Chapter 4 - Fixtures : Part 1

Chapter 4 of the North Carolina Plumbing Code begins to delve into the meat of the code. Type and placement of fixtures are generally within the scope of the architect and engineer on most projects, but you will need to know this stuff for the test. Plumbers are also expected to know these regulations on the job. If the engineer doesn't get the fixture count right it is the plumber who will have their inspection failed.

Review all drawings and specifications before you start work.

It is far more expensive to go back and add/change-out fixtures at the end of the job than to catch mistakes early on. Your first step, as the plumber, should be to review the drawings and specifications for compliance with local code. The engineer may be from out of state, or even outside the US.

It is the responsibility of the local plumber to step up and say, early on, that the system will not pass local code and changes need to be made.

This chapter of the code contains information on specific minimum requirements for fixtures and facilities in different types of structures and how to calculate occupancies and expected use. If you are one toilet short the local code official may catch the discrepancy on the initial rough – or they may not. But even if isn't caught until the final inspection it will still need to be added. That could be a major headache in a finished structure.

The chapter's first sentence gives us the scope: “This chapter shall govern the materials, design and installation of plumbing fixtures, faucets and fixture fittings in accordance with the type of occupancy, and shall provide the minimum number of fixtures for various types of occupancies.”

A long sentence. Let's break it down.

In this chapter we are told what the different types of occupancy are. Chart 403.1 breaks it down into 8 different categories which are further divided into occupancy types. For each we are given total fixtures, by type, which are required, based on how many people are expected to use the structure. This is given for male and female occupancy, which can have different ratios depending on structure and occupancy type.

Notice at the bottom of the chart are a long list of notes that provide adjustments to the chart for various situations.

This is a large chart, with a lot of what-ifs. You're not expected to memorize it all. That's why you have your code book handy on the job and when you take the test. The North Carolina Plumbing Code is filled with charts such as this. But you do need to be familiar with the information and know where to find the chart.

The chart is a quick reference.

The code text explains it all and goes into greater detail. If you have noticed the notes under the chart that are underlined, and other sections of code that are underlined, these are additions North Carolina has made to the International Plumbing Code – which our code is based on. These are often the gotchas that trip up out of state engineers who know the International Code very well, but may miss some small provision that North Carolina has changed.

In previous chapters we have seen entire sections of code that have been deleted or moved. This also keeps continuity with the International Code. In the North Carolina Statute, which governs the code, the International Code was adopted with North Carolina revisions. Most of the changes are small, but some change the entire intent of the original code. In all cases the North Carolina Code is the final word.

We must also note that types and occupancies not shown on table shall be determined by the local official.

Numbers and types can also be adjusted if it is shown that the occupancy will be different than the standard assumed in the chart. So an all girl school would not require the same ratio of male to female facilities as the “education” classification on the chart. We would need many more female and far less male facilities.

Prior to delving into the number and types, we are provided with some minimum material requirements for fixtures.

Section 401.2 describes prohibited types of water closets and prohibits trough urinals. I have never encountered a prohibited water closet. Manufacturers are well aware of the International Code standards and design their products accordingly. We saw in a previous chapter that all fixtures and material must comply with various “approved” standards.

Trough urinals were popular decades ago and may still exist in some older structures. These would fall under the code pertaining to existing structures as to whether they would need to be replaced. But they are definitely not allowed in new construction.

If you have never encountered a trough urinal, they are a single trough of varying length that can be used by multiple people – usually with a constant flow of water through the trough. They were outlawed years ago due to privacy and health concerns and also for their inefficiency.

Section 402 lists materials allowed and minimum quality of those materials. Again, manufacturers work to these standards and any major manufacturer's products should meet the minimums. But this could become an issue if off market or foreign goods are used. As said before, all fixtures and materials must meet approved standards as listed by ASTM, ASME, and others. When in doubt check with the local official before installation.

In my next post we will continue in Chapter 4 and drill down into a little more detail.

HB2 - Simple Solutions

The battle for bathrooms rages on. It has drawn national attention and cost a sitting Governor his re-election. And even as North Carolina is ranked in the top five states economically the media bewails the “millions of dollars” HB2 has cost the state economy – from basketball tournaments to rock concerts. But let's have a more serious look.

The Charlotte ordinance which prompted HB2 required businesses to allow transgender individuals access to facilities based on the gender they “identify” with. The law applied to public and private facilities, including schools. We are not only talking about individual toilet rooms or changing rooms at Target with latching doors. The rule applied to open “gang” showers and locker rooms.

In modern western culture we have developed the idea of personal modesty and privacy. That is the reason large public bathrooms have stalls and doors. If a man or woman exposes themselves to a member of the opposite sex it is considered a crime. There are cultures where such puritan ethics are unheard of and public bathing is not an issue, but not in western culture. There are also cultures where rape is not considered taboo.

That is the problem with Charlotte's ordinance and the reaction of the State in HB2. Supporters of HB2 have failed to present that basic, and simple, argument. They have allowed outside forces and liberal politicians to frame the case as “homophobia” and bigotry against a growing LGBTQ community. But the truth is more complicated. The Charlotte ordinance was bigoted against those who desire a degree of privacy and modesty.

If you asked the question “Are you okay with having a male in the shower with your daughter?” the answer would be almost unanimously NO. The person's “gender identity” is not really relevant when everyone is naked. What is relevant is young men and women being presented with the genitalia of the opposite sex in places like locker rooms and gang showers where they are required to disrobe. What is at issue is privacy and modesty.

This is an easy problem to fix that doesn't require either side to give up their rights. We do not need to force members of one biological sex to be in close proximity with the opposite biological sex while both are exposed. Remember, we put stalls with doors in bathrooms so we don't even have to expose ourselves to members of our own sex while we take care of business.

I remember when I was a kid many public restrooms had long trough urinals where men would crowd in, shoulder to shoulder. They were deemed unsanitary, and men wanted a little more privacy, so today we have individual urinals with partitions between them. Many facilities have done the same with showers, though many schools still have large, open, gang showers. But we have never had unisex gang bathrooms or public bath houses where men and women share facilities.

The simple fix is more privacy, not less. Just like the case where the state code requires division between urinals, a move to individual facilities would solve the problem without injuring the sensibilities or rights of either side. It is a design problem, not a political one. Trans people do not want to use the facilities of the gender they do not identify with and many non-trans people do not want to expose themselves with those of a different biological sex. Individual facilities do not require gender distinction.

This is where my whole rant relates to the plumbing industry, which is the point of this blog. We can design facilities that are more private and thereby more inclusive without stepping on anyone's toes. The cost may be slightly more, but not unreasonable if facilities are properly designed. I'm sure there was some complaint from business when trough urinals were phased out. But the payback in customer satisfaction, and saving expensive remodeling later with the whim of politics, is worth a little redesign.

It is up to us as plumbing professionals and designers to solve this issue. We should lead the way and make the battle over bathroom bills a non-issue. Some simple measures could be having partitions extend floor to ceiling with lockable doors, partitions in locker rooms, and individual shower rooms with adjoining changing areas. All of these exist in some facilities, it's just a matter of standards.

If our designs look at the places people demand privacy, and provide that privacy, we can make facilities that are more open and more private at the same time. A large unisex facility could have individual toilets and showers with individual changing rooms yet a large common area of lavatories and lockers. No one's privacy would be intruded, but there would be more inclusion and possibly a savings in construction and maintenance costs.

When we look to solve problems, not posture on ideology, we can find efficient, progressive answers. The “Bathroom Bill” debate is more about posturing than solving problems. As the nations designers and builders we can fix this. As America's plumbers, this is our arena – our area of expertise. Leave bathrooms to the State Board and to plumbers, not legislators and pundits. North Carolina can lead the way. Plumbers can once again “protect the health of the nation.”