Reviewer in Utils 2

Module 1: Building Water Distribution System

Water Distribution System - Water supply network which carries potable water from a
treatment facility or any source of water to consumers for various purposes – residential,
commercial, industrial, etc.

Basic Principles of Water Distribution System:

• The quality of water should not deteriorate in the distribution pipes.

• Water supply should have sufficient pressure heads.
• Water supply should be enough during firefighting.
• No customer should be without water supply during repair of any section.
• All pipes should be laid 1 meter away or above the sewer lines.
• Pipes should be water-tight to prevent leakage.

Types of Water Distribution System

a. Dead-end/Tree - The extended portion of a pipe is closed to which no connections are

made.
b. Gridiron – The main supply run through the center of the building, and
submains. All Pipes are interconnected.
c. Circular/Ring – Forms a ring of supply around the area. Branch pipes are
connected crosswise to the mains and to each other.
d. Radial – The whole building is divided into several distribution areas. Each
building has centrally elevated reservoir.

Rules of Potable Water

1. Non-toxic materials should be used.

2. There should never be a cross-connection between private and public water
supply system.
3. Water supply piping must never be directly connected to the drainage system.
4. Water supply must never be directly connected to the drainage system.
5. No direct connection for pump priming
6. No direct connections to sterilizers, aspirators, or similar equipment.
7. No back flow of water from water heaters/coolers/ or alike.
8. Below-the-rim water supply connections must never be made.
Components of Plumbing System

1. Water Supply System – Systems of pipes and fitting where freshwater is supplied
throughout the building.
2. Fixtures and Appliances - Fixtures includes sinks, bathtubs, showers, toilet, and
faucets. Appliances includes heater, washing machine, dishwasher.
3. Drain system – System of pipes, fittings, and vents where waste water is being
directed towards the sewer.

Plumbing Engineers

• Responsible for systems that serve all types of buildings such as residential, commercial,
industrial, public facilities, etc.
• Should have knowledge about fixture selection and quality of fixtures.

Hydrotesting

• Final quality check before the pipeline is placed in service.

• Checks leaks and quality pipe connections
• Usually uses 40psi with holding time of 4 hours to 24 hours.
Module 2: Plumbing Materials

Revised National Plumbing Code of the Philippines

• Section 401 – General Requirements

➢ “Plumbing fixtures shall be manufactured of dense, durable, nonabsorbent
materials and must have smooth, impervious surfaces free from unnecessary
concealed fouling surfaces…”
➢ “Water closet for public use shall be the elongated bowl types equipped with
open-front seats. Water closet seats shall be of smooth non-absorbent material
and properly sized for the water closet bowl used.”
• Section 402 – Materials Alternatives
➢ “Special-use fixtures may be made of soapstone, chemical stoneware or maybe
lined with lead, copper base alloy, nickel-copper alloy, corrosion-resisting steel or
other materials especially suited for the use which the fixture is intended.”

Plumbing Materials

• PVC/Polyvinyl Chloride
➢ Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe is made from a plastic and vinyl combination
material.
➢ The pipes are durable, hard to damage, and long lasting.
➢ PVC piping is most commonly used in water systems, underground wiring, and
sewer lines.
• GI/Galvanized Iron
➢ Wrought steel pipes with zinc coating.
➢ Common problem is corrosion.
➢ Generally used for internal plumbing in buildings.
➢ Pipe leak is common GI pipe connections.
• PPR/Polypropylene Random Copolymer
➢ Offered in green and white color and is produced from continuous extrusion
process.
➢ Suitable for hot and cold-water supply for all potable water applications.
➢ Smoother inner surface and therefore frictional resistant.
➢ Durable and lightweight.
• PE/Polyethylene
➢ Available in longer length thus less fittings needed.
➢ Cheaper compared to other options.
➢ Lightweight, flexible, chemical resistant.
Pipe Fittings – Piping component used to:

• Change direction of flows.

• Connect two (2) pipes of different size.
• Connect different components.
• Stop flow of water.

Types of Pipe Fittings

• Adaptor
➢ Used for extending pipe runs with the same or different diameters. Used
to connect different pipe fixtures.
➢ It may have female or male thread ends which need to be welded or
soldered onto a smaller pipe.
• Cross type/Tee
➢ Used to join pipes from several directions.
• P-trap
➢ Barrier to stop sewer gas and odor.
• Elbow/Bending
➢ Changes direction of water flow. Most common: 90⁰ and 45⁰.
• Reducers/Bushing
➢ Connects pipes of different sizes. Can be eccentric, elbow, or tees.
• End cap
➢ Temporarily seal at the end of the pipes. Can be plain or threaded (male or
female).
• Barb Fitting
➢ Used to connect hoses to pipes. Plastic can be used for cold water and brass for
hot water.
Types of Valves (Pipe Fittings)

• Gate Valve
➢ Used to control the flow of water by raising or lowering the disc.
➢ On strategic location for repair and maintenance.
• Check Valves
➢ Flow of water is one directional.
➢ Placed on the outlet side of the pump to protect the pump from backflow.
➢ Often used in HVAC systems (Heating, Ventilating, and Air conditioning systems).
➢ Two types:
▪ Swing – A disc swings on a hinge.
▪ Ball – A ball moves up and down the inside of the valve.
• Angle Valves
➢ Inlet and outlet ports are perpendicular to each other.
➢ Modern angle valves use ¼ turn to close and open the valve.
➢ Usually used in lavatories, water closets, and bidets.
➢ Cuts water flow if there is a need for repair or replacement of fixtures.

Plumbing Fixtures

• Water Closets/Toilet
➢ 3 types:
▪ Close coupled – Two-piece: Tank and bowl fixtures.
▪ One piece – Tank and bowl is one piece.
▪ Flushometer – Bowl with spud connection that receives the
connection from a flushometer valve, either top spud or back spud.
➢ Flushing systems:
▪ Gravity Flush – Tank stores a quantity of water to establish the
initial flush of the bowl. A lever raises and closes the flapper or ball.
▪ Flushometer Tank – The inside of the tank is a pressurized vessel
that stores water for flushing. Minimum of 25psi to operate
properly. Contains pressure regulator to keep pressure below 35psi.
• Bidets
➢ Used to wash the anal regions after using the water closet.
➢ Can be separated from or integrated in the water closet.
• Urinals
➢ Max water use of 1.0 gal per flush or 4.5L per flush.
➢ Floor mounted, wall hung, or free-standing.
➢ Identified as blowout, siphon jet, washout, stall, and wash down.
➢ Must be flushed with flushometer valve, either manually or automatic.
• Sink
➢ Kitchen or service. Come in single, double, or triple compartment.
➢ Comes in various sizes, materials, and designs.
➢ Undermount or drop-in.
• Bathtubs
➢ Comes in various sizes, shapes, and designs and materials. Available from 5ft to
7ft.
• Showers
➢ Comes in various sizes, shapes, and designs and materials.
➢ Can be customized with/without enclosures or prefabricated.
➢ Types of shower heads:
▪ Fixed shower head – Wall mounted head, small in size.
▪ Rain shower – Fixed but are larger in size. Can be mounting from the wall
or ceiling.
▪ Handheld/Telephone – Flexible and easy to use and not too expensive.
Wall mounted with flexible hose.
▪ Shower panels – Advanced technology, shows feature of temperature
control, water spurt options, LED screen, etc.
Module 3: Domestic Water Heating

Domestic Water Heating

• Refers to the process of warming water for personal use and this consumes a
large amount of energy.
• Careful planning always ensures adequate supply of water at the desired
temperature to each fixture.
• The design of hot water supply depends on the location and age of the building.
• Two types of domestic water heating:
➢ Hot water stored in a cylinder.
➢ Cold water is heated on demand.

Water Heating Systems

• Direct boiler System

➢ Hot water is stored in a galvanized tank.
➢ Cold water is fed to the boiler then the boiler heats up the water and
returns the water to the tank.
➢ Either by immersion or boiler.
• Indirect Boiler Systems
➢ Water cylinder contains coil of pipe that is attached to the boiler.
➢ The heat from the boiler indirectly heats up the water in the cylinder.
• Unvented System
➢ Uses stainless steel pressure vessel.
➢ Consists of safety devices built in the system due to pressure and
expansion caused by hot water.
➢ Maintains good flow rate.
• Thermal storage system
➢ Boiler heats the water and sends it to a cylinder then on the central
heating.
➢ Expansion tank is incorporated on top of the main tank.
➢ Must be installed in the highest possible level in the house.
• Single Point
➢ Water heater is placed next to the point they serve.
➢ The heater must be wired directly to the fuse box.
Main Types of Water Heater

• Point-of-use – Small water heaters installed near the plumbing fixture. Available
in both conventional and tankless. Common is single-point electric.
➢ Pros: Relatively cheap. Easy to provide how water to one fixture.
➢ Cons: Inefficient.
• Solar Powered – Uses solar energy to heat up water. It has a large, insulated
tank. Comes with electric or gas back-up.
➢ Pros: Environmentally friendly. Less expensive in the long run. Extremely
energy efficient.
➢ Cons: Too expensive to purchase and install. Suited only to areas with hot
climate.
• Heat Pump/Hybrid – Heat is captured from the air or ground and pumped
through the system to heat the water.
➢ Pros: Environmentally friendly.
➢ Cons: Expensive to purchase. Requires warm climate. Requires large
amount of space. Regular cleanup.
• Condensing – Uses home’s waste gas fumes. Suited to homes that use natural
gas. Most common to areas in cooler climate.
➢ Pros: Environmentally friendly. Energy efficient. Low running cost.
➢ Cons: Available in large units only. Suited only to homes with year-round
heating.
• Combination – Water heating system and central heating boiler system.
➢ Pros: Low running cost. Small space-saving units.
➢ Cons: Expensive to purchase. Suited to homes located in areas that
require year-round heating only.
Module 4: Building Drainage System

Wastewater – Refers to water used by domestic, agricultural, industrial, and commercial

facilities. Contains organic matter, microorganisms, and inorganic compounds.

Domestic Wastewater - Originates from activities such as restroom usage, bathing, food
preparation, and laundry.

• Grey Water
➢ Bathroom
➢ Laundry
➢ Kitchen
• Black Water
➢ Toilet
➢ Urinals

Commercial Wastewater - Refers to wastewater produced from farming and animal operations
which can be contaminated by chemicals in fertilizers, pesticides, animal slurry, and crop
residue.

Agricultural wastewater - Refers to wastewater produced from farming and animal operations
which can be contaminated by chemicals in fertilizers, pesticides, animal slurry, and crop
residue.

Industrial Wastewater - Originates from manufacturing processes that are usually most difficult
to treat because effluent varies industry-by-industry.

Components of Building Drainage System

• Fixture Drains:
➢ Water closets
➢ Urinals
➢ Lavatories
➢ Sinks
➢ Bathtubs
• Traps
• Pipes

Drain-Waste-Vent System - In modern plumbing, a Drain-Waste-Vent (DMV) is part of a system

that allows air to enter a plumbing system to maintain proper air pressure to enable the
removal of sewage and greywater from dwelling.
Module 5: Life Safety Systems

Life Safety Systems - Refers to any system incorporated into a building whose purpose is the
protection and preservation of human life during an emergency or failure of a critical building
system.

Passive Fire Protection - Refers to elements utilized in the building to with to withstand fire for a
certain period ensuring the safe evacuation of the occupants. The primary goal of passive fire
protection is to enhance overall fire safety and protect the occupants of a building, as well as
safeguard property and assets.

This includes:

• Fire walls and doors

• Fire resistant glasses
• Occupancy separations
• Fire dampers
• Fire stops
• Cable coating

Active Fire Protection - Includes fire protection elements that need an action, either manually or
automatic, to function such as extinguisher, a sprinkler system, fire alarm, and a like. Require
regular maintenance, testing, and training to ensure they function as intended during an
emergency.

2 Types of Fire Protection systems:

• Water based System

➢ Hydrant system
➢ Wet Riser System
➢ Sprinkler System
➢ Spray system
➢ Foam System
• Gas Based System
➢ HFC-227ea(FM-200)
➢ NOVEC 1230
➢ Inergen
7 Important Components of Life Safety Systems:

• Fire Sprinklers • Alarm and Security

• Fire Alarm and Detections Monitoring
System • Emergency and Exit
• CCTV Security Cameras Lighting
• Access Control System • Fire Extinguishers

Building Code of the Philippines: Fire Protection

• Section 601. Fire-Resistive Rating defined - Fire-resistive rating means the degree to
which a material can withstand fire as determined by generally recognized and accepted
testing methods.
• Section 602. Fire-Resistive Time Period Rating - Fire-resistive time period rating is the
length of time a material can withstand being burned which may be one-hour, two-
hours, three-hours, four-hours, etc.
• Section 603. Fire-Resistive Standards - All materials of construction, and assemblies or
combinations thereof shall be classified according to their fire-retardant or flame-spread
ratings as determined by general accepted testing methods and/or by the Secretary.
• Section 604. Fire-Resistive Regulations - The Secretary shall prescribe standards and
promulgate rules and regulations on the testing of construction materials for flame-
spread characteristics, tests on fire damages, fire tests of building construction and
materials, door assemblies and tinclad fire doors and window assemblies, the installation
of fire doors and windows and smoke and fire detectors for fire protective signaling
system, application and use of controlled interior finish, fire-resistive protection for
structural members, fire-resistive walls and partitions, fire-resistive floor or roof ceiling,
fire-resistive assemblies for protection of openings and fire-retardant roof coverings.
Module 6: Conveying Systems in Buildings

Conveying System - A mechanical equipment that is used to transport a material or people from
one place to another.

Types of Conveyors

• Elevators/Lifts
➢ Mechanical equipment that conveys people or freight from between floors.
➢ Either cable assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted.
➢ Powered by electric motors that drive traction cable and counterweight systems.
• Escalators
➢ A moving staircase which carries people between floors.
➢ Consists of motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle
on a pair of tracks.
• Roller
➢ Parallel rollers are mounted in frames to convey products either by gravity or
manually.
➢ Not powered.
• Belt
➢ Use continuous belts, that is extended in an endless loop between two end-
pulleys and is supported by either a metal slider pans or rollers, to convey
products or materials.
➢ Made from various materials such as rubber, leather, fabric, and metal.
• Slat Belt Conveyor/Apron
➢ Use slats/plates made from steel, wood, leather, or other materials mounted on
roller chains to convey products.
➢ Primarily used for heavy objects.
Module 7: Acoustical Control in Buildings

Building Acoustics - The science of controlling the noise in buildings which includes minimization
of noise transmission and the control of the characteristics of sound within spaces. Noise
pollution has impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals.

Noise Nuisance:

• Environmental Noise – Noise from transportation sources.

• Neighbor Noise – Includes noise from inside and outside buildings.
• Neighborhood Noise - Includes noise arising from industrial and entertainment premises,
trade and businesses, construction sites and noise in the street.

Building acoustics can be influenced by:

• Site selection • Reverberation

• Volume • Seating arrangements and audience
• Shape • Sound absorption
• Interior Surface • Sound Insulation

Factors in Acoustical Design:

• Site Selection
➢ If possible, site should be away from busy street, railways, and airports.
➢ Orientation, layout, and structural design.
• Volume
➢ Purpose of hall.
➢ Height is of greater importance.
• Shape
➢ Correcting the defects for better distribution of sound.
➢ Ceiling height for a room or hall is 1/3 to 2/3 of the width of the room.
• Interior Surface
➢ Provide favorable reflections.
➢ Tilted portions of the ceiling.
➢ Plain side walls are normally found suitable.
➢ Concave ceiling surfaces should be avoided.
• Reverberation Time
➢ The persistence of sound in space after a sound source has been stopped and is
linked to the surfaces that enclose it and the volume of the room.
➢ High reverberation time can make a room sound loud and noisy.
 • Sound Absorption
➢ Loss of sound energy when sound waves come into contact with an absorbent
material such as ceilings, walls, floors, etc.
➢ Sound absorbers are divided into three categories:
▪ Porous absorbents such as fibrous materials.
▪ Resonance absorbents which consist of a mechanical or acoustic
oscillation system.
▪ Single absorbers such as tables, chairs, or other objects.
• Sound Insulation
➢ Level of sound lost across a partition and not the level of sound within an
adjacent room.
➢ Sound insulation of a material is governed by its mass, stiffening, and damping.

Applications

• Acoustics in residential buildings and hotels

➢ Hotels and residential buildings rely on good acoustics for bookings and high
building occupancy levels for sleep and comfort.
➢ Buildings with less noise have shown to be more valuable.
• Acoustics in office spaces
➢ Good acoustics help office workers keep productive creating a space for better
communication.
• Acoustics in school and medical facilities
➢ Poor acoustics can lead to poor performance of students.
➢ Acoustic quality in medical facility affects comfort and recovery of patients.

Building Code of the Philippines

• Section 906. Noise Pollution Control

➢ Industrial establishments shall be provided with positive noise abatement
devices to tone down the noise level of equipment and machineries to acceptable
limits set down by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
➢ Noise as an unwanted sound both in quality and intensity and excessive vibration
whose sources in building/structure construction shall conform to acceptable
limits the required emission standards of DENR.