CHAPTER 17.
PLUMBING.
As to building regulations generally, see ch. 4 of this Revision. As to gas piping installation and appliance fees, see § 4-2. As to water and sewers generally, see ch. 21.
§ 17-1. Definitions.
§ 17-2. Exception to chapter.
§ 17-3. Registration, notice and permit required.
§ 17-4. Connection with sewer required when available– When cesspool or septic tank permitted.
§ 17-5. Drainage system.
§ 17-6. Traps– Generally.
§ 17-7. Same– Special wastes.
§ 17-8. Cleanouts.
§ 17-9. Back air pipes, vents, etc.
§ 17-10. Testing and inspections.
§ 17-11. Water closets.
§ 17-12. Drainage of storm and surface water.
§ 17-13. Indirect, refrigeration and special wastes not to connect directly with house drain, soil or waste pipe.
§ 17-14. Mechanical discharge system.
§ 17-15. Hot water and safety appliances– Requirements for sale.
§ 17-16. Same– Construction requirements.
§ 17-17. Same– Safety devices.
§ 17-18. Cross connections.
Sec. 17-1. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
Air gap. The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying water to a tank or plumbing fixture and the flood level rim of the receptacle in a water supply system.
Backflow. The flow of water or other liquids into the distributing pipes of a supply of potable water from any source. Back siphonage is one type of backflow.
Backflow preventer or vacuum breaker. A device for installation in a water supply pipe to prevent backflow of water into the water supply system from the connections on its outlet end.
Branch. Any part of a piping system other than a main.
Building drain. That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a building drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste or other drainage pipes inside the walls of any building and conveys it to the building (house) sewer beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
Building (house) sewer. The extension from the building drain to the street sewer or other place of disposal.
Critical level. The level to which a backflow preventer can be immersed in water before backflow begins.
Dead end. A branch leading from a soil, waste, vent, house drain or house sewer which is terminated at developed distance of two feet or more by means of a cap, plug or other fitting.
Emergency. The installation or replacement of piping or fixtures on plumbing systems which must be made at such times as to prevent the filing of an application for a permit to do the plumbing before starting such work.
Flood level. The level at which water begins to overflow the top or rim of the plumbing fixture.
Floor drain. A drain for carrying off surface, overflow and clean waters from a floor surface.
Journeyman plumber. A person who himself does any work in plumbing and is registered and licensed under the law.
Local vent pipe. A pipe through which foul air is removed from a room or fixture.
Main. The principal artery of a continuous piping system to which branches may be connected.
Master plumber. A plumber having a regular place of business who by himself or a journeyman plumber in his employ performs plumbing work and who is registered and licensed under the law.
Plumbing system. The water supply or altering in buildings the pipes, fixtures and other apparatus for bringing in the water supply and removing liquid and water-borne wastes. The term is also used to denote the installed fixtures and piping of a building.
Plumbing fixtures. Receptacles which receive and discharge water, liquid or water-borne wastes into a drainage system with which they are connected.
Plumbing system. The water supply distributing pipes, the fixtures and fixture traps, the soil, waste and vent pipes, the building (houses) drain and building (house) sewer and the storm water drainage pipes with their devices, appurtenances and connections all within or adjacent to the building.
Repair of leaks. Such repairs as are necessary to protect property and public health, but which do not involve any rearrangements or change in plumbing or any pipes or fixtures.
Size and length. The nominal size unless otherwise stated by which pipe or tubing is commercially designed. The developed length of a pipe is its length along the center line of pipe and fittings.
Soil pipe. Any pipe which conveys the discharge of water closets or fixtures having similar functions with or without the discharges from other fixtures.
Special waste pipe or indirect waste pipe. Any pipe or fitting which does not connect directly with a house drain or soil stack.
Stack. The vertical main of a system of soil, waste or vent piping.
Trap. A fitting or device so designed and constructed as to provide a liquid seal which will prevent the back passage of air without materially affecting the flow of sewage or waste water through it.
"Trap seal" means the vertical distance between the crown weir and the dip of the trap.
"Vent system" means pipes installed to provide a flow of air to or from a drainage system or to provide a circulation of air within such system to protect trap seals from siphonage and back pressure.
"Waste pipe" means any pipe which receives the discharge of any fixture, except water closets or similar fixtures, and which conveys the same to the house drain or waste stack. When such pipe does not connect directly with a house drain or soil stack, it is an indirect waste.
"Water distribution pipe" means one which conveys from the water supply service pipe to the plumbing fixtures and other outlets.
"Water service pipe" means the pipe from the water main to the building served.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39 § 18.)
Sec. 17-2. Exception to chapter.
Nothing in these rules and regulations shall be construed as applying to the business of steam fitting, refrigeration, heating and ventilating or gas fitting beyond the point where any connection is made with the water distribution system carrying water for drinking or culinary purposes or the waste pipes carrying wastes or sewage or the vent system. Such connections shall be made subject to the approval and inspection of the plumbing inspectors.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 18.)
Sec. 17-3. Registration, notice and permit required.
All persons who desire to engage in, carry on or work at the business of plumbing within the city shall be registered or licensed by the state examiners of plumbers in accordance with the provisions of chapter 142 of the General Laws.
Every plumber before commencing work on a building shall first, except in the case of the repair of leaks, file at the office of the board of health, upon blanks provided for that purpose, a notice of the work to be performed; and no such work shall be done in any building except in accordance with plans, to be submitted if required, which shall be approved by the inspector of plumbing and a permit issued therefor. Permits to perform plumbing shall be issued to master plumbers only.
Fees for each permit and each additional fixture shall be charged as follows:
New construction:
Single- and two-family and additions, forty dollars, plus five dollars per fixture.
Commercial and industrial buildings, fifty-five dollars, plus eight dollars per fixture.
Church and schoolhouse, fifteen dollars, plus three dollars per fixture.
Remodeling, repairs, renovations, alterations:
Single- and two-family, twenty-eight dollars, plus five dollars per fixture.
Replacement of hot water heaters, twenty dollars.
Residence commercial, three-family and over, thirty-five dollars, plus five dollars per fixture.
Commercial buildings, fifty-five dollars, plus eight dollars per fixture.
Replacement of hot water heaters, thirty dollars.
Church and schoolhouse, fifteen dollars, plus three dollars per fixture.
Demolished buildings:
Cap sewer, forty dollars.
Residential second water meter, forty dollars, plus eight dollars per fixture.
Commercial second water meter, fifty dollars, plus eight dollars per fixture.
Residential back flow preventor, thirty-eight dollars.
Commercial back flow preventor, forty dollars.
Reinspection fee, fifty dollars per inspection.
Penalty, for failure to apply for a permit before construction has started, all fees are doubled.
Written opinion, thirty dollars.
Inspections related to written opinion, thirty dollars.
| Diameter (Inches) | Weight (Pounds per foot) |
| 1 1/2 | 3 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 8 |
Lead bends and traps shall correspond to the above weights. Brass sleeves for connecting lead and cast iron pipes shall be extra heavy, at least 1/8 of an inch thick and made of cast red metal. Brass solder nipples for connecting lead and threaded pipes shall be either cast red metal or seamless iron size brass or copper pipe, size and weight corresponding with the pipe to be connected. In connecting lead pipe together or to brass caulking or soldering nipples, full sized wiped joints shall be used. Cleanouts, plugs, stoppers or any other fittings used in the drainage system shall correspond in weight and material with the above description.
(c) Drain pipes aboveground shall be secured by irons to walls, suspended from floor beams by strong iron hangers or supported on brick piers at points sufficiently close to keep it in alignment and carry the weight of pipe and contents. Proper manholes shall be supplied to reach cleanouts and traps. Every drain pipe shall have a fall of not less than one-quarter inch per foot and shall be extended from a point five feet outside the inside face of the wall unobstructed, unless special permission has been granted by the board of health for the use of a running trap at the entrance to building, to and through the roof, undiminished in size and to a height of not less than two feet above the roof, not less than one foot above the top of any window or opening within fifteen feet and not less than eight feet above the roof if the roof is used for a garden or similar purpose. The drain pipe shall be supplied with a Y branch fitted with a brass cover cleanout or with an iron stopper if required on the direct run, at or near the point where the drain leaves the building. Changes in direction shall be made with long angle and long sweep bends, and all connection with horizontal or vertical pipes shall be made with Y branches. Soil and waste pipes shall have the proper TY or Y branches for all fixture connections. Saddle hubs or double hubs shall not be used. All drain pipes shall be exposed to sight within the building if such exposure is practicable and shall not be subjected to pressure where they pass through the wall. All joints in hub and spigot cast iron pipe shall be made with oakum and molten lead, run full and caulked gas and water tight, and no cement joints nor connections between iron and cement or tile pipe or brick drains shall be made within any building.
(d) Soil and waste pipes shall not have less than the following diameters:
| Minimum branch waste | ....1 1/2 inches. |
| Minimum branch waste for urinals | ....2 inches. |
| Branch waste for sinks | ....1 1/2 inches. |
| Branch waste for wash trays | ....1 1/2 inches. |
| Main waste | ....2 inches. |
| Main waste for sinks, five floors or more | ....3 inches. |
| Soil pipe | ....4 inches. |
| Branch waste for sink and tray combination | ....2 inches. |
| Slop sink waste | ....3 inches. |
| Minimum branch waste for sinks equipped with grease traps | ....2 inches. |
(e) No steam, vapor or water of a temperature over one hundred and thirty degrees Fahrenheit shall be discharged from any premises into a sewer, drain or catch basin, nor shall any matter or thing be discharged into any sewer which may tend to cause an obstruction of the sewer or a nuisance or deposit therein or an injury thereto.
(f) All pressure steam boilers connected to the drain shall be connected with a blow-off tank of a capacity not less than thirty percent of the largest boiler connected with such tank. The location of and the connections to such blow-off tank shall be subject to the approval of the board of health.
(g) No steam exhaust or steam drip, unless it be connected with a vapor pipe not less than two inches in diameter which leading to the sewer. Every blow-off tank shall be supplied with a vapor pipe not less than two inches in diameter which shall be carried above the roof and above the highest windows of the building.
(h) The board of health may require such additional means of cooling off the blow-off tanks by the injection of cold water or otherwise as may be necessary to reduce the temperature of the water passing from the blow-off tank so that it shall not exceed one hundred and thirty degrees Fahrenheit. The discharge from blow-off tanks shall be carried ten feet outside of the building before entering house sewer.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 3.)
Sec. 17-6. Traps– generally.
The waste pipe of every independent fixture shall be furnished with a separate trap which shall be placed as near as practicable to the fixture which it serves. A combination sink and tray may be connected with the house drain through one drum trap or through a two inch one-half S brass trap when outlets are not over three feet six inches apart, but the outlet of each fixture shall enter the trap separately. Lead bends for water closets or slop sinks shall not be used to connect waste from other fixtures. The connections between drainage pipes and earthenware traps shall be made by means of brass or iron flanges caulked, soldered or screwed to the drainage pipes and bolted to the earthenware and the joint made of grafting wax, red or white lead putty, except in the case of water sealed flanges where an approved gasket may be used. All traps shall be of open form, and traps depending upon concealed partitions to retain their seal will not be approved except for earthenware fixtures where the trap seal is plainly visible. Trap screws for cleaning purposes shall be placed in all metal traps, and where such traps are placed in connection with fixtures, they shall be so installed that the water seal will protect the trap screw from sewer air. Traps shall be of lead, cast iron or brass; except, that drum traps shall be of lead or brass.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 4.)
Sec. 17-7. Same– special wastes.
Drainage from stables, garages, laboratories, special fixtures and kitchens shall be installed in accordance with plans approved by the board of health.
(a) When liquid wastes from barns, stables, manure pits and stable yards are permitted to enter the sewer system, they shall be intercepted by a properly trapped catch basin of suitable size and design.
(b) All discharge lines from garages, service pits, washstands and other structures where gasoline, naphtha or other inflammable oils or compounds are used shall be provided with a properly trapped catch basin or a gasoline and oil interceptor approved by the board of health so designed as to safeguard against the entrance of sand, oil, gasoline or other inflammable compound into the sewers. The device shall be ventilated with a separate pipe to a point three feet above the roof and shall have the accumulated oil, gasoline or other inflammable liquids, sand, silt or other solids removed at regular intervals.
(c) Grease interceptors or grease traps of a type approved by the board of health shall be installed on the waste pipes from all pot or dishwashing sinks or machines in every kitchen, pantry or serving room. The trap shall be placed as near as practicable to the fixture which it serves, shall be of sufficient size and shall be easily accessible to open and clean. Every building from which, in the opinion of the board of health, grease may be discharged in such quantity as to clog or injure the sewer shall have a grease trap located outside the building at a point approved by the board of health.
(d) Waste and vent pipes, traps and fittings serving fixtures in chemical laboratories shall be of approved acid-resisting materials made for the purpose. The arrangement of piping shall be subject to the approval of the board of health. So-called acid-resisting hub and spigot cast-metal pipe of the same dimensions as extra heavy cast-iron hub and spigot pipe or other approved corrosion-resisting pipe may also be used for waste and vent pipes.
| Fixtures | Size of pipe (inches) | Greatest length allowed (feet) | Maximum number of fixtures |
| Baths, sinks, basins, urinals | 1 1/2 | 30 | 3 |
| sink and tray | 2 | 70 | 9 |
| combinations | 3 | 70 | 21 |
| Water closets or | 2 | 35 | 3 |
| slop tanks | 3 | 70 | 9 |
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 7.)
Sec. 17-10. Testing and inspections.
Pipes or other fixtures shall not be covered or concealed from view until approved by the board of health, except when in the case of an emergency or repair of leaks this would be impracticable. All work, including emergency and repair work, shall be examined and tested within two working days after notice is received by the board of health that it is ready for inspection. Plumbing shall not be used unless when roughed in, the wastes, vents, back air pipes and traps are first tested in the presence of a representative of the board of health by water or sufficient air pressure if such test is practicable. A final inspection shall be required when plumbing work is completed, and, if satisfactory, a certificate of approval shall be issued therefor to the plumber who signed the application.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 8.)
Sec. 17-11. Water closets.
(a) Every building shall have such number of water closets as the board of health may require. Every building where persons are employed shall have at least one water closet for every fifteen persons employed therein, and in any building where persons of both sexes are employed, separate accommodations shall be furnished for both men and women. No trapped plumbing fixture shall be located in any room or compartment which does not contain a window having an area of at least three square feet placed in an external wall of the building or which is not provided with an approved system of ventilation. Every enclosure, the walls and doors of which extend from floor to ceiling and in which is located one or more water closets or urinals, shall have similar ventilation requirements. The board of health may by special permission grant authority for installing a different system of ventilation than that described herein. Water closets shall be flushed by water from tanks or by flush meter valves capable of delivering five gallons of water to the closets in ten seconds or in the case of urinals, two gallons of water in ten seconds. Water from water closet or urinal flush tanks shall be used for no other purpose.
(b) No water closet, urinal or any other fixture, appliance, appurtenance or device shall be directly supplied from a water distribution system through a flushometer or other valve, faucet, bibb or device unless such flushometer or other valve, faucet, bibb or device and outlet therefrom are set at least one and five-tenths times the diameter of the outlet plus fifty-hundredths inches above the maximum water level or unless the water is supplied to the outlet by way of an approved siphon breaker or vacuum breaker installed in approved manner.
(c) All flushometers and backflow preventers (siphon breakers or vacuum breakers) shall be subject to a laboratory test by and the approval of the department of public health. Backflow preventers shall be of the moving part and air vent type which shall be of such size and proportions as to allow an ample flow of water to fixture, a complete functioning unit valve body between the flush valve mechanism and the installed separately or contained wholly within the flush fixture. The preventer shall be of noncorrodible material, shall not leak under any degree of back pressure and shall operate quietly. The device shall prevent a reduction of pressure in the flush pipe greater than one inch of water when the outlet end of the flush pipe is closed or submerged in water and a vacuum of twenty inches of mercury is applied on the supply side.
(d) The critical level shall in no case be below the outlet connection, and when the critical level is above that point, it shall be shown by a horizontal line not less than one-fourth inch long and clearly stamped on the body the symbols C-L. When not indicated, the critical level shall be considered as being at the level of the outlet end of the device. The critical level of backflow preventers when installed shall be located at least four inches above the flood level of the fixture (maximum water level); except, that where existing supplies, which do not permit elevation of four inches, must be accommodated, the elevation of the critical level may be placed not less than two inches above the flood level of the fixture. Each backflow preventer shall be clearly marked with the manufacturer's name and sufficient additional information to identify it from any other model that is made or has been made by him.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, §§ 9, 10.)
Sec. 17-12. Drainage of storm and surface water.
(a) All roofs and paved areas, yards, courts and court yards shall be drained into the storm water drainage system but not into the separate sewers intended for sewage only except where the storm sewer is above the area way, in which case the area may be connected with the sanitary sewer if properly trapped and if approved by the board of health.
(b) When drains used for this purpose are connected with the combined sewage systems they shall be effectually trapped. One trap may serve all such connections, but traps must be set below the frost line or inside of the building. Where there is no storm sewer accessible, such connections shall be discharged in such manner as not to flow upon a public way or adjoining land.
(c) Wherever a surface drain is installed in a cellar or basement, it shall be provided with a deep sealed trap and backwater valve. Drain pipes from fixtures subject to backflow from sewer shall be supplied with back-water valves.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 11.)
Sec. 17-13. Indirect, refrigeration and special wastes not to connect directly with house drain, soil or waste pipe.
No waste pipe from a refrigerator, icebox or cold room, any receptacle where food is stored, any sterilizer, autoclave, sterile water tank or any receptacle used to treat, process or store surgical or hospital supplies and equipment or any receptacle for storing or dispensing drinking water except drinking fountains which are properly trapped and vented shall connect directly with any house drain, soil or waste pipe. Such waste pipe shall in all cases empty over an open sink, floor drain or other fixture that is properly supplied with water and connected, trapped and vented the same as any other fixture, and an air gap of at least twice the diameter of the waste pipe shall be provided between the waste pipe and the receiving receptacle or waste pipe; except, that an open waste fitting or an approved backflow preventer will be permitted in lines from receptacles not subjected to a vacuum or directly connected to the water supply.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 12.)
Sec. 17-14. Mechanical discharge system.
Fixtures that discharge into a tank and from tank to pump or ejector shall be protected from siphonage with not less than a four inch pipe up and through the roof. Such tank shall be vented, and the vent pipe from the tank may be connected to a vent stack not less than twenty feet in height from tank. No gravity fixture shall be vented into this system. The tank vent shall be the same size as the waste or soil pipe. No fixtures shall be connected to the discharge pipe from an ejector or pump between the ejector or pump and the point where it enters the house drain or sewer. When the drain is subject to backflow, a check valve shall be used.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 13.)
Sec. 17-15. Hot water and safety appliances– requirements for sale.
No range boiler, tank, vessel or container, ferrous or nonferrous, in which water is to be heated or stored under pressure for domestic, culinary or sanitary purposes, in this section and in sections 17-16 and 17-17 referred to as hot water tanks, shall be sold or offered for sale unless it is plainly marked, by stamping into the metal of the tank or into a metal plate permanently attached to the tank, in a conspicuous place and permanently visible as follows:
(a) Manufacturer's name or registered trade mark.
(b) Rated capacity of hot water tank in United States gallons.
(c) Hydrostatic pressure in pounds per square inch at which the tank has been tested by the manufacturer, following the words: "Tested to ."
(d) Maximum allowable working pressure in pounds per square inch.
(R. O. 1960, ch. 39, § 14.)
Sec. 17-16. Same– construction requirements.
No hot water tank shall be repaired, relocated or installed and connected unless it meets the following construction requirements:
(a) The actual capacity of a hot water tank shall be within seven and a half percent of the capacity stamped on the tank.
(b) A hot water tank shall be so constructed by riveting, welding or otherwise as to withstand the stamped test pressure without visible permanent distortion and shall be so designed as to have an ultimate strength sufficient to withstand a hydrostatic pressure twenty-five percent higher than the stamped test pressure.
(c) Solder which melts at a temperature below seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit shall not be used to hold the tank together, but may be used to make it water tight, cistern tanks excepted.
(d) A hot water tank in which water is to be heated or stored under pressure greater than fifteen pounds per square inch shall have a stamped test pressure of not less than two hundred pounds per square inch.
(e) The maximum working pressure at which a hot water tank may be installed shall not be greater than forty-two and a half percent of the test pressure marked on the tank.