Plumbing Riser vs Stack - They're the Same Thing A plumbing riser is a vertical pipe. You can compare it to a smoke stack which is usually a huge round tube made from steel or masonry. Plumbing risers can carry wastewater or air. Air is transported through a riser down from the roof. Where Can Read More »
What is a Riser in Plumbing - It's a Vertical Pipe A riser is a vertical pipe in a plumbing installation. Plumbers also call them stacks. Think about a smoke stack and how it's a vertical tube. Do You Need a Riser Diagram? You may want to know about a riser in plumbing because you Read More »
Plumbing Plans for Permit - I Can Draw Them for You Just about every city and town I know of requires plumbing plans for a permit. The only two that come to mind that do not are Bar Harbor, Maine, and Thornton, New Hampshire. The plumbing plans are often called riser diagrams or isometric drawings. Read More »
A Riser Diagram for Plumbing, Water or Gas Lines A riser diagram is a handy tool that allows you to see what size pipes you must install for a drain, waste, and vent (DWV) system in commercial or residential plumbing. I've been a master plumber since 1981 and have drawn hundreds and hundreds of riser Read More »
How to Make Your Bathroom Floor Warm as a Hypocaust You may find this hard to believe, but I didn’t build the house I currently live in. It’s a long story but this current house in central New Hampshire was supposed to be a transition home while I did build a Queen Anne Victorian house Read More »
Fixture Unit Calculations - They Must Be Correct! Your building department may require you to provide fixture unit calculations to obtain a plumbing permit. These are very important as the calculations show to the department that the drain pipes you plan to use are sized properly. Because of the physical laws on Earth and how Read More »
Plumbing Fixture Schedule - Seems Easy But It's Not Some government entities require you to supply a plumbing fixture schedule to obtain a plumbing permit. These tables identify all the plumbing fixtures in a job. That's the easy part. You also need to list the drain fixture units and the water-supply fixture units. That's the Read More »
Plumbing Riser Diagrams and How Pipes Work Author's Note: I've been a master plumber since 1989. I'd love to draw your plumbing riser diagram or isometric drawing. GO HERE to order one. You may wonder how I got my start as a builder. The hook was set in Boy Scouts when I obtained my home Read More »
How to Prevent Contractor Mistakes - Phone Call Help and Due Diligence I feel it’s my job to save you as much money and time as possible on every project you plan to do at your home. While it’s a noble quest, I’m thwarted each day by two or three things. First and foremost, if Read More »
Cleaning and Restoring Tile and Slate Floors - Easy! A month ago you may have read my column about how to get ceramic tile grout clean. As you might suspect, I received quite a few thank-you notes via the Ask Tim page on my www.AsktheBuilder.com website. It’s always gratifying to hear from you knowing that Read More »