DESIGN: DEAR MR PLUMBER
This bleak water future requires that we use
the best skills and competencies and use our
best engineers, artisans, and technicians,
and understand that they also need to be
remunerated fairly to secure a living.
I am not pessimistic about the future,
because it is said by some scientists that
humankind has always been innovative to find
solutions and they believe we will overcome
and again find new solutions for the future.
However, there are a number of immediate
problems for which we must find solutions,
such as:
1. SANS 10252-1 requires that the cover of
a water tank must not be able to be left
open, but it does not tell you the ‘how to’.
2. SANS 10400-P requires the installation
of a grease trap in certain cases, but it
does not tell you how to dispose of it and,
therefore, it is dumped into a manhole
or even into the nearest floor drain. No
regulation of where and how to dispose
of it exists.
3. SANS 10254: there is no provision or
requirement for a hot water return pipe
connection.
4. Legionella prevention requires that
the water temperature in a water storage
tank shall not be more than 20°C — this
is completely ignored.
5. SANS 10400-XA: the hot water
requirement is totally ignored and not
‘policed’ by the responsible institutional
body.
6. SANS 10400-XA: the 4ℓ dead leg and
the insulation R-value are ignored.
7. SANS 10400-XA: the calculation of
the 50% non-electrical element hot
water system is wrongly calculated and
accepted by the authorities.
8. SANS 10252-1: the water pipes are
not fixed and supported by means of
appropriate brackets; in most cases, they
are just lying loose in the ceiling.
9. Solar geysers are mostly undersized.
10. SANS 10252-1: pipes in or underneath
concrete are not in sleeves and cannot
be maintained or replaced.
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11. SANS 10400-P: the horizontal
drainage pipes that are in a building
under floors or in the ground do not
have overflow facilities. These pipes are
also not in the form of a double system
with soil and waste separate; instead,
they are combined, with the result that
in the event of a blockage, the effluent
will come out of the shower, bath, or
floor drain.
12. SANS 10400-P: floor drains are not
designed to constantly keep the water
level intact. They dry out and then emit
bad smells and ‘germs’, causing a health
hazard.
13. SANS 10400-P and SANS 10252-1:
pipes are built-in with no access for
maintenance and replacement, causing
everlasting problems.
14. SANS 1936: there are not enough
detailed requirements for the design and
construction of water and drainage in
dolomitic areas.
15. The government hospital services
design guide: this document does not
have clear design requirements, which
are critical.
16. Floor drains: we need a requirement
that floor drains must have a water
supply system and should flush regularly
to maintain the water level.
17. Condensate drainage: there is a need for
a code on how to design and install this.
Several other gaps and shortcomings
need attention in the SABS standards and
documents. Perhaps you, Mr or Ms Plumber,
can identify them and we can then discuss
and refer it to the SABS and NRCS for further
attention. PA
We are staring into a
severe water-scarce future
and this ‘future’ is around
the corner.
September 2017 Volume 23 I Number 7