INTRODUCTION TO PLUMBING

INTRODUCTION TO PLUMBING Specific objective a. Narrate the history of plumbing trade b. State the role of the plumber c. State relationship existing between plumbing and other building trades What is plumbing: this is the systems of pipes, tanks, fittings, and other apparatusrequired for the water supply, heating and sanitation in a building. Who is a plumber? Is a person who specialize in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water. HISTORY OF PLUMBING The history of plumbing dates back several thousand years. The use of two of the oldest traditional plumbing materials, lead and copper, can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. They used lead oxide as a decorative glaze on pottery, but more importantly, the earliest example of part of a plumbing system using copper pipe, found in the Nile Delta in Egypt, dates from around 2750 BC. The ancient Greeks are known to have mined lead, as did the Romans. The Romans mined and smelted lead on a commercial scale, initially using it for weight and coins before seeing its potential for use in sanitary installations. Both the Greeks and the Romans developed quite sophisticated plumbing systems for their day. Figure 1 ancient Egyptian copper water pipe from the Nile delta c 2730 BC Examples of the early use of terracotta or clayware for sanitary appliances and pipes can be seen at thepalace of Knossos in Greece. The palace appears to have had a complex system of Clay drainage pipes, with separate branches servingdifferent parts of the building. It was probably the Romans, however, who had the most influence on the development of plumbing. The world 'plumbers it’s self-taken from a the Latin word for lead, ers were originally seen asworkers of lead. There are still examples to be seen of lead pipes laid by the Romans in use today in the city of births, England. As the great civilisation died away, so too did much of the knowledge and development associated with plumbing and living in sanitary conditions. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, renewed interestedin providing sanitary conditions at least as far as the privileged classes in Europe were concerned, including water closet.(figure 3).it soon became a status symbol amongst the upper classes to have fully equipped bathrooms with running water. This saw the establishment of the plumber as the specialist in installing bathroom appliances andpipework (figure 1) Figure 1 For the masses of people, however, bathrooms and running water was but a dream .as industrialisation took a grip in Europe and North America in particular, the migration of workers into the cities where the factories were established led to a rapid expansion of these areas. Cheap housing was built for the workersbut they soon became overcrowded and little attention was paid to many cities the street were nothing more than open sewers and soon illness and disease took its toll. As the government began to realise the effects that rapid industrialisation was having on people,especially in relation to healthy and sanitation, steps were taken to overcome the problems. By the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, most of the open sewers had beenreplaced by large underground piped sewers ‘a series of regulations and laws were passed concerning building and the provision of sanitary accommodations, making sanitary conditions within the reach ofmost people. Large but well planned to social housing projects were also established and the rapid development indesign of low -cost but effectively sanitary appliances, ensured plumbers were in great demand. As a result of continued design and research, the plumbers now has a vast range of appliances, materials and pipe work systems at his or her disposal. With international communications and commerce now being what they are, it is possible to export the technology, expertise , training and manufacturing capability to enable all parts of the world to benefit from living with clean and efficient sanitary a plumber ,you will be central in helping the people in your area to benefit from thesedevelopments. ROLE OF THE PLUMBER IN THE SOCIETY IN KENYA TODAY 1.ToInstall, repair and maintain water treatment equipment. 2. To install, repair and maintain water heaters and conditioners 3. Fit and install firefighting systems and equipment. . 4.Carry out domestic and outdoor water supply. 5. Install pipe work and equipment for gas supplies for cooking and heating. 6. Fix sheet metal weathering to roofs and install rain collection and disposal systems. 7. Fix sanitation equipment and drainage pipework. BUILDING TRADE RELATIONSHIP TO PLUMBING MASONRY the major work of a building construction of a masonry deals with stones, concrete, bricks.The mason construct floors and walls, pipes will be expected to pass through a wall or floor, in this respect the plumber should know the core technique and tools used in masonry work, so work schedularrequire the plumber. CARPENTRY this is the work of a carpenter in the building construction, his major note is (a) construction of timber structures for roof work (b) fixing ceiling (c) making doors and door frames (d) timber wall and floors SURVEYING the main role are examining the site and are. i. levelling and boundaries ii. mapping of the site ASSIGNMENT Briefly describe the history of plumbing? (10 marks) Distinguish between plumbing and masonry (4 marks) State the relationship between plumbing and carpentry (8 marks)