DESIGN : DEAR PLUMBERS
The beginning of Dear Mr Plumber ( now Dear Plumbers )
19
By
D . S ( Vollie ) Brink Pr . Eng . MSAICE , MPMISA
Vollie has had a long relationship with the plumbing sector . We thought it appropriate to look at the start of his regular series which has now acknowledged the women plumbers , hence the gender-neutral heading ‘ Dear Plumbers ’. – Ed
On our way to the site , he had to pop into the garage where his bakkie was being serviced , to speak to the service manager about their poor service . We went from the garage to his project and I discovered that the quality of his work was just as shoddy as that of the garage , if not worse . This made me think and when I arrived back at the office , I decided to share the story — this was how Dear Mr Plumber started .
I have always tried to talk about relevant issues that we all struggle with and to find solutions for the benefit of the greater team of the industry , which includes the professional people such as the water services engineers , architects , quantity surveyors , developers , and most importantly , the contractors , which include the artisanal team .
It seems the older I get , the more questions I receive from young plumbers , young engineers , and even experienced plumbers . I am not a ‘ Mister know-it-all ’, but with over 66 years of working experience , I have learned that what is important , is where to find the reliable information that you need — and this was long before the Internet . I have also found that it is much cheaper to learn from other people ’ s mistakes and the solutions that solved their problems . This concept of locating information has become simple if you have a computer and Google is your friend . Yet , this information is not always sound , practical , or the best solution . Be careful what you believe .
I have excellent engineering knowledge in my family , and I hope one of my family members will follow up with Dear Mr ‘ Someone ’ in the future . They are Johan La Grange , my son-in-law , who is also over the 60-year mark and retired but still working as a consulting engineer with many years of experience and has also specialised as a fire engineer . His son is Jack La Grange , also a consulting engineer and also in the building water services and fire engineering sector . Both Johan and Jack are excellent engineers .
My son Daan , too , works in the engineering field : a qualified technical teacher who has a business that specialises in leak detection and maintenance of piping systems , and related works . Daan ’ s son Danie is studying engineering , but in the electronic engineering field , and wants to specialise in medical electronics . And one granddaughter ’ s husband is also an engineer , but in the food manufacturing industry , which is highly specialised .
Somebody once told me I am supposed to be ‘ retired ’, but nobody told me what it means and how to go about it . I have found that this problem of the meaning of words is a common one . In terms of the National Building Regulations ( NBR ) and any other legal documentation , the meaning of words is essential to enable compliance . Each part of the NBR always contains a section on definitions to describe the meaning of words .
I attended a meeting where it was debated what a certain combination of words means , because if you have the one word in front , then the word means something , but the other way around it has a different meaning , while the wrong way around can have serious consequences .
There is a significant difference between a pressure control valve and a pressure reducing valve — not many people know what the difference is and then the wrong valve is installed . I have even tested some very senior plumbers and asked , “ What is the difference between a manhole and an inspection chamber ?” — and they did not know .
The message is : the meaning of a word is of great importance and therefore , the definitions , as specified in all the parts of SANS 10400 , are essential and you must read and study it carefully to apply it correctly .
The introduction to SANS 10400-A contains some crucial information that you need to know to understand the NBR . It also states that the NBR is not intended to be a “ design manual ” — this understanding is important to guide you to apply the NBR correctly .
The ‘ hierarchy ’ of the institution , the total group of Acts , regulations , rules , standards , local by-laws , all the other institutional bodies , Acts on professional registered competent persons and others , all have significant importance to know and to apply correctly .
Many people do not understand what the boundaries of the NBR are , which are the four boundaries of the property . You cannot apply standards and regulations that are applicable to municipal services to the domain of the NBR .
Plumbers must know and apply the NBR correctly . PA
Vollie Brink is one of the industry ’ s longest-serving wet services engineers . He continues to serve on SABS committees and has been involved in the Green Building Council ’ s Green Star rating system . Brink continues to consult for various organisations while enjoying a wellearned retirement .
“ The introduction to SANS 10400-A contains some crucial information that you need to know to understand the NBR . ”
July 2023 Volume 29 I Number 5 www . plumbingafrica . co . za