Final Exam Flashcards
Plumbing Systems
Building Water Supply
Building Drainage (Sewage) System
What was the first area to have a plumbing system?
Rome
Water is completely recycled
Every drop of water you drink has been around forever.
PH above 7 is…
Basic
PH below 7 is…
Acidic
Pure water PH is…
Neutral
What additives can be added to water for cleaning?
Florine
Chlorine
What minerals make hard water
Lime (calcium carbonate), Calcium, magnesium, Iron, Zinc
Effects of hard water
Corrosion on faucets, drains, etc.
Hard water can make washing hair…
Difficult
How can hard water be softened?
Adding sodium (salt)- sodium replaces Calcium
Carcinogens
PCBs (polychlorinated Biphenyls)
DDT
Insecticides
Diseases caused by contaminated water are…
Cholera
Dysentery
Parasites
Air Pressure
The weight of air molecules pushing down on Earth
What is pressure?
force applied over an Area
Pressure =
Force/Area = pounds/square inches
P=F/A
PSI
Pound per Square Inch
PSIG
pound per Square Inch Gauge
Head Pressure
Measured in Feet
Hot water systems can be fueled by…
gas, electric, or solar
Hot water tanks recharge rate
the length of time that a tank will take to reheat itself after it has emptied its volume of water.
typically 20-35 minutes for a 50 gallon tank
What can instantaneous water heaters be used for?
Small remote lavatories or sinks (fits under cabinets)(heads water instantly as it passes through
What are sources of waste systems?
lavatories (sinks), toilets, urinals, tubs, showers
What are solid lines of a sanitary waste system?
They carry black water- toilets and urinals
What are waste lines of a sanitary waste system?
They carry grey water- sinks, showers, tubs
Why are vent stacks important in waste water systems?
they allow air into the drain line to exit through the building roof and allow water to drain.
Odors are conveyed to the outside of the building
Why are soil stacks important in waste water systems?
They are the same as vent stacks but solely for venting of soil lines
Why are traps important in waste water systems?
traps create water seals to prevent odor form coming back up through sink or tub
What materials can trap pipes be made of?
Stainless steel for exposed piping
PVC or iron for concealed piping
Toilet with a tank is…
A toilet that has a tank attached
3-5 gallons per flush
Gravity flush
Toilet with a flush valve or ‘flushometer’ is…
One without a tank attached
They use less water
Have higher water pressure
Can be loud
What is a wet urinal?
Normal (typical) urinal
Either wall hung or floor mounted
What is a dry urinal?
Not a typical urinal
Chemically cleaned
No fresh or potable water
What are the four types of toilets?
Floor Mounted Tank
Floor Mounted Flush Valve
Wall Mounted Tank (not common)
Wall mounted Flush Valve
When specifying a toilet what is not included?
The toilet seat
Ways plumbing can be Green
reduce flow toilets
Automatic flush valves
Automatic sink
Two stage toilets
Compositing toilets
Dry urinals
Separation of grey water (recycled)
What is pipe slope?
The total drop over the length
How wide should a typical wet wall be?
11 inches wide
What do intercepters do?
Catch grease, hair, or anything else that goes down the drain.
How do grease traps work?
Grease and water separate leaving the grease sitting on top draining into a separate system
Clean outs for plumbing systems
Must have in several locations
Code driven
Must have access in the floor and wall
Cannot be hidden or concealed
What makes up a public sewage system?
2 underground systems
Storm water
Sanitary sewer
How does a public sewage system work?
Solids are moved from sewage returning water to the fresh water system.
Cesspools
Common on farms and in rural areas (diagram in slides -class 5)
Septic tank and leach fields
Still fairly common (diagram in slides -class 5)
Ways to drain water from roofs
Dusters and downspouts
Scuppers- holes for overflow if downspouts aren’t working
Storm leaders inside of buildings
What does insulation do for piping?
Parents condensation from cold water
Reduces heat loss from hot water
Prevents burning for wheelchair users
When would steel piping be used?
Black iron- sewage, sanitary, expensive (Not often used)
Galvanized- dipped in zinc to create a coating
When would copper piping be use?
Drinkable water sources
When can plastic piping be used?
PVC/CPVC- Sewage, sanitary
Why would PEX tubing piping be used?
Flexible, does not need insulation
What do valves do?
Control flow and shut off water flow
What do surge arresters do?
Prevent water hammer
Three goals of fire safety
1.Afford protection or escape for the occupants of the building
-Egress
-Place of refuge
2.insure structural integrity
3. Allow building to survive
Construction types
Type I- concrete (most fire resistive)
Type II- steel and concrete
Type III- contains wood
Type IV- contains wood
Type V- wood (least resistive)
What is compartmentation
Separation between occupancy groups
Class of fire
Class A- wood, paper, cloth, and rubber
Class B- liquids (gas, oil, etc.) - float on water
Class C- electrical equipment- extinguishing methods must be non conductive
Special extinguishing sensors
Halon-used in computer rooms to not destroy what it is trying to save.
Dry standpipes
Large diameter pipes (risers) are normally empty but have connecting point on outside of building for water connection. (Stairway piping)
Wet standpipes
Connected to building water system, have attached hoses
Wet sprinkler system
System contains water up to the sprinkler head, no maintenance required, only one sprinkler goes off
Dry sprinkler system
Used in cold/freezing locations, keeps water out of cold environment, expensive to maintain, water is not instant
Pre-action systems
Variation of dry system, requires the head to trip and a secondary detection. Used in computer areas
Deluge systems
They will flood the whole space if fire is detected
Can you paint a sprinkler head?
Never
What is electricity?
A flow of electrons around a circuit
Potential
(Voltage V)
Potential to do work
Analogous to “head” and pressure
Current
(Flow I)
Flow
Analogous to Flow Rate GPM
Resistance
(R in ohms or “omega”)
Resistance to flow
Analogous to friction
What is electrical resistance?
Resistance is an electrical quantity that measures how the device or material reduces the electrical current flow through it.
Is. There more resistance it bigger or smaller pipes?
Smaller- the water floe is decreased creating more resistance.
What is Ohm’s law
I= V/R
I= current, measured in Amps (A)
V=voltage, measured in volts (V)
R= resistance measured in OHMS (omega)
What are the two types of electrical currents?
DC- Direct Current
AC- alternating current
Directional Current
One direction continuously
Easy to generate
Relatively safe
Very short transmission distance
Alternating current
Constantly changing
Long transmission distance
60 cycle (Hz) frequency happens to be hazardous to humans
Large complex generating plants
It’s the current that kills
Not voltage
What uses Direct current (DC)?
Batteries, laptops, phones, electronics, elevators, some mass transit systems
What uses Alternating current (AC)?
Electrical grid, your house, all major appliances
Can AC power be converted into DC power?
Yes, phone and computer chargers do it
Can DC power be converted to AC power?
Yes, inverters convert solar energy into AC power
Who developed and marketed AC power?
Westinghouse
Who developed and marketed DC power?
Edison
Which system proved to be the better option for national power distribution?
Westinghouse’s AC system
What is a single phase for AC power?
A single phase requires a single wire and a ground wire to connect the circuit. A single phase is 240V. the AC power supply is utilized for home appliances. (Residential)
What is a three phase for AC power?
A three phase needs three wires. 460V, a three phase power system is used in buildings to run heavy loads such as elevators and air conditioning. (Large buildings)
What is Hertz?
Cycles p second. Power in the USA is generated and transmitted at 60HZ or 60 cycles per second.
What is watts?
measurement of power- James Watts
Kilowatts- 1,000 watts
Megawatts- 1,000,000 watts
Kw-hrs
Measurement of power x time “energy”
How we pay for electricity
What is a transformer?
Device used to change voltage. Can be used to reduce or increase voltage.
Electric heaters
Heat due to resistance
What is the purpose of a receptacle?
Safely delivers electrical power to appliances
Circuiting of receptacles
Number of outlets are defined by code
Current capacity is determined by how many receptacles their are
Commercial buildings have 20A circuits
Residential buildings typically have 15A circuits
Codes require outlets to be spaced at regular intervals to avoid the use of extension cords
What is a duplex receptacle?
Has two final power outlet sources
What is a quad receptacle?
There are four female outlet sources- typically two different circuits feed the receptacle, one fore each duplex
What is an isolated ground receptacle?
Ground cable- identified by being orange
Used to provide additional ‘clean’ grounding of electrical circuit.
What is the ‘T’ on the receptacle used for?
20A devices to be plugged in
What is a ground fault (GFI) receptacle?
Generally installed where electrical circuits may come in contact with water to prevent electrocution. Within 6’ of a water source
Panel boards
Meter (outside) , main disconnect (in between), distribution panel (inside)-Diagram in Class 6 part 2
Wiring
Wire is sized to carry load without overheating
Wiring gauge
12 AWG commercial 20A circuits
14 AWG residential 15A circuits
10 AWWG larger loads like AC units and oven or dryers in homes
10 AWG is larger than 14 AWG
What is Romex?
Typically used in residential applications. PVC wrapped cables that carry a hot, neutral and return. Yellow is 12 AWG. White is 14 AWG.
What is grounding?
Grounding prevents stray AC current from passing from the device to people or other devices.
What are meters?
Measure electricity use in kw-hrs (determines you electricity bill)
For emergency power and lighting smaller buildings rely on…
Battery powered wall packs
Battery powered lights
Come on when they sense a loss of electricity
For emergency power and lighting larger buildings rely on…
Generators
What is needed to start a fire?
Oxygen, fuels, heat
