Plumbing Glossary E
We’ve completed our plumbing As, Bs, Cs and Ds, so now it’s time to find out what those E-words mean that you’ll often hear your plumber say.
Coli – the common abbreviation of Escherichia Coli, which is one of the members of the Coliform groups of bacteria
Eccentric shank – a fitting with a shank, in which the centreline is offset to allow minor compensation for supply lines that would be difficult to precisely position
ECO – Energy Cut Off – a safety device designed to shut power off to the water heater and prevent high temperature
Eductor – a device utilising a nozzle and throat that is installed in a stream of water to create a partial vacuum to draw air or liquid into the stream – it’s commonly used to draw regeneration chemicals into an ion exchange water treatment system, such as a softener
EF – Energy Factor – a measure of the overall efficiency rating of the water heater based on the model’s recovery, efficiency, stand-by loss and energy input
Elbow – sometimes called an ell – a fitting used to change the direction of rigid pipe or tubing
Elevation – the vertical distance between the level where fluid enters a pipe and the level where it leaves, which must be added to the total discharge head if the inlet is lower than the outlet and subtracted if the inlet is higher
EMT – Electrical Metal Tubing – a galvanised steel pipe used to carry electrical or other types of conductors
Expansion tank – a tank designed to absorb excess pressure due to thermal expansion
Expansion valve – thermostatically controlled valve that controls liquid refrigerant
Extinction pop – a flashback occurring when a burner is turned off
Extra strong – sometimes called extra heavy – a standard pipe weight designation
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