Chapter 02: Definitions (Part 2)

Section 207

207.1 FAMILY — one person living alone or a group living together, whether related to each other by birth or not.

207.2 FAUCET — valve located at the end of a water pipe through which water can be drawn from or held within the pipe.

207.3 FERRULE — a metallic sleeve, caulked or joined to an opening in a pipe, into which a plug is screwed that can be removed for cleaning or examining the interior of the pipe.

207.4 FIXTURE — a receptacle other than a trap attached to a plumbing system in which water or wastes may be collected or retained for ultimate discharge into the plumbing system.

207.5 FIXTURE BRANCH — the water supply pipe between the fixture supply pipe and the water-distributing pipe.

207.6 FIXTURE DRAIN — the drainpipe from the trap of a fixture to the junction of that drain with any other drainpipe.

References:

• Sec. 49 NPC 1959
• Sec. 50 NPC 1959
• Sec. 51 NPC 1959
• Sec. 52 NPC 1959
• Sec. 53 NPC 1959
• Sec. 54 NPC 1959
• sec. 55 NPC 1959

207.7 FIXTURE SUPPLY — a water supply pipe connecting the fixture with the fixture branch.

207.8 FIXTURE UNIT — an arbitrary quantity in terms of which the load-producing effects or water requirements on the plumbing system of different kinds of plumbing fixtures are expressed in some arbitrarily chosen scale. One fixture unit is equivalent to a rate of flow at 28.3 liters per minute (1 cu. ft./minute).

207.9 FLOOD LEVEL — the level in a fixture at which water begins to overflow over the top or rim of the fixture.

207.10 FLOOD LEVEL RIM — the top edge of a receptacle from where water overflows.

207.11 FLOODED — a fixture is flooded when the liquid therein rises to the flood level rim.

207.12 FLOOR AREA — the area included within surrounding walls of a building (or portion thereof), exclusive of vent shafts and courts.

207.13 FLUSH TANK — a tank located above or integral with water closet, urinal, or similar fixtures for flushing or removing excrements in the fixture.

207.14 FLUSH VALVE — a device located at the bottom of the tank for the purpose of flushing water closet and similar fixtures.

207.15 FLUSHOMETER TANK — an integrated air accumulator vessel which is designed to discharge a predetermined quantity of water into fixtures for flushing purposes.

207.16 FLUSHOMETER VALVE — a device that discharges a predetermined quantity of water into fixtures for flushing purposes and is actuated by direct water pressure.

Section 208 “G”

208.1 GATE VALVE — a valve in which the flow of water is cut off by means of a circular disc fitted against machine-smoothed faces at right angles to the direction of flow. The disk is raised or lowered by means of a threaded stem connected to the handle or the valve. The opening in the valve is usually as large as the full bore of the pipe.

• Sec. 56 NPC 1959
• Sec. 57 NPC 1959
• Sec. 58 NPC 1959
• Sec. 59 NPC 1959
• Sec. 60 NPC 1959
• Sec. 61 NPC 1959

208.2 GLOBE VALVE — a valve in which the flow of fluid is cut off by means of a circular disc that fits over and against the horizontal valve seat. The movement of the plane of the disc is parallel to the normal direction of flow of water through the orifice, resulting in a tortuous passage which offers a high pressure loss.

208.3 GOOSENECK – a return bend of small-sized pipe, one end of which is about 30 cm long and the other end is about 7.5 cm long. It is commonly used as a faucet for a pantry sink. Also, the term means the flexible tubing connection between a service pipe and a water main.

208.4 GRADE — is the slope or fall of a line or pipe with reference to a horizontal plane. In drainage, it is usually expressed as the fall in centimeters per meter or percentage slope of pipe.

208.5 GREASE INTERCEPTOR – an interceptor of at least 3 cubic meters capacity to serve one or more fixtures and which is remotely located.

208.6 GREASE TRAP — a device designed to retain grease from one to a maximum of four fixtures.

208.7 GROUND WATER — the water that stands in or passes through the ground.

208.8 GROUP VENT — a branch vent that performs its functions for two (2) or more traps.

Section 209

209.1 HANGERS — see Supports.

209.2 HEIGHT OF BUILDING – the vertical distance from the “Grade Line” to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof or to the top line of a roof or to the average height of the highest gable of a pitch or hip-roof.

209.3 HIGH HAZARD – see Contamination.

209.4 HORIZONTAL BRANCH – is a drain pipe extending laterally from a soil or waste stack or building drain with or without vertical sections or branches, which receives the discharge from one or more fixture drains and conducts it to the soil or waste stack or to the building drain.

• Sec. 62 NPC 1959
• Sec. 63 NPC 1959
• Sec. 64 NPC 1959
• Sec. 65 NPC 1959
• Sec. 66 NPC 1959
• Sec. 67 NPC 1959
• Sec. 68 NPC 1959

209.5 HORIZONTAL PIPE — is any pipe or fitting installed in a horizontal position or which forms an angle of not more than forty-five (45) degrees with the horizontal plane.

209.6 HOUSE DRAIN – is that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a plumbing system which receives the discharges from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside of a building and conveys it to the house sewer outside of the building.

209.7 HOUSE SEWER — a sewer conveying the wastewater from the house drain to a public sewer, private sewage disposal system, or other point of disposal.

209.8 HOUSE STORM SEWER – is the pipeline from the building to the public or street storm drainage system.

209.9 HUBLESS PIPES — are cast iron soil pipes with plain ends connected together with bolted stainless steel bands and neoprene gaskets.

Section 210

210.1 INDIRECT WASTE PIPE – is a pipe that does not connect directly with the drainage system but conveys liquid wastes by discharging into a plumbing fixture, interceptor, or receptacle directly connected to the drainage system.

210.2 INDIVIDUAL VENT — is a pipe installed to vent a fixture trap and which connects with the vent system above the fixture served or terminates in the open air.

210.3 INDUSTRIAL WASTE — any and all liquid or water-borne waste from industrial or commercial processes, except domestic sewage.

210.4 I.P.S. — means Iron Pipe Size.

References:

• Sec. 69 NPC 1959
• Sec. 70 NPC 1959
• Sec. 71 NPC 1959
• Sec. 72 NPC 1959
• Sec. 73 NPC 1959
• Sec. 74 NPC 1959
• Sec. 75 NPC 1959

210.5 INSANITARY – a condition contrary to sanitary principles or injurious to health. Conditions where the word “insanitary” shall apply include the following:

210.5.1 Any trap which does not maintain a proper trap seal.

210.5.2 Any opening in a drainage system, except where lawful, which is not provided with an approved water-sealed trap.

210.5.3 Any plumbing fixture or other waste-discharging receptacle or device, not supplied with water sufficient to flush it and maintain it in a clean condition.

210.5.4 Any defective fixture, trap, pipe, or fitting.

210.5.5 Any trap, except where exempted in this Code, directly connected to a drainage system, the seal of which is not protected against siphonage and backpressure by a vent pipe.

210.5.6 Any connection, cross-connection, construction, or condition, temporary or permanent, which permits or makes possible, by any means whatsoever, for any unapproved foreign matter to enter into a water distribution system used for domestic purposes.

210.5.7 The foregoing enumeration of conditions which the term “insanitary” applies shall not preclude the application of that term to conditions that are, in fact, insanitary.

210.6 INTERCEPTOR (CLARIFIER) — is a device designed and installed to separate and retain deleterious, hazardous or undesirable matters from normal wastes and permits normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the disposal terminal by gravity.

210.7 INVERT — The lowest portion of the interior part of any pipe or conduit that is not vertical.

Section 211

211.1 JURISDICTION — the Administrative Authority under the Department of Health, the Department of Public Works & Highways, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the City Mayors of Chartered Cities, Environmental Management Bureau (D.E.N.R), and other government entities that regulate the practice of Registered & Licensed Master Plumbers.

Section 212

No Definitions.

References:

• Sec. 76 NPC 1959
• Sec. 77 NPC 1959
• Sec. 78 NPC 1959
• Sec. 79 NPC 1959
• Sec. 80 NPC 1959
• Sec. 81 NPC 1959
• Sec. 82 NPC 1959
• Sec. 83 NPC 1959

Section 213

213.1 LABELED – equipment or materials bearing a label of a listing agency. All labels shall be embossed, stamped, or indelibly marked with stickers, glued on the finished product indicating the weight, specifications, and logo of the manufacturer.

213.2 LATERAL – in plumbing, a secondary pipeline. In sewerage, a common sewer to which no other branch sewer is connected. It receives sewage from building sewer service connections only.

213.3 LATRINE — a water closet consisting of a continuous trough containing water. The trough extends under two or more adjacent seats. Prohibited by health authorities for permanent installations.

213.4 LAVATORY — a fixture designed for the washing of the hands or face. Sometimes called a washbasin.

213.5 LEACHING CESSPOOL- a cesspool that is not watertight.

213.6 LEADER — (See Conductor) — a pipe connected from a building’s gutter to the downspout or conductor.

213.7 LENGTH OF PIPE – is measured along its centerline.

213.8LIQUID WASTE – is the discharge from any fixture, appliance, or appurtenance in connection with a plumbing system that does not receive fecal matter.

213.9LISTED — equipment or materials included in a list published by a listing agency that maintains periodic inspections on the current production of listed equipment or materials. The listing agency’s report states that the equipment or materials comply with approved standards or have been tested and found suitable for use in specified manners.

213.10 LISTING AGENCY – is an agency accepted by the Administrative Authority in the business of listing or labeling. It maintains a periodic inspection program on current production of listed models and makes available a published report of such listing. The report includes specific information stating that the product has been tested against approved standards and found suitable for use in a specific manner.

213.11 LOCAL VENT – is a pipe or shaft that conveys foul air from a plumbing fixture or a room to the outer air.

213.12 LOOP OR CIRCUIT VENT – is a vertical vent connection on a horizontal soil or waste pipe branch at a point downstream of the last fixture connection. It turns to a horizontal line above the highest overflow level of the highest fixture connected thereat. The terminus is connected to the stack vent in the case of loop venting or to the vent stack nearby in the case of circuit venting.

213.13 LOT-is a single area of land legally recorded or validated by other means acceptable to the Administrative Authority where a building is situated, or the site of any work regulated by this Code. It includes the yard, court, and unoccupied space legally required for the building or works, and which is owned by or in the lawful possession of the owner of the building or works.

213.14LOW HAZARD – see Pollution.

Section 214

214.1 MAIN – any system of continuous piping that is the principal artery of the system, where branches are connected.

214.2 MAIN SEWER – see Public Sewer.

214.3 MAIN VENT – the principal artery of the venting system to which vent branches are connected.

214.4 MANHOLE – a large opening in a sewer line or part of a plumbing system constructed with sufficient size for a person to gain access for maintenance purposes and facility for changes of line and/or grade of pipeline.

214.5 MASTER PLUMBER – a person who is technically and legally qualified and licensed to practice the profession of Master Plumbing without limitations in accordance with Republic Act 1378. Having passed the examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission, has received a Certificate of Registration from the Board of Master Plumbing and possesses the current license to practice.

References:

• Sec. 84 NPC 1959
• Sec. 85 NPC 1959
• Sec. 86 NPC 1959
• Sec. 87 NPC 1959
• Sec. 88 NPC 1959
• Sec. 89 NPC 1959

214.6 MAY – the word “may” is a permissive term.

214.7 MOBILE HOME PARK SEWER – that part of the horizontal piping of a sanitary drainage system that measures 0.6 meters downstream from the last mobile home site and conveys sewage to a public sewer, private sewer, individual sewage disposal system, or other points of disposal.

Section 215

215.1 NAMPAP – National Master Plumbers Association of the Philippines.

215.2 NUISANCE – includes, but is not limited to, the following:

215.2.1 Any public nuisance known in common law or in equity jurisprudence;

215.2.2 Whenever any work regulated by this Code is dangerous to human life or detrimental to health and property, and 215.2.3 Inadequate or unsafe water supply and/or sewage disposal system.

Section 216

216.1 OAKUM – hemp or old hemp rope soaked in oil or tar to make it waterproof.

216.2 OCCUPANCY – the purpose for which a building is used or intended to be used. The term shall also include the building or room housing used. Change of occupancy is not interpreted to mean change of tenants or proprietors.

216.3 OFFSET – in a line of piping is a combination of elbows or bends, which brings one section of the pipe out of line but into a line parallel with the original section.

Section 217

217.1 PERSON – a natural person, his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns; and also includes a firm, partnership, or corporation, its or their successors or assigns or agents of any of the aforesaid.

References:

• Sec. 90 NPC 1959
• Sec. 91 NPC 1959
• Sec. 92 NPC 1959
• Sec. 93 NPC 1959
• Sec. 94 NPC 1959
• Sec. 95 NPC 1959
• Sec. 96 NPC 1959
• Sec. 97 NPC 1959
• Sec. 98 NPC 1959

217.2 PB – Polybutylene. Tube made of plastic material and colored black. The cross-sectional shape is normally oval and is denoted by its outside diameter or O.D. Normally used as a water service connection from main to meter.

217.3 PE – Polyethylene. Tube made of plastic material and colored black. The cross-sectional shape is circular and is denoted by its outside diameter or O.D.

217.4 PIPE – a cylindrical conduit or conductor conforming to the particular dimensions commonly known as “pipe size” and is denoted by its interior diameter or I.D.

217.5 PITCH – see Grade.

217.6 PLUMBING – the art and technique of installing pipes, fixtures, and other apparatuses in buildings for bringing in the supply of liquids, substances, and/or ingredients and removing them; and such water, liquid and other carried wastes hazardous to health, sanitation, life, property. Also, the pipes and fixtures after installation, i.e., the plumbing system.

211.7 PLUMBING APPLIANCE – any one of a special class of device or equipment intended to perform a special plumbing function. Its operation and/or control may be dependent upon one or more energized devices, such as motors, controls, heating elements, and pressure-temperature-sensing elements. Such device or equipment may operate automatically through one or more of the following actions: time cycle, temperature ranges, pressure range, or measured volume or weight; or the device or equipment may be manually adjusted or controlled by the user or operator.

217.8 PLUMBING APPURTENANCE – a manufactured device or a prefabricated assembly or an on-the-job assembly of component parts, and serves as an adjunct to the basic piping system and plumbing fixtures. An appurtenance demands no additional water supply nor does it add any discharge load to a fixture or the drainage system. It performs some useful functions in the operation, maintenance, servicing, economy, or safety of the plumbing system.

217.9 PLUMBING FIRM – a sole proprietorship or corporation composed of registered and licensed Master Plumbers together with allied professionals, with the Master Plumbers composing the majority of the membership, incorporators, directors, and/or executive officers. Licensed Master Plumbers only render work and services within the cognizance of a Registered Master Plumber, and members of the allied professions also only render work and services within the cognizance of their respective professions.

217.10 PLUMBING FIXTURES – are approved-type installed receptacles, devices, or appliances supplied with water or receive liquid or liquid-borne wastes and discharge such wastes into the drainage system to which they may be directly or indirectly connected. Industrial or commercial tanks, vats, and similar processing equipment are not plumbing fixtures, but may be connected to or discharged into approved traps of plumbing fixtures as provided for in this Code.

217.11 PLUMBING OFFICIAL – the Administrative Authority or the officer charged with the administration and enforcement of the National Plumbing Code, or his regularly authorized deputy.

217.12 PLUMBING SYSTEM – includes all potable water supply and distribution pipes, all plumbing fixtures and traps, all sanitary and storm drainage systems; vent pipes, roof drains, leaders and downspouts; and all building drains and sewers, including their respective joints and connections; devices, receptacles, and appurtenances within the property; water lines in the premises; potable, tap, hot, and chilled water piping; potable water treating or using equipment; fuel gas piping; water heaters and vents for the same.

217.13 PLUMBING UNIT – a minimum standard quantity of plumbing fixtures that discharge wastes into a plumbing installation, including one (1) water meter, one (1) water closet, one (1) lavatory, one (1) showerhead and drain for bathtub or shower stall, one (1) kitchen sink, one (1) laundry tray, and three (3) floor drains and four (4) faucet hose bibb.

217.14 POLLUTION – an impairment of the quality of the water to a degree that creates a hazard to the public health and adversely affects the aesthetic and potable qualities of waters for domestic use.

217.15 POTABLE WATER – water satisfactory for drinking, culinary, and domestic purposes and meets the requirements of the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water.

217.16.1 STATIC PRESSURE – is the pressure that exists without any fluid flow or motion.

217.16.2 RESIDUAL PRESSURE – is the pressure available at a plumbing fixture or water outlet, accounting for pressure drop due to friction loss, head, meter, and other losses in the system during periods of maximum demand.

217.17 PRIMARY BRANCH – of the building drain is the single sloping drain from the base of a stack to its junction with the main building drain.

217.18 PRIVATE OR PRIVATE USE – In the classification of plumbing fixtures, “private” applies to plumbing fixtures in residences and apartments, private bathrooms in hotels and hospitals, restrooms in commercial establishments for restricted use, single fixtures or groups of single fixtures, and similar installations where the fixtures are intended for the use of a family or an individual.

217.19 PRIVATE SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM – a septic tank with the effluent discharging into a subsurface disposal field, one or more seepage pits, or a combination of subsurface disposal field and seepage pit or other facilities permitted under the procedures set forth elsewhere in this Code.

217.20 PRIVATE SEWER — a building sewer that receives the discharge from more than one building drain and conveys it to a public sewer, private sewage disposal system, or other points of disposal.

217.21 PRIVY — an outhouse or structure used for the deposition of excrement.

217.22 PRIVY VAULT — a pit beneath a privy where excrement collects.

217.23 PUBLIC OR PUBLIC USE — In the classification of plumbing fixtures, “public” or “public use” means all buildings or structures that are not defined as private or private use. 217.24 PUBLIC SEWER – is a common sewer directly controlled by a public authority to which all abutters have equal rights of connection.

217.25 PVC – is an abbreviation for Polyvinyl Chloride. Potable water pipes are color-coded BLUE, while drainpipes are manufactured with toxic components and are color-coded gray, orange, or brown.

References:

• Sec. 99 NPC 1959
• Sec. 100 NPC 1959
• Sec. 101 NPC 1959
• Sec. 102 NPC 1959
• Sec. 103 NPC 1959
• Sec. 104 NPC 1959
• Sec. 105 NPC 1959