Library builder

Dielectric unions have insu­lators inside that will not con­duct electricity. If your electrical system is grounded to the water main and you install a dielectric union to join copper pipe to a galvanized steel service pipe, for example, install a bonding jumper to ensure continuous grounding. llllll Water-supply pipe supports. Clockwise from upper/eftvtwo Acousto-Plumb® clamps […]

Once you’ve roughed out the DWV system, but before hooking up fixtures, test for leaks. Filling DWV pipes with water is a common test, which requires that you seal all fixture stub-outs and use a garden hose to fill the largest stack. (All DWV pipes are interconnected, so you need fill only one stack to […]

It’s often necessary to notch or drill framing to run supply and waste pipes. If you comply with code guidelines, given in "Maximum Sizes for Holes and Notches," on p. 287, you’ll avoid weakening the struc­ture. Although that table is based on the following rules of thumb, remember that local building codes have the final […]

You may need to cut through joists to accom­modate the standard 4 by 3 closet bend beneath a toilet or the drain assembly under a standard tub. In that event, reinforce both ends of sev­ered joists with doubled headers attached with double-joist hangers. This beefed-up framing provides a solid base for the toilet as well. […]

Extending the DWV system out from the end of a cast-iron main drain—where it joins the soil stack—can be the least disruptive way if there’s a cleanout at the end of the drain that you can remove. Before cutting the drain, support both sides of the section to be cut, using pipe clamps or strap […]

In new construction, pros typically start the DWV system by connecting to the sewer lead pipe, sup­porting the main drain assembly every 4 ft. and at each point a fitting is added. Renovation plumbing is a different matter altogether, unless an existing main is so corroded or undersize that you need to tear it out […]

Because they have the biggest drain and vent pipes of any fixture, toilets can be the trickiest to route vents for. When space beneath a toilet is not a problem, use a setup such as the one shown below, in "Venting a Toilet,” in which a 2-in. vent pipe rises vertically from a 3 by […]

Until you expose the framing and actually run the pipe, it’s difficult to know exactly how things will fit together—especially vents. Because cor­rect venting is crucial, the section discusses sev­eral venting options to consider. But first, here are a few terms to keep straight: A stack is a verti­cal pipe. If the stack carries wastes, […]

Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is a flexible tubing system that’s been used in Europe for radiant heating and household plumbing since the 1960s, but it wasn’t widely used in potable-water systems in North America till the late 1990s. Within 5 years, though, it had captured 7 percent of the mar­ket, even though it was unfamiliar to […]

As mentioned earlier, DWVstands for drainage, waste, and venting. ABS and PVC plastic pipe are by far the most common DWV materials, although cast-iron is still specified where sound suppression is important. Plastic pipe is strong, the most corrosion resistant of any DWV pipe; is easy to cut and assemble, using special solvent — based […]