Commonly Used Waterworks Pipes and Fittings

The functions of some commonly used waterworks pipes and fittings are described below:-

Fitting	Function
Anti-vacuum Valve	a valve in a water service that opens to admit air if the pressure within the water service falls below atmospheric pressure.
Ball Valve	a valve that controls the entry of water into a storage cistern or flushing cistern, closing off the supply when the water level in the cistern has reached a predetermined level. It is sometimes called a ball cock or float-operated valve.
Boiler	an enclosed vessel in which water is heated by the direct application of heat
Butterfly Valve	a valve in which a disc is rotated about a diametric axis of a cylinder to vary the aperture. It is used where space is limited or more sophisticated control is required.
Calorifer	a storage vessel, not open to the atmosphere, in which a supply of water is heated. The vessel contains an element, such as a coil of pipe, through which is passed a supply of hot water or steam, in such a way that the two supplies do not mix, heat being transferred through the walls of the element.
Expansion Vessel	a closed vessel for accommodating the thermal expansion of water in a pressurized hot water heating system
Float Switch	a device incorporating a float that operates a switch in response to changes in the level of a liquid.
Gate Valve	a valve that provides a straight-through passage for the flow of fluid and in which the passage can be closed by a gate. It is used where the water pressure is low and on distribution pipework from a storage cistern. This valve is sometimes referred to as a fullway gate valve because when it is fully open, there is no restriction of flow through the valve.
Loose Jumper Type Stopcock	a screwdown pattern valve with horizontal inlet and outlet connections. It incorporates a loose jumper valve permitting flow in one direction only. It is used for isolating the supply of water in a high pressure pipeline. In case the supply main is shut off and drained down for any reason, the ‘non-return’ action of the loose valve plate will stop any backflow from the service pipe.
Non-return Valve	a valve that prevents reversal of flow in the pipe of a water supply by means of the check mechanism, the valve being opened by the flow of water and closed by the action of the check mechanism when the flow ceases, or by back pressure. It is also known as check valve.
Pressure Reducing Valve	a valve that reduces the pressure of a fluid immediately downstream of its position in a pipeline to a preselected value or by a predetermined ratio.
Pressure Relief Valve	A self-acting valve that automatically opens to prevent a predetermined safe pressure being exceeded.
Temperature Relief Valve	A self-acting valve that automatically opens to prevent a predetermined safe temperature being exceeded.

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