UPC Plumbing Code, Helpful Hints by Bert Polk Plumbing inspector

[Terry]

Helpful Plumbing Hints for Residential Construction by Bert Polk Plumbing Inspector Lincoln County

States that use the UPC

Alaska UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
Arizona UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
California UPC applicable Statewide
Colorado UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
Hawaii UPC, with local ammendments.
Indiana UPC base document for State code
Iowa UPC effective Statewide, IPC adopted by Local Governments
Kansas UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
Kentucky code
Minnesota UPC effective Statewide UPC Minnesota
Missouri TBD either IPC or UPC effective Statewide
Montana UPC effective Statewide
Nebraska UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
Nevada UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
New Mexico UPC adopted at State level but IPC in use locally
North Dakota UPC effective Statewide
Oregon UPC effective Statewide
South Dakota UPC 2003 version effective Statewide
US Virgin Is. UPC Island wide
Washington UPC effective Statewide, with amendments
Wisconsin Plumbing Code Link
Wyoming Both IPC & UPC used by Local Governments

 

[Winslow]

Hawaii also uses the UPC, with local ammendments.

Thanks, I added Hawaii to the UPC page.
Terry

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jimbo]

That link to Bert is a great resource. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. How many thousand words have been posted here trying to explain the concept of not draining second floor waste into the vent from first floor! One of the early pics in the series shows that so well!!!!!!!

 

[Hairyhosebib]

This is a great resource and helps me out a lot. I am curious about why water heater T&P valves can be plumbed with multiple elbows and several feet of pipe here in the Phoenix area. I sure don't have mine like that. Every elbow causes the water to be slowed down as it escapes the tank! I sure would not want mine to blow up.

 

[Terry]

You are allowed fittings on the relief line. I've never heard of a working T&P with 3/4" drain that was ever a problem. The problems occur when someone puts a cap or plug in the relief line to stop a leak. At best, as long as they are allowed to drip out the pressure, you should be fine. In apartments and condo's, with stacked units, they normally let us run two heaters on 3/4" and then start bumping up the sizing as we go down.

 

[Hairyhosebib]

I'm thinking you are only allowed 2 fittings after the T&P according to the UPC code. And it is to terminate six inches above the floor. Just like in the picture of the link above. Water heaters are time bombs. When I was in plumbing school we were shown a picture of a grade school building that had pretty much blown up because the maintenance guy removed the old leaking T&P valve and plugged it off and did not turn the water heater off. While he was gone getting a new valve the water heater blew up killing several people. I think this may have happened in the 60"s but I don't know where it occurred.

 

[Terry]

"I'm thinking you are only allowed 2 fittings after the T&P according to the UPC code."

I would like to see that paragraph in the code book. Do you have a code book to look in? I'm looking at mine, and I don't see that mentioned. Most T&P lines have about six 90 bends. We talking water at 150 PSI going through the pipe. Though I find it goes out the end of the pipe smoking fast at 70 PSI.
And water supply to the water heater, has plenty of 90's too.
You can pop the T&P on any heater, and as long as you are running 3/4" out, it's a gusher on the other end.
Nowhere in the UPC code book does it mention fittings.
It does mention that there can be no "shutoff" valve on the drain. But then no plumber would ever consider installing a shutoff on the drain.
Where water heaters exploded, someone had "capped" off the relief with a plug or a cap.

 

[Hairyhosebib]

Well,
I'm just recalling what I was taught in plumbing school in Indiana in the 1980's. Again like the picture that is posted, isn't it to be terminated within six inches of the floor. Isn't that what the picture shows? Mine was piped to the outside. If I never go outside, how would I know if there is a problem? Most people don't know. I would certainly rather have the leak near the water heater instead of a slow leak growing moss at some place I never look at. What I was taught may have been taken from a BOCA code book from the 1980's too. It could easily have been a personal preference to the instructor too. You know very well how a teacher/proctor can be. We were also taught that any new part that was installed in a potable water system or any new water lines installed are to be sanitized by a certain percentage of bleach and water and held in such piping system for X amount of time and then flushed out. Is this still part of the code? I do not have a current code book. It is easier to have you answer My question. LOL I notice in one of the other pictures that code requires a cleanout above the flood rim level of the kitchen sink. It would certainly make my life easier if there were a good useable cleanout above flood rim level of every urinal, sink, water fountain, water closet and anything else that might get plugged and needs to be cabled out.

 

[godsplumber]

I will use the pictures. Thanks for the link

 

[hj]

quote; I am curious about why water heater T&P valves can be plumbed with multiple elbows and several feet of pipe here in the Phoenix area. I sure don't have mine like that. Every elbow causes the water to be slowed down as it escapes the tank! I sure would not want mine to blow up.

In Phoenix, the T&P line has to be piped to a "safe discharge" location, which is usually outside the building. The "excess elbows and pipe length" have NOTHING to do with a heater exploding, unless it is run in such a way that water is trapped and then freezes. If the water is "escaping" the tank, then it will NOT blow up anyway. It blows up when the water CANNOT escape and then the tank ruptures and all the potential energy in the superheated water is released "instantly". Phoenix was using the IPC for residential work and the UPC for commercial, but I have not been involved enough to know if they still do it that way. When the clerk told me they were using the IPC, I told her, "That means you are using the anything goes code now", and she said, "That's about it".

 

[Save-H2O]

quote; I am curious about why water heater T&P valves can be plumbed with multiple elbows and several feet of pipe here in the Phoenix area. I sure don't have mine like that. Every elbow causes the water to be slowed down as it escapes the tank! I sure would not want mine to blow up.

In Phoenix, the T&P line has to be piped to a "safe discharge" location, which is usually outside the building. The "excess elbows and pipe length" have NOTHING to do with a heater exploding, unless it is run in such a way that water is trapped and then freezes. If the water is "escaping" the tank, then it will NOT blow up anyway. It blows up when the water CANNOT escape and then the tank ruptures and all the potential energy in the superheated water is released "instantly". Phoenix was using the IPC for residential work and the UPC for commercial, but I have not been involved enough to know if they still do it that way. When the clerk told me they were using the IPC, I told her, "That means you are using the anything goes code now", and she said, "That's about it".

I install Irrigation systems and do the occasional water heater repair, lav, etc.. I am very familiar with the psi, flow loss due to friction, etc.. in a standard Irrigation system you use a 10% rule for friction loss of the total amount of fittings. Since the T&P is 3/4 after loss of pressure you could still move 20 gal min. Since you don't have to worry about water hammer or a block. The velocity in 3/4 is going to be high.