Water Quality Management: Back to Basics By Richie Paddick
Intrusion into main pipe from incorrectly fabricated tee.
Historically, plumbers were taught particular hand skills. Over time, the demands on our industry and an increasing reliance on technology have allowed plumbers to speed up and punch out more work in a day than we once might have. Press-fit copper fittings are an important example of this change. Whilst these advances improve productivity, they have deskilled our trade. There are times when our forgotten hand skills should be employed, to not only enhance the appearance of our pipework, but more importantly, to minimise the long-term detrimental effects of poor workmanship on water quality.
From a water quality perspective, we need to think about the water from the inside of the water pipe. We need to ensure the internal bore is as smooth as possible, eliminating areas where the accumulation of particles can enable biofilm to grow. We also need to help the water flow in the intended direction by using sweeping connections where possible, particularly on hot water (and warm water) flow and return loops. Protrusions into water pipes, once considered unacceptable, are now becoming increasingly common. This is likely due to the demand for productivity over quality. Over the past 20 years, I have had conversations with plumbers who were engaged to replace water supply work on copper tube of all sizes up to 150mm. I would mention that all tee pieces should be fabricated saddle joints. Invariably I would find the joints, although very well fabricated, were not saddle joints but junctions. Upon talking with the plumbers, I found they were never taught the difference. After hearing the explanation and being shown how to fabricate these joints, the men all agreed they were superior and could understand their purpose, which is to ensure there was no intrusion into the main pipe. In a future article, we will look at the chemical and microbiological aspects of water to give a greater understanding of how quality workmanship is so important to maintaining a healthy water system.
Internal pic of main pipe, no intrusion at new joint. Background is intrusion from incorrect joint. Master Plumber | 18
The following photographs demonstrate typical installations which have the potential to cause contamination of the water supply due to internal surface obstructions which can harbor bacteria and cause a high HCC reading.
