DESIGN: DEAR MR PLUMBER
21
The beginning of
Dear Mr Plumber
The Dear Mr Plumber column started many years ago
after a plumber asked me to accompany him to a site to
advise him on the problems he was experiencing.
By Vollie Brink, Pr Eng
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
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
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.
Vollie Brink
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 well-earned
retirement.
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
June 2019 Volume 25 I Number 4