
water in buildings and to dispose and discharge
disposal requirements, unmindful of any ill-
waste, water and other liquids, gases and other
effects to sanitation.
substances out of the buildings, in a safe,
orderly, healthy and sanitary way to ensure the Water Supply.
health and sanitation of life and property.  in the absence of an efficient, scientific and
centralized water supply and distribution
Prehistoric times:
system, water was provided with the
- man left traces of plumbing works: water
abundant rain, springs, wells, rivers, creeks,
supply and waste disposal method which
etc.
offered proofs that even early man realized the
 conveyed through improvised pipes made
importance of plumbing
of bamboos, hollow tree trunks and the like,
- these crude devices were the fore runners of
carried either by man himself or through
modern day plumbing.
animal drawn carts or sleds, and were
Archaeologists have found evidence of stocked in earthen jars, wooden containers,
systems for disposal of human waste in bamboo containers, etc.
dwellings 10,000 years old. Waste disposal and  In these times water was considered fit for
running water were commonly incorporated in consumption as long as it was clear – there
the palaces of royalty and priests as early as the was no available means to test it for purity
time of the Indus Valley civilization (about 2500 such as being free from disease-causing
to 1700 BC) organisms.
Greco-Roman civilization - concept and
Waste Disposal.
importance of plumbing became more defined
 majority of the population, who cannot
and appreciated during this period.
afford plumbing in their homes, availed of
PLUMBER – a title given to a person who is a and utilized any possible means of
skilled worker in the field of sanitation convenience for their waste disposal:
- derived from the ancient Roman term  Early attempts at plumbing (waste disposal)
“plumbarius “ which was taken from the Latin proved unsatisfactory: toilets constructed
word “plumbum” did not have any depository but only shelter
or cover, sited alongside of rivers.
Plumbarius – refers to an individual who  These early sewage disposal practices were
worked in the sanitary field of Ancient Rome not only harmful to human health but also
Plumbum – Latin word which means lead, a to the environment, more specifically to the
metal commonly used as a plumbing material in more populated urban areas. Thus, it did
ancient Rome preferred for its twin properties not take long for a burgeoning urban
of malleability and resistance to acid. population to realize the importance of
PLUMBING IN THE PHILIPPINES sanitation facilities in the form of an
efficient water and sewage system.
Before the 1940s  Due to the eminent outbreak of epidemics
- plumbing installation in a household was certain sector of the society and the
still considered a luxury, thus, available only to government introduced programs to
the upper crust of the society. remedy the situation.
 The majority of the population, not able to - Massive education on proper sanitation
afford plumbing installation in their homes was initiated.
 were ignorant of the importance of a - Water supply systems were constructed
proper sanitation facilities in the form of an in some urban areas.
- Model toilets were built

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BUILDING UTILITIES 01 [ PLUMBING AND SANITARY SYSTEMS ]

- Low cost concrete water seal closet was  Natural surface: water from streams,
introduced to the rural residents rivers, lakes, ponds
backed up by local ordinances requiring a. Advantage
every residence to have a sanitary - obtained from ponds, lakes, rivers and the
comfort room with proper sewage like: easy to procure and good for
disposal system popularly known as localities near such bodies of water
“septic tank”. b. Disadvantage
- dangerous because it contain large
Two Main Objectives of Plumbing:
amount of bacteria, organic and inorganic
1. To supply water to different parts of the
substances of varying quantities.
building
2. To remove and discharge human waste
 Underground water: dug and deep
and other substances out of building into
wells
the public sewer or septic tank.
a. Advantage/s
PLUMBING SYSTEM - obtained from below ground surface by
means of mechanical and manual
Includes the water supply and distribution equipment
pipes; plumbing fixtures and traps; soil, waste - more water can be obtained depending
and vent pipes; house drain; house drain and on equipment used and the locality
house sewers including their respective b. Disadvantage/s
connections, devices and appurtenances within - because of various organic matter and
the property lines of premises; and water chemical element present, it requires
treating or water using equipment. treatment of various nature, such as
sedimentation, chemical, filtration, and
WATER SUPPLY
aeration
Water – a combination of two elementary
Common Impurities of Water:
substances: hydrogen and oxygen (H2O)
1. Entrained gases
Water’s natural states:
- carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide,
 liquid: 830 times heavier than air
methane, oxygen, nitrogen, and organic
 solid: ice form
compounds
 gas: in the form of vapor or steam; 133
2. Dissolved minerals
times lighter than air
- calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron and
Three Sources of Water: manganese, and other carbonates and
 Rainfall silicates, alkyl benzene, sulfate from
a. Advantage/s detergents and synthetic organic from
- obtained from roofs and watersheds insecticides and pesticides
- soft, pure and good on places where 3. Suspended and colloidal materials
there is an abundant rainfall - bacteria, algae, fungi, silt, protozoa, and
b. Disadvantage/s other colloidal matters making the water
- hard to store for a long time as it will be a colored and acidic
breeding place for mosquitoes 4. Radioactive materials
- requires big containers for storing big - by entrainment of radioactive substances
quantities for long uses from mining or processing ores, or by
- roofs may not be clean wastes from industrial use of radioactive
- bad for places that receives a little materials
amount of rainfall - Among the minerals present in water
through artificial means is lead. Lead
pipes should not be used for the
distribution of soft, acid water or for
water having a high concentration of

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BUILDING UTILITIES 01 [ PLUMBING AND SANITARY SYSTEMS ]

dissolved oxygen or chlorides. The cure the turbid taste or mud taste,
solution of lead and water with such remove clay, salts, iron, etc. Chlorine is
characteristics may cause lead the commonly used chemical.
poisoning.
3. Filtration
Water Purification - is the process of removing - is commonly the mechanical or physical
undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological operation which is used for the
contaminants from contaminated water. separation of solids from fluids (liquids
- Goal: to produce water fit for a specific or gases) by interposing a medium
purpose. (commonly used materials are sand and
- Most water is purified for human gravel) through which only the fluid can
consumption (drinking water) pass. Oversize solids in the fluid are
- but water purification may also be retained, but the separation is not
designed for a variety of other complete.
purposes, including meeting the Processes of filtration:
requirements of medical, - Slow process
pharmacology, chemical and industrial - Mechanical or rapid process
applications. - by pressure
- The purification process of water may - by gravity
reduce the concentration of particulate
matter including suspended particles, 4. Aeration or the saturation of water
parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; with air. In this process, water is
and a range of dissolved and particulate brought into contact with air in such a
material derived from the surfaces that manner as to produce maximum
water may have made contact with diffusion, usually by spraying water into
after falling as rain. the air in fountains. Aeration removes
odors and taste caused by decomposing
Methods of Purification and organic matter, and also industrial
Treatment of Water wastes such as phenols and volatile
gases such as chlorine.
1. Sedimentation - is the tendency for
particles in suspension to settle out of the
fluid in which they are entrained, and
come to rest against a barrier. This is due
to their motion through the fluid in
response to the forces acting on them:
these forces can be due to gravity,
centrifugal acceleration or
electromagnetism.
Particles of matter that are suspended
in the water are allowed to stay in the
container so that they will settle in the
bottom, then, these sediments are left in
the container when the water is drawn
out.
a. Intermittent sedimentation
b. continuous sedimentation

2. Chemical Treatment
- water are given chemical treatments to
kill the harmful bacteria present and to

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