Page 150 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

The City & Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1

● cutting in fittings, such as isolation valves and tees into an existing hot or
HEALTH AND SAFETY cold water pipe
Soldering is a fire risk on ● capping off existing pipework
any job. Ensure you take ● removing existing bath, washbasin and sink taps
the proper precautions,
such as using a heatproof ● changing WC pans and cisterns, and other bathroom equipment
soldering mat or heat- ● boiler swaps on existing central heating installations.
dissipating spray gel.
Protection of the building fabric and its

surroundings
So far in this chapter we have seen how a customer’s personal belongings should
be protected from dust and damage from the installation process, but there are
other ways that we can protect the building and its surroundings.
● When soldering is taking place in the building, the risk of fire is ever present.
To protect the building fabric, a heatproof soldering mat should be used. It
should be remembered, however, that these will not protect if the flame is
p Figure 2.59 Soldering mat directly on the mat. A shallow angle should be applied to the blowtorch, if
possible, to deflect the heat away from the wall/floor/ceiling/skirting board.
There are three different types of mat available that will resist temperatures
INDUSTRY TIP of 600°C, 1000°C and 1300°C.
● One other way we can protect against heat is to use heat-dissipating spray
When removing old gel. This offers protection against the scorching of wallpaper and paint, and
equipment, where there is loosening of existing joints, and it also reduces the risk of fire by protecting
a risk of spillage of dirty surfaces and dissipating heat.
water, such as removing ● When drilling walls, to prevent blowing the surface of the backside of the
old radiators, to prevent the wall you are drilling, first, drill a small pilot hole and drill from both sides.
spillage turn the radiator
upside down so that the valve This will ensure that the wall surface around the hole is not damaged.
tails are at the top. ● Before drilling a wall, check it first with a cable/pipe detector to ensure that
there are no services already in the wall.

VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

When working outside the building, protect the customer’s garden by the
KEY TERM use of walk boards across flowerbeds and protective sheeting across grass
lawns. Do not dig ladders into lawns.
Fire stopped: a barrier is
placed where the pipe Always remember to protect those carpets that cannot be removed during
passes through a floor, simple maintenance operations such as these.
ceiling or wall to prevent the
spread of fire and smoke.

Fire stopping

Where pipes (including soil and vent pipes) pass between floors, the holes
around the pipe must be fire stopped to prevent the spread of fire. This can be
done in two ways:

1 by the use of an intumescent collar – this is a collar that is placed around the
pipe that expands in the presence of heat to stop the spread of fire
2 by the use of intumescent sealant – this is sealant that acts in the same way
p Figure 2.60 Intumescent collar as an intumescent collar.

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