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alculating minimum plumbing facilities is a common part of a master plumber’s job. Knowing and understanding what is required in a building is not only a requirement for plumbers. Architects and engineers are often the people who determine the requirements for a new building. Local plumbing codes dictate minimum plumbing facilities. All plumbers have to do is understand the information provided for them in their codebooks. The information given by the codes is fairly simple, but gaining a complete understanding of it can be a bit intimidating. If the process is approached too lightly, misconceptions can cause mistakes. The people responsible for determining what plumbing will be included in a building cannot afford to make mistakes.
It is common for plumbers to be provided with detailed blueprints when bidding jobs. The drawings will normally be submitted to a code enforcement office for approval. During this process, there are many ways for mistakes to be caught.
If the person drawing the plans makes an error, the code officer who is working with the drawings is likely to find the problem. Plumbers bidding the job might catch the discrepancy.
Some jobs are not engineered. There are times when plumbers are expected to calculate the minimum plumbing needs for a building. Plus, plumbers who wish to
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gain a master’s license will have to pass an examination that is likely to require them to compute plumbing requirements. With this in mind, let’s look at some tables that might be used to figure the requirements for plumbing fixtures in various types of buildings.
