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While other plumbing code books are annotated guides filled with almost as much legalese as the code itself, the Illustrated Guide to the 2006 International Plumbing and Sewage Codes is the only book to use illustrations as the basis for explanation, a bulleted format for text, and real-world case studies to explain how to apply and interpret the 2006 International Plumbing Code and the 2006 International Private Sewage Disposal Code.
Illustrated Guide to the 2006 International Plumbing and Sewage Codes offers a unique visual approach to interpreting and applying the full range of plumbing codes. This vital on-the-job sourcebook presents more than 200 illustrations and concise text that clarify even the most complex code requirements. Readers will find common sense and readability substituted for code complexity and legalese; code paragraphs changed to bulleted lists; code equations converted to tables; large code tables broken down into short sentences; dimensions moved from code text to drawings; and much more.
- Complicated codes made simple with clear, precise drawings, explanations, and details.
- Save time and money by getting it right the first time.
- Improve the quality, health, and safety standards of buildings.
This easy-to-read reference features:
- A plain English text, presented in step-by-step, bulleted format for ease of understanding.
- Numerous illustrations that show how to interpret and apply difficult code information.
Excerpt from the Introduction
Purpose. This Handbook clarifies the sections of the 2006 International Plumbing Code and the 2006 International Private Sewage Disposal Code that are the most useful to architects, detailers, estimators, and contractors. It is not directed to specifiers or engineers. It is not intended to be a substitute for the codes, but it is an aid to understanding them. The International Plumbing Code and the International Private Sewage Disposal Code are owned by the International Code Council Inc of Falls Church, Virginia. This guide is neither sponsored nor approved by this agency, which has no relationship to this project.)
Code language. The language used in all building-related codes is a pseudo-legal kind of language intended to minimize variations in interpretation and to withstand legal challenges. As in legal documents, the penalty for this special style is lack of clarity to people who are not specialists in the language. Codes have other readability problems: sentences are often long and convoluted; relationships between words can be difficult to identify and understand; and too much substantive content is joined by too few words of clarification. Furthermore, the knowledge base of statistics, tests, tradition, and other data and trends in life safety on which codes are based is not available to the average code user; therefore, he or she is left with no choice but to use the literal meaning of code statements without applying common sense. But because this literal approach is not 100 percent reliable, misunderstandings are common.
Guide book language. The language and format of this guide accommodate the needs of design and production professionals as well as of contractors. Text is supplemented with illustrations, tables, and lists. Common phrasing is substituted for legalistic wording. Lengthy and convoluted code sentences are broken down into line items. Quick and easy readability is the goal; therefore, some practical shortcuts have been employed to achieve that end.
First this guide refers to the International Plumbing Code or the International Private Sewage Disposal Code simply as "the code" within their respective parts of this book. Second, although the codes refer to buildings and structures (and sometimes facilities so as not to exclude any type of construction with plumbing), this guide usually refers only to "buildings," which must be understood to include all the structures that the code governs. And third, this book utilizes mathematical and other symbols instead of words to the greatest extent possible so as to capitalize on their inherent qualities of clarity and efficiency, and also to provide visual relief from the text.
The reader should note, however, that the shortcuts and plain language used by this guide book lack the legal precision of the code: the code attempts to provide regulations that cannot be circumvented, while this guide does not. This book makes selected regulations more accessible to designers, detailers, estimators, and contractors. Consequently, common sense must be applied to the guidance provided herein.
Format. Throughout this guide book, hundreds of drawings and tables are used to illustrate and clarify numerous code requirements. Some of the tables provide data based on mathematical equations that would otherwise require computation by the user. Other tables break down large and unwieldy tables of the code into smaller, more manageable ones with fewer variables to be reconciled.
Footnotes from the code are integrated into the body of each table or into the body of the text, which eliminates the fine print that is difficult to read and is easily overlooked. Exceptions to the code are integrated into the body of the basic requirements, eliminating confusion from apparent reversals of requirements where exceptions supersede the main text.
The need to refer to other pages in order to grasp the concept of a code requirement is minimized by eliminating numerical references (to other code sections) from the main text. Descriptions of such referenced data, the data itself, or the subject of the referenced data is substituted. This results in a more easily read text without the disruption of referenced section numbers that add no apparent meaning to the paragraph. The cited section number along with the name of the section are listed below the body of the text in italics. Comments on the citation are added where necessary for clarification.
Contents
Part I: Plumbing. Chapter 1: Administration; Chapter 2: Definitions; Chapter 3: General Regulations; Chapter 4: Fixtures, Faucets and Fixture Fittings; Chapter 5: Water Heaters; Chapter 6: Water Supply and Distribution; Chapter 7: Sanitary Drainage; Chapter 8: Indirect/Special Waste; Chapter 9: Vents; Chapter 10: Traps, Interceptors and Separators; Chapter 11: Storm Drainage; Chapter 12: Special Piping and Storage Systems; Chapter 13: Referenced Standards.
Part II: Private Sewage Disposal. Chapter 1: Administration; Chapter 2: Definitions; Chapter 3: General Regulations; Chapter 4: Site Evaluation and Requirements; Chapter 5: Materials; Chapter 6: Soil Absorption Systems; Chapter 7: Pressure Distribution Systems; Chapter 8: Tanks; Chapter 9: Mound Systems; Chapter 10: Cesspools; Chapter 11: Residential Waste Water Systems; Chapter 12: Inspections; Chapter 13: Nonliquid Saturated Treatment Systems. Chapter 14: Referenced Standards.
About the Author
Terry L Patterson (Norman, OK) is a licensed architect and a tenured professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma. His widely published works include the 2000 and 2003 editions of the Illustrated Building Code Handbook. |
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