touch

en-noun

touch (countable and uncountable, plural touches)

From Middle English touchen, tochen, from Old French tochier (“to touch”) (whence Modern French toucher; compare French doublet toquer (“to offend, bother, harass”)), from Vulgar Latin *tuccō (“to knock, strike, offend”), from Frankish *tukkōn (“to knock, strike, touch”), from Proto-Germanic *tukkōną (“to tug, grab, grasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull, lead”). Largely isplaced native Middle English rinen, from Old English hrīnan (whence Modern English rine). Doublet of tuck.
Cognates
Cognate with Old High German zochhōn, zuhhōn (“to grasp, take, seize, snatch”) (whence German zucken (“to jerk, flinch”)), German Low German tucken, tocken (“to fidget, twitch, pull up, entice, throb, knock, repeatedly tap”), Middle Dutch tocken, tucken (“to touch, entice”) (whence Dutch tokkelen (“to strum, pluck”)), Old English tucian, tūcian (“to disturb, mistreat”) (whence Modern English tuck). Compare also Old High German tokkōn, tockōn (“to abut, collide”). Outside Germanic, cognate to Albanian cek (“to touch”), Old Church Slavonic тъкнѫти (tŭknǫti). More at tuck, take.


sweat

en-verb

sweat (third-person singular simple present sweats, present participle sweating, simple past sweated or sweat, past participle sweated or (archaic) sweaten)

sweats (present singular third-person)
sweating (participle present)
sweated (past)
sweat (past)
sweated (participle past)
sweaten (archaic participle past)

From Middle English sweten, from Old English swǣtan, from Proto-Germanic *swaitijaną (“to sweat”). Compare Dutch zweten, German schwitzen, Danish svede. Doublet of shvitz.

(intransitive, plumbing) To solder (a pipe joint) together.


nipple

nipples (plural)
neple (alternative obsolete)
nypil (alternative obsolete)
nyppell (alternative obsolete)
neapel (alternative obsolete)
neaple (alternative obsolete)
neble (alternative obsolete)

→ Dutch: nippel

→ German: Nippel

→ Danish: nippel

→ Norwegian: nippel

From earlier neple, nypil, neble, believed to be a diminutive of nib, neb (“tip, point”), equivalent to nib + -le. Compare Old English nypel (“elephant trunk”), formed analogously as "a protuberance from one's neb" .

(plumbing, chiefly US) A short tube threaded at both ends, used as a connector.


rad

(automotive, plumbing, slang) Abbreviation of radiator.


wipe

wipe (third-person singular simple present wipes, present participle wiping, simple past and past participle wiped)

wipes (present singular third-person)
wiping (participle present)
wiped (participle past)
wiped (past)

From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian (“to wipe, rub, cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *wīpōn (“to wipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to twist, wind around”). Cognate with German wippen (“to bob”), Swedish veva (“to turn, wind, crank”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 (weipan, “to wreathe, crown”), Old English swīfan (“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”), Sanskrit वेपते (vépate, “to tremble”). More at swivel, swift.

cog

(transitive, plumbing) To make (a joint, as between pieces of lead pipe), by surrounding the junction with a mass of solder, applied in a plastic condition by means of a rag with which the solder is shaped by rubbing.


flapper

In this case, slide the collar of the flapper over the overflow tube until it seats against the bottom of the flush valve.

2004, David Day, Albert Jackson, Popular Mechanics Complete Home How-to, page 356:


spud

From Middle English spudde (“small knife”). Origin unknown; probably related to Danish spyd, Old Norse spjót (“spear”), German Spieß (“spear; spike; skewer”). Compare English spit (“sharp, pointed rod”). The use of the term for a potato was perhaps first used in New Zealand and Australian dialect and slang.

With the tank resting upside down on an old towel or blanket, use a spud wrench or a large pair of channel-type pliers to loosen the spud nut.

2003, Rick Peters, Plumbing Basics, →ISBN, page 103:

For removing or tightening radiator spud nut.

2011, Steve Ettlinger, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores, →ISBN:

(plumbing) A type of short nut (fastener) threaded on both ends.


ABS

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
anti-lock braking system

(plumbing, informal, humorous) Initialism of all-black stuff: i.e. acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, referring to the black color of the waste water

all-black stuff

plumbing pipes composed of this plastic.


needle valve

(plumbing) A type of valve having a small orifice and a needle-like plunger, allowing precise regulation of generally small flow rates.


mainline

mainlines (plural)
main line (alternative)

Many plumbers will tell you they don't go off property since that is the local water company's responsibility. Most local water companies would prefer that, if a line is snaked, it is snaked all the way to the mainline connection.

2007, Melvin Ladon White, Property Owner's Sewer and Drain Guide, page 31:

In addition, opportunities exist for the introduction of these organisms into a system by means of broken or corroded piping, repair of existing mainlines, installation of new mains, back siphonage, and cross-connections, any of which may result in contamination of the water supply.

2013, Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, page 80:

(plumbing) The pipeline carrying wastewater to the public drains or a septic tank.


reducer

(plumbing) A component used to connect two pipes of different bores.


BSP

en-noun

BSP (countable and uncountable, plural BSPs)

British Standard Pipe
w:British Standard Pipe

(plumbing) Initialism of British Standard Pipe.


DWV

(plumbing) Initialism of drain-waste-vent.


upstand

From Middle English upstanden, equivalent to up- + stand. Cognate with Dutch opstaan (“to rise, stand up”), German aufstehen (“to arise, get up, stand up”), Swedish uppstå (“to arise, emerge, come up”).

cog

(construction, plumbing) A section of a roof covering or flashing which turns up against a vertical surface.


AAV

air admittance vent
air admittance vent#English

(plumbing) Abbreviation of air admittance vent.


microbore

en-noun

microbore (countable and uncountable, plural microbores)

(plumbing) A kind of narrow tubing with an outside diameter of 10 millimetres or less.


taft

en-verb

taft (third-person singular simple present tafts, present participle tafting, simple past and past participle tafted)

tafts (present singular third-person)
tafting (participle present)
tafted (participle past)
tafted (past)

(transitive, plumbing) To spread the end of a pipe outward so as to form a wide thin flange.


stench trap

(construction, plumbing) A device to prevent foul air from rising from the openings of sewers, drains, etc., by means of a water seal.


lockshield

(attributive, plumbing) A kind of radiator valve used to balance the system by restricting the flow of water on the return side.


air admittance vent

en-noun

air admittance vent (plural air admittance vents)

(plumbing) a mechanical sewer vent that allows air to enter into the sewage system but does not allow exhaust of sewer gases, to aid the flow of sewage by providing air behind water, where a standard vent stack to atmosphere is not possible, by drawing in interior air but keeping harmful sewer gases contained.


bottle trap

(plumbing) A bottle-like reservoir that fits the pipe below a drain and collects waste.


tumbler tank

(plumbing) A flush-tank in which water gathers in one chamber before being tilted over so as to discharge its contents.


smell trap

(construction, plumbing) Synonym of stench trap


boss up

en-verb

boss up (third-person singular simple present bosses up, present participle bossing up, simple past and past participle bossed up)

bosses up (present singular third-person)
bossing up (participle present)
bossed up (participle past)
bossed up (past)

Possibly devised as a gender-neutral form of man up.

(plumbing) To modify a corner in sheet lead to avoid leaving a hole in the angle.


faucet aerator

(plumbing) A device for faucets or taps which mixes air with water to reduce the flowrate.

perlator

a device for faucets/taps which mixes air with watter to reduce the flowrate


breezer

From breeze + -er, the drink originated as a brand name: Bacardi Breezer.

A minimum of one breezer for every 200 linear feet of distribution pipe and one breezer at the end of the distribution pipe are adequate.

1979, Peter Warshall, John H. Timothy Winneberger, Greg Hewlett, Septic Tank Practices, page 128:

Apparently originating in Canada, sometimes the perforated distribution pipe is fitted with vertical sections of solid pipe rising above ground level. Those breezers ( or breathers ) are fitted with protective caps, but ones through which air can freely flow.

1984, John H. Timothy Winneberger, Septic-tank Systems: A Consultant's Toolkit, page 6:

(plumbing) A vertical pipe attached to a septic system's distribution pipe that rises above the ground to provide ventilation.


pipe bender

(plumbing) A tool or device used to bend pipes, tubes, or conduits into various shapes or angles.


gpf

(plumbing) Abbreviation of gallons per flush.


lpf

(plumbing) Abbreviation of liters per flush.