Design : Dear Mr Plumber
21
Cutting corners
I woke up in the middle of the night and realised that the engineer is at the mercy of the plumber in terms of income . My reason for saying this is that the fee of the engineer is based on the tendered amount of the plumbing , if it had not been agreed to be based on time and cost .
By
Vollie Brink , Pr Eng
The problem for the engineer is that in some cases the plumber undercuts his or her costs to win the tender — sometimes it is even below the real cost . This then puts the engineer in a difficult financial position .
Perhaps I must tell you a true story to demonstrate what I am telling you .
The engineer was asked to design the water services for a new block of ‘ apartments ’ in an upmarket area . You must understand that an apartment is for rich people , whereas we as poor people live in flats , so the services are also supposed to be upmarket . The developer had been doing houses , but this was to be his first block of ‘ apartments ’.
The developer only wanted the design input , as he had a project manager who would be doing the project management and supervision , and even the procurement of the materials , with limited input from the engineer — and only when required .
From the start , many things went wrong , but the engineer was not consulted in an attempt “ to save money ”. The things that went wrong included that the developer had appointed a ‘ plumber ’ with no qualifications and no financial resources .
This ‘ plumber ’ was going to do the job for less than the cost of the materials . This ‘ plumber ’ was appointed very late in the game when the construction had already progressed considerably , so the plumber started late as a result .
The plumber ignored the design drawings and where a pipe diameter was shown to be 50mm , he just used a 15mm diameter pipe . And so it went on and on .
All the systems had been designed complete , but the hot water system , water tanks , and pumps were left to the last moment and then completely changed .
The water pipes , including the hot water pipes , were bundled together — literally in a bundle — without insulation and placed on the roof , exposed to the rain and the weather .
SANS 10242-1 , SANS 10400-XA , and SANS 10106 were totally ignored as if it does not exist . The engineer had to withdraw from the project , as he was unable to sign off the work ; however , when he drove past the project some time later , people were happily moving into their ‘ apartments ’.
The question is , how did the developer get a CoC from the council ?
We sit around the tables at the SABS and spend many hours and hours developing appropriate standards and there are compulsory regulations to comply with , but then the authorities do not apply it .
The plumbers took many years to upgrade their standards and registration and they eventually have IOPSA and the PIRB , but ‘ apartments ’ are being ‘ plumbed ’ by unregistered , incompetent persons — why is that ? Why is it still allowed ?
After 64 years of working , I expect that we have moved forward , but it seems as if we move one step forward and 10 steps back .
On another project , it was found that the references and specifications were also ignored and all the hot water piping were not insulated with the required compulsory type that has an R = 1 insulation value . This hot water generation system also does not render 60˚C and the system does not comply with the specifications . I could go on and on , but perhaps you will think that I am just whining so I will stop here .
These are some of the stories that have come to my attention , and I believe that one must not only learn from your own problems but also from those of other people .
Vollie Brink
Vollie Brink is one of the industry ’ s longest serving wet service engineers . He continues to serve on SABS committees and has been involved in the Green Building Council Star rating system . Brink continues to consult for various organisations while enjoying a well-earned retirement .
It is critical to follow the design of the designer carefully , comply with the compulsory performance requirements , follow the institutional requirements , and stay within the law .
If you disagree with the designer , discuss it , and come to an agreement . Allow the designer to revise the design if necessary , because ultimately , he must sign the completion certificate and you must sign off your work and guarantee it for many years to come — and so is the engineer responsible for a long period .
Always remember that everything you do has a potential legal implication .
There is a well-known proverb that says , let the cobbler stick to his last , which means that you should not perform work for which you are not qualified — and this is relevant for you and me . PA
www . plumbingafrica . co . za May 2017 Volume 23 I Number 3