Many things can be said of me, but not that I am not an extremely hardworking fellow, one who takes all jobs as they come, from large irrigation and water conveyance projects to ... industrial kitchen remodeling. Actually, industrial kitchens are quite a challenge. They have to deliver large amount of plates in a very short time and there cannot be quality failures. And the middle aged female inspectoresses of our Ministry of Health are positively persecuting them, trying to find some health risk and close them down. The godless operators have nightmares of their sudden "apparitions" and go to sleep with a prayer asking for salvation from their "kitchen god". The kibbutzim in Israel are changing and transforming their social and physical infrastructure to the demands of a capitalist society. Once, all the members of a kibbutz ate in the communal restaurant, which had a large industrial kitchen. Now members, or should I call them shareholders? eat at their homes, and the communal kitchen is being sold or rented out to be operated on a commercial, profit basis. In this case, apparently (I am not sure) one enterprising woman, member of the kibbutz, took over the communal eatery and is trying to transform it into a catering operation, providing lunch to the kibbutz's industrial area, which is being rebuilt by private entrepreneurs. The old kitchen is a disaster, and would never be licenced by the Ministry of Health. Here comes the water engineer, to work with an architect to remake the 50 years old ruin. The idea of remodelling came after continuous sewage obturations and flooding of the kitchen and the supermarket below.
I am going to seal off the old piping, and cover the concrete floor with a colorful epoxy floor. My new pipes will run outside, on the wall. All visible water pipes will be dismantled and taken out of the walls, and new pex flexible piping installed. The historic caustic soda dishwashing tank already has been dismantled and thrown out and a new shining inox steel machine brought in. I am becoming an expert in these line of work too and the kibbutzim are after me. I dont know why, I have already too much work and should be specializing in the most profitable kind of work, but I cant be bothered. But I have this blind urge to run into any new situation and get excited by the challenge of new things. Since youth I have been in Argentina's far north, in the Pantanal, in Nigeria's Sahel, in Maiduguri, in western China, where not? I cant say no. If tomorrow they invite me to design a wastewater recycling plant in Andromeda, this night I"ll sleep at the rocket's door. I cant miss anything.
8 comments:
I love "Remodelation" but it's not a word. Either "Remodeling" or "Renovation". Any ten year old native speaker could tell you that, though he couldn't tell you the reason why. I don't know either, but it's not a word.
"Inox" isn't really English either. "Stainless steel" is correct.
That's my English lesson for the day.
I find it funny that you can run the sewage pipes on the outside. Where I am in the US they would freeze solid in winter and this is never done. It is quite common in the UK - I think because plumbing was added after many buildings were built. Also because of the jet stream, the UK climate is fairly mild in winter despite being as far north as the uninhabitable parts of Canada.
On the other hand, we permit even multi-family buildings to be made of wood (and due to our vast forests this is the cheapest building material). The other day an apartment building under construction was set on fire by some workmen who were careless with a cutting torch. The building went up in flames "like a vertical lumberyard". There were not yet any sprinklers or other fire protection mechanisms in place and within minutes the entire building was engulfed in flames. The fire department came but their hoses had no effect on the roaring flames. The radiant heat was so intense that the completed apartment building across the street burst into flames as well, and then the next and the next - when it was all done several hundred people had lost all their possessions, pets, etc. (nobody was hurt and the apartments were rented, not owned). Americans build housing as cheap as possible and not for the long term. We use all kinds of cheap materials - vinyl siding, asphalt shingles, chip board sheathing that I never see in use in Europe. On the other hand, until recently the plumbing was overbuilt due to codes - copper water pipes connected with solder, cast iron sewer pipes with lead and oakum hubs were required in many areas and are still being used by plumbers trained in the old methods. Gas is carried in threaded black iron. Plastic is just now becoming popular for water, though usually the stiff large diameter PVC and not the flexible PEX, which is still rare.
Thanks, I deleted the word that did not exists. In Israel, high density poli-etylene rules plumbing, such as "gabarit" for sewage pipes and "pex" or "sp" for water distribution pipes. I dont know why in Europe and the USA still use metal and other materials.
The reason old methods and materials are used in the US is because plumbing work is a trade guild monopoly and it is in their interest to use the most expensive and labor intensive materials. US is also obsessed with venting so plumbing job is twice as big - for very foot of sewer pipe there is another foot of vent pipe running to the roof from each fixture. Only recently were air admittance valves permitted and even now they are called "cheater" valves and frowned upon.
Very interesting your comment. I have enormous respect for American workmanship and find it difficult to accept that in America of all places, medioeval practices have survived. I have downloaded several American plumbing regulations and they are certainly very conservative. For example, sizing requirements for FOG interceptors in America are at least two times those required in Israel. Regarding "cheaters", we understand they are unreliable and are not allowed. Venting is required as in America.
Regarding venting, I understand you did not mean that for every meter of sewer pipe you need one meter of vent. You meant that regulations require that every three or so fixtures must be equipped with one 4¨ vent pipe.
It is not literally meter for meter, it only works out that way. The most restrictive codes require that each fixture have its very own vent unless the "trap arm" is very short (the distance depends on diameter) - this is the distance from the trap to the "soil stack" which is the main vertical pipe leading to the roof above and the sewer below. I am not a plumbing engineer or even a plumber, but it is not a fixed ratio of 1 vent for 3 fixtures or any given number - the fixture directly in front of the soil stack (usually the toilet) can go directly into the stack (and if it is a small bathroom, perhaps one more on each side - sink to left of stack, shower to right, this would be 3) can feed directly into the stack. Beyond the trap arm distance, each fixture has two pipes - a soil pipe below which feeds waste into the main stack and a vent pipe above which rejoins the stack at a higher point in order to admit air.
Does anyone know of a good specialty metals company that can produce custom made metal parts at a reasonable price?
Joie
If you are in Israel, I know several able נגרי מתכת
(stainless steel sheets working experts, and small workshops).
If you are in other country, I cant help you.
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