Service Process

Installation Timetable
Sewer connection stubs are typically installed before pouring the concrete foundation. However, most of the plumbing takes place later. The rough-in plumbing phase, which happens alongside electrical wiring and duct installation, takes place once the framing is complete but before hanging drywall. This is the time to install main drains in floors and connect them to the stack. Rough-in drain fittings are installed at this stage for sinks and tubs. This is also the time to install supply pipes or tubing and set bathroom flanges.

Plumbing Fixtures
Because bathtubs and shower units are generally large, they are typically set before framing the walls. Since a great deal of construction still needs to take place, cover these fixtures with cardboard or even old blankets to protect them from scratches. Sinks and commodes are set and connected last, after finishing the walls and installing the flooring.

Water Supply System
The main water supply line enters the property below the frost line, then splits into two lines: one provides cold water and the other connects to the water heater. From there, the two lines supply hot and cold water to each fixture or appliance. Some properties have a water manifold system that includes a large panel with red valves on one side and blue valves on the other. Each valve controls an individual hot or cold water line supplying a fixture. Using a manifold system makes it easy to shut off water to one fixture without turning off the water supply to the entire property.

Drainage Pipes
The main vent-and-soil stack, which is usually four inches in diameter, runs vertically from below the ground floor to above the roofline. Waste drains connect to the stack, directing waste downward to the main sewer drain, which then exits the property below the frost line and connects to the municipal sewer system or runs to a private septic system.

Vent Pipes
Without a continuous supply of air, water locks can form in drainpipes, causing clogs. All drains need ventilation. One vent, typically installed behind a sink, can serve additional fixtures and appliances that connect within ten feet of a standard drain line. Vent pipes, which are usually two inches in diameter, connect to the vent-and-soil stack in the attic. When a fixture sits too far from a standard vent, it requires an additional vent pipe, which connects to the stack or exits the roof separately, depending on the property’s layout.

Traps
A drain trap is a U-shaped pipe that connects to the bottom of a sink, shower, or tub drain. A trap retains a small amount of water that prevents foul sewer gases from backing up into the property. All plumbing fixtures require drain traps except the toilet, which comes with a built-in trap in its base.