Thread: drain vs waste

I just read on Don Vanderhoots, Hometips.com that drain lines carry sink, shower etc. water... waste lines carry toilets flushes. I looked around on here but couldn't find it. He's wrong isn't he? I'm pretty sure Ted Menelly cleared this up for us a while ago. Waste lines don't actually carry toilet discharge do they? Can someone set me straight? Thanks

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Originally Posted by Brian Robertson

I just read on Don Vanderhoots, Hometips.com that drain lines carry sink, shower etc. water... waste lines carry toilets flushes. I looked around on here but couldn't find it. He's wrong isn't he? I'm pretty sure Ted Menelly cleared this up for us a while ago. Waste lines don't actually carry toilet discharge do they? Can someone set me straight? Thanks

BR: It is very simple. It all goes through the same pipes to the same place, regardless what you call it. The term DWV stands for drain, waste, vent. So it is either draining something, carrying waste of some kind from somewhere or venting. Why would one require a different piping sytem for one versus the other type of residential waste anyway? What would be the purpose?

Originally Posted by A.D. Miller

BR: It is very simple. It all goes through the same pipes to the same place, regardless what you call it. The term DWV stands for drain, waste, vent. So it is either draining something, carrying waste of some kind from somewhere or venting. Why would one require a different piping sytem for one versus the other type of residential waste anyway? What would be the purpose?

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

Shakespeare

JL: You must eat different stuff up in Allen than we do down here . . . or maybe conservative's stuff does not stink?

Your right A.D. forget I mentioned it.

Just trying to go with your theme AD.
Now Jerry will likely come along and chastise both of us for daring to imply that the name is not vitally important ala' sub panel.

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

Just trying to go with your theme AD.
Now Jerry will likely come along and chastise both of us for daring to imply that the name is not vitally important ala' sub panel.

JL: JP, as you know, is from Flahdah. Over there they may actually have piping that distributes different stuff to different places. It is a truly magical place where election ballots either appear or not, depending upon who is doing the most $erious intending.

Definitions per the Illinois Code book. I hope this helps some.

"Building Drain": That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building (house) sewer. The building drain's developed length terminates 5 feet outside the building foundation wall.

"Building Sewer": That part of the horizontal piping of a drainage system which extends from the end of the building drain, receives the discharge of the building drain and conveys it to a public sanitary sewer or private sewage disposal system. The building sewer commences 5 feet outside the building foundation wall.

"Drain": Any pipe that carries waste water in a building drainage system.

"Drainage System": All piping within public or private premises which conveys sewage, rain, or other liquid wastes to a point of disposal, but does not include the mains of a public sewer system or a private or public sewage treatment or disposal plant. The drainage system does not include the venting system. Drainage and venting are separate systems, although both are part of the overall plumbing system.

"Sanitary Waste": Sewage containing excrement and liquid wastes or ordinary wastes derived from a plumbing system.

"Sewage": Any waste containing animal, human, or vegetable matter in suspension or solution, and may include liquids containing chemicals in solution.

"Waste": See "Sanitary Waste."

Thanks Ron.

From the IRC. (red highlighting is mine)

WASTE. Liquid-borne waste that is free of fecal matter.

That means that the showers, sinks, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc., are WASTE lines.

SEWAGE.

Any liquid waste containing animal matter, vegetable matter or other impurity in suspension or solution.

That means that if it contains fecal matter, such as from toilets, they are SEWAGE lines.

Yes, at some point the lines meet, and you are no longer dealing with "waste", you are now dealing with "sewage", and the piping is no longer "waste piping" but is now "sewage piping", so, wording and what they are called DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

From the IRC. (red highlighting is mine)

WASTE. Liquid-borne waste that is free of fecal matter.

That means that the showers, sinks, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc., are WASTE lines.


SEWAGE.

Any liquid waste containing animal matter, vegetable matter or other impurity in suspension or solution.

That means that if it contains fecal matter, such as from toilets, they are SEWAGE lines.

Yes, at some point the lines meet, and you are no longer dealing with "waste", you are now dealing with "sewage", and the piping is no longer "waste piping" but is now "sewage piping", so, wording and what they are called DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

JP: I just do not give a shhitt about the wording.

Dishwashers, Garbage Disposers, Food preparation and/or clean up sinks often discharge liquids containing animal or vegetable matter.

(I.E. food waste).

From the Illinois Plumbing Code, a definition that was overlooked:

"Soil Pipe": Any pipe that conveys the discharge of water closets or fixtures having similar functions, with or without the discharge from other fixtures, to the building drain.

Original poster, see this link: http://www.plumbingpro.org/Documents/W&V%20Segment.doc

It might better match the terms used in Ontario, Canada, it might not. The explanations and diagrams might help you might not.

Originally Posted by H.G. Watson, Sr.

Dishwashers, Garbage Disposers, Food preparation and/or clean up sinks often discharge liquids containing animal or vegetable matter.

(I.E. food waste).

From the Illinois Plumbing Code, a definition that was overlooked:

"Soil Pipe": Any pipe that conveys the discharge of water closets or fixtures having similar functions, with or without the discharge from other fixtures, to the building drain.

Original poster, see this link: http://www.plumbingpro.org/Documents/W&V%20Segment.doc

It might better match the terms used in Ontario, Canada, it might not. The explanations and diagrams might help you might not.

HG: Curiously that documents shows an RV to be a relief vent. Though folks who own RVs are likely to agree that they derive a certain degree of relief from their use, I would classify them as RBs (road-blockers).

Originally Posted by H.G. Watson, Sr.

Dishwashers, Garbage Disposers, Food preparation and/or clean up sinks often discharge liquids containing animal or vegetable matter.

(I.E. food waste).

From the Illinois Plumbing Code, a definition that was overlooked:

"Soil Pipe": Any pipe that conveys the discharge of water closets or fixtures having similar functions, with or without the discharge from other fixtures, to the building drain.

Original poster, see this link: http://www.plumbingpro.org/Documents/W&V%20Segment.doc

It might better match the terms used in Ontario, Canada, it might not. The explanations and diagrams might help you might not.

Another overlooked definition from the Illinois code book. Well not really over looked like I did not over look "Soil Pipe" I was just posting some definitions about drain and waste terms.

"Waste Pipe": A pipe which conveys only waste material.

Thats what I was refering to Jerry, thanks for that, and thank you H.G. Okay, I'm outa here!!

After you finish that, you can delve into black water and grey water discharges.

LOL, why not!

The definitions provided suggest that some pencil-pusher came up with those. We know these things are the product of committee meetings and arguments over minutia. Show me a shower drain that does not carry any (zero) fecal waste. For that matter, show me a bathroom sink drain that has never (ever) carried fecal waste. It really doesn't matter what it is labeled. I think we can all agree that these are pipes that carry water the we would not drink, and that would never be labeled "potable" by any entity, and they should always be separate from water that we do consider drinking or cooking water.

I call them Potato Guns!