1. Air Lock
   Baffle
2. Scupper
   Metal fatigue

A baffle is an object such as a plate or screen which causes a fluid (liquid or gas) to change the direction of its flow. It can also act to slow down the fluids or prevent sloshing and mixing.

1. Male threads
   Ballcock
2. Leach field
   Dip tube

Threading is described as “male” when it is on the outside of a fitting and “female” when it is on the inside. A fitting with male threads can be screwed into a fitting with female threads to make a connection.

1. Offset
   Trapway
2. Pipe dope
   Black water

Plumbers routinely use pipe dope as a precautionary measure when connecting threaded pipes. The pipe dope is applied to the threads of both pipes before they are fitted together and helps to provide a watertight seal.

1. Run
   Hose bib
2. Offset
   Nipple

The threading at either end of a nipple helps it to serve as a connector between two other plumbing components. By definition, a nipple has male threading on both ends, that is, it has threading on the outside. The coupling is similar but has the threading on the inside.

1. Blow bag
   Back vent
2. Cleanout
   Flapper

The flapper’s job is to open so that water can flow from the tank into the toilet bowl and then close with a watertight seal once the flush cycle is complete. The term “flapper” can refer to the entire valve or just the movable piece which flips up and down.

1. Male threads
   Bathroom group
2. Gray water
   Black water

One official definition of a bathroom group is “a single water closet, a lavatory and a bathtub or shower which are all located within a single room.” Generally speaking, however, aside from these fixtures, the group may also include any number of the following: a combination bath/shower, a bidet and a urinal.

1. Backflow
   Air lock
2. Nipple
   Snaking your lines

The plumber’s snake is a type of drill, called an auger, which is very useful for unclogging drains and pipes when a plunger cannot get the job done. There are different snake designs for working on bathtub, sink and toilet drains. The plumber’s snake goes by other names, including drain snake and toilet jack/auger.

1. Coupling
   Cock
2. Water hammer
   Wax ring

The stopcock (or simply cock) is used to regulate the flow of water in a pipeline and to stop the flow entirely when the cock is fully closed. Stopcocks come in various designs and go by such names as bibcock, sillcock and petcock.

1. Poppet
   Black water
2. Back vent
   Leach field

A poppet valve rises up to open and allow the flow of liquids through a pipe and slides back down to shut off the flow. One very common example of a poppet valve can be seen on the top of some water and juice bottles.

1. Water hammer
   Nipple
2. Coupling
   Bathroom group

When a pipe carrying water at high pressure is suddenly closed, it can cause a shock wave to be set up in the pipe. The resulting knocking and vibrating inside the pipe is a phenomenon known as "water hammer." It can be strong enough to break the pipe and damage fixtures it is attached to.

1. Offset
   Jacket
2. Plumber’s putty
   Ballcock

Despite its name, a water heater should not be hot, or even warm, on the outside. Most new heaters already have an insulating jacket, but owners of older models can purchase a jacket to fit their heater. While the jacket is made to fit a particular tank, a more customizable option is the water heater blanket.

1. Coupling
   Flapper
2. Metal fatigue
   Flushometer

Couplings or couplers are small and have female (or internal) threading at either end. They are similar to nipples which serve the same basic function but have the threading on the outside.

1. Baffle
   Run
2. P-trap
   Flushometer

The P-trap gets its name from its shape since it looks like a letter “p” turned on its side. The water which remains in the P-trap acts as a barrier to noxious sewer gases passing back into the room. Other types of bent drainpipes include the ones shaped like the letters S, U and J.

1. Plumber’s putty
   Hose bib
2. Metal fatigue
   P-trap

Metal pipes undergo bending, flexing, contraction and expansion. Over time, this leads to metal fatigue where the material develops tiny cracks and becomes weaker. The weakened pipe is then very likely to break under pressure.

1. Baffle
   Run
2. Ballcock
   Jacket

Generally, pipe run is described as a measurement of the length of pipe between a fixture and the drain. Technically, the term run is used in plumbing as it is in many other disciplines to specify that it is the horizontal distance which is being considered.

1. Wax ring
   Interceptor
2. Cleanout
   Flux

Flux has the consistency of a paste which can be applied separately when soldering or sweating. Quite often nowadays, however, the solder wire is made with the flux embedded in it. The type of flux plumbers use is sometimes referred to as “active flux” or “plumber’s flux.”

1. Gray water
   Flux
2. Trapway
   Flapper

The term “gray water” usually refers to all waste water except from toilets, bidets and urinals. It is, therefore, considered to be “relatively clean.” Gray water is also called sullage.

1. Pipe dope
   Trapway
2. Wax ring
   Interceptor

The wax ring acts as a barrier against odors from the toilet’s trap seeping into the room. It can also block liquids, but that is not its primary function. Wax rings are designed to last indefinitely, although a loosely fitted toilet could cause the wax ring to also become loose and in need of replacing.

1. Plumber’s putty
   Flux
2. Poppet
   Scupper

Plumber’s putty is very moldable and makes a watertight seal when applied. It is one of the standard items every plumber has, as it is ideal for molding around connections and at the base of fixtures. Its main ingredients include clay and flax oil.

1. Pipe dope
   Dip tube
2. Coupling
   Blow bag

The blow bag, blowfish or drain-cleaning bladder is one method plumbers have at their disposal to clear a blocked drain. A regular garden hose is fitted to one end of the blow bag which has a special valve at the other end. Once enough water is collected in the blow bag, the valve opens and the water rushes out with great force to clear the drain

1. Jacket
   Poppet
2. Water hammer
   Flushometer

A flushometer is sometimes referred to as a flush valve, but there is another plumbing component which also bears that name. Flushometers are automatic water conservation devices and are typically found on commercial-grade toilets, bidets and urinals.

1. Cock
   Flapper
2. Black water
   Dip tube

While black water is wastewater from toilets, bidets and urinals, other sources such as sinks, tubs and showers produce what is called gray water. Black water can also refer to water which is contaminated by certain chemicals.

1. Baffle
   Jacket
2. Ballcock
   Snaking your lines

The ballcock is attached to a float by a metal arm. Flushing the toilet causes the float to drop which in turn activates the ballcock to start refilling the tank. The rising water raises the float which shuts off the ballcock at the appropriate height.

1. P-trap
   Backflow
2. Air Lock
   Cleanout

Air locks are typically unwanted occurrences in a water distribution system since they have the effect of cutting off the water supply. One way in which an air lock can be useful, however, is in the design of an S-trap where it prevents offensive odors from coming back up through the pipe.

1. Cock
   Interceptor
2. Wax ring
   Hose bib

The grease interceptor or grease trap prevents oil and grease in wastewater from entering a septic tank or flowing on to a sewage treatment facility. The interceptor also works very well at removing solid food particles from wastewater.

1. Bathroom group
   Pipe dope
2. Back vent
   Scupper

Scuppers are simple features which help to prevent a buildup of rain water on roofs and decks which feature low walls around them. They can also be found in the sides of a ship’s deck where they allow both rainwater and seawater which has come aboard to run off.

1. Flushometer
   Backflow
2. Reducer
   Trapway

The trapway serves as a passageway from the toilet bowl to the waste outlet. The size of a trapway refers to the largest diameter ball which can pass through it – the wider the trapway, the less likely it is to clog.

1. Poppet
   Back vent
2. Run
   Air Lock

A back vent is typically located on a waste pipe. It can be found on the sewer-side of the pipe’s trap preventing reverse flow in the pipe.

1. Male threads
   Offset
2. Reducer
   Snaking your lines

Offsetting is a common occurrence in plumbing, with most offsets positioned at a 45-degree or 22.5-degree angle. A 90-degree bend might not allow for free flow of water. The term “offset” can also be used when two connected pipes are no longer in alignment, resulting in a leak.

1. Blow bag
   Snaking your lines
2. Backflow
   Reducer

Backflow can result in contaminated water mixing with potable water. It is a sanitation hazard and a very real health threat. Installation of a check valve, which only allows one-way flow of water, can assist with backflow prevention.

1. Plumber’s putty
   Hose bib
2. P-trap
   Bathroom group

Hose bib typically refers to an outdoor faucet, with “hose” being used because these faucets are likely to have hoses attached to them. The faucets in a washroom to which a washing machine’s hoses are connected may also be referred to as hose bibs.

1. Dip tube
   Leach field
2. Flux
   Nipple

Many water heaters are designed with both the inlet and outlet at the top. The inlet pipe is attached to a dip tube inside the tank so that the cold water gets sent straight to the bottom of the tank where it is closest to the heating element.

1. Gray water
   Scupper
2. Metal fatigue
   Cleanout

Having a cleanout on a drain pipe or trap can minimize or eliminate the amount of dismantling of pipes needed to clear stubborn blockages. It is a very convenient feature which saves time, money and effort.

1. Water hammer
   Interceptor
2. Reducer
   Male threads

A reducer is a fairly small connector which is wider at one end than at the other. It is used to join pipes of different diameter and can have the desired effect of increasing water pressure in the second (smaller) pipe. Reducers are a type of coupling.

1. Gray water
   Leach field
2. Blow bag
   Cock

It is not uncommon for homeowners to plant on top of a leach field. Apart from beautification, landscaping the area also serves the purpose of preventing soil erosion and helping the leach field function at its best.