Plumbing is any such system which carries liquids for various uses to different parts of the world. In simple words it means the transportation of liquids. Plumbing involves pipes, drainage systems, faucets, fixtures, and many other apparatuses for carrying liquids. It is considered as a key component in any building or establishment.
Nowadays plumbing plays a vital role in homes, offices, restaurants, public baths, hospitals, shopping malls, schools and many other such places. It is used for carrying liquids from one place to another. The word “plumbing” actually refers to a group of processes by which water is carried and stored in containers or pots. Some of the most popular forms of plumbing are discussed below:
Direct plumbing: In this system the source of water supply is from a single point, generally the main pipe which carries the water to the household. This is known as direct plumbing. It can also be called as main line plumbing or point-of-entry plumbing because the supply of potable water is through this pipe.
Indirect plumbing: In this system the pipe is made to carry potable water from one place to another, and the distance between the points where the pipes meet is less than the diameter of the pipe. For example, if a main pipe carries water to the kitchen from outside the house, then there should be a connection potable water to the kitchen from another part of the house. The most commonly used kind of indirect plumbing is the PVC or polyvinyl chloride pipe. It is mainly used to carry water in sanitary environments, for bathing purposes, or in agricultural places, because the physical properties of the material render its resistance to corrosion and breakage extremely great.
Branching: In aqueducts the main article of water pipes is a hollow or conical shaped trunk, made to branch into many small branches. The purpose of such is to carry water from a lower region to the upper regions. These trunking water pipes are widely used in many countries all over the world. They are very economical and easy to install.
Tubing: In the domestic water systems the other type of plumbing system is the piping. Piping is a kind of flexible tube which is mostly employed to carry water from one place to another. The major component of such piping is the inside sleeve, which has a large diameter and is generally made of steel. Another important component is the outer sleeve, which is also made of steel but is smaller in diameter. This pipe is used to carry the main article of water into the main pipe.