Who draws the Plumbing Prints?

15 years ago

Not long ago there was a thread where the originator was asking who is responsible for drawing the Plumbing Print. At that time I stated that it was the plumbers responsibility and there was a number of people who took exception to my comments.

Yesterday I happened to have a lunch meeting with one of the leading residential/commercial architects in our region and as a side note, I posed the question to him:

To my surprise he laughed and said, I like the majority of my colleagues are simply not qualified to draw the plumbing prints. He went on to say that the state law says that a Master or Journeyman Plumber must draw all plumbing prints, without exception, however the state allows two pathways to becoming a plumber.

If one sets out to become a Master or Journeyman plumber they must participate in a state approved 4year apprenticeship program. Satisfactory completion of the apprenticeship is deemed a pre-requisite to sit for the plumberÂs exam however the state also allows a second path.

If one has a four-year degree in architecture or mechanical engineering the state will accept that as a pre-requisite and allow the individual to sit for the plumbers exam. If they pass the exam they get a plumbers endorsement on their architect or mechanical engineers license and may then draw the prints.

According to the architect most prospective homeowners purchase their prints from a ready source or have the prints drawn up before they actually acquire their building lot. Understanding that every DWV layout must be custom drawn to allow for the specific conditions at the building site, it then is impossible to draw the plumbing prints until they can have a site plan available.

He went on to say that in most instances the plumbing contractor will draw up the plumbing plans but in those instances where the prospective homeowner demands a plumbing print be included in their architectural package, he like many other architects find it much more expedient and cost efficient to have a master or journeyman plumber on their staff who can prepare the plumbing prints, which are signed by the plumber who prepares them, then the architect puts his/her stamp of approval on them and they are included in the package.

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Comments (4)

sierraeast
15 years ago
In our area, only locations of the various fixtures are shown such as sinks, toilets, tubs,etc. It's up to the expertise of the plumber to layout and design the lines and dwv onsite. In many cases, i dont see how it could be done any other way especially when you figure that often times framing members are in the way and not layed out on the prints as well, so re-routing and custom onsite layouts are necessary. As long as they have wall layouts/roof framing and those locations for the fixtures, they typically go off of that. It's my understanding, and correct me if im wrong, that on most commercial projects, there are plumbing layouts on the prints.
allison0704
15 years ago
I agree, plumbing prints are a waste. Locations of fixtures and shower is all that is needed in most cases. The only thing drawn out on our plan were the pipes going into the slab for lower level plumbing. Electrical drawings are almost as useless. Once the house was framed, we walked around with our electrician and he marked where we wanted outlets and switches according to door swings, etc.

fwiw, we own commercial real estate. Neither retail or office building blueprints require plumbing layouts on print in our area.
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mightyanvil
15 years ago
I've never seen a "plumbing print" for a single-family house but sometimes a stack or a drain run is dotted on the architectural plan if it is particularly important to the layout.
bus_driver
15 years ago
Some jurisdictions do indeed require a detailed plumbing print to be submitted as part of the permit application process. I have not personally encountered this. A good plumber can install per code without a drawing other than fixture location.
I found this article both amusing and infuriating. Government helping make housing more affordable? Ha Ha!

Here is a link that might be useful: Plumbing codes

Who draws the Plumbing Prints?

Comments (4)

sierraeast

allison0704

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