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1-pipe system A hot water
or steam heating system with a single piping run to and
from
the boiler and the radiators or convectors.
2-pipe system A hot water
or steam heating system with separate supply and return
piping
from the boiler to the radiators or con vectors.
Palmer valve A hinged
valve in the floor drain that allows water from the
drain tile system
to flow through the floor drain into the sewer.
Panel door A solid door
where the rails and stiles are grooved in such a way to
hold an
inset panel.
Parapet A low wall
running along the edge of a flat roof.
Parquet flooring 6-inch
squares made up of six 1-inch strips of wood, laid at
right angles
to each other to provide a finish floor.
PB
An abbreviation for polybutylene, a blue plastic piping
used in supply piping. Uses press
on fittings on joints.
PCi/L
An abbreviation for picocuries of gas per
liter of air, the way radon is measured.
PE An abbreviation for
polyethylene, a plastic piping sometimes used in public
water
systems.
Pedestal-style sump pump
A pump which has the motor mounted on a shaft that sits
above the water level.
Perlite
An insulating material made of volcanic
rock, used as loose fill.
Piers Columns supporting
a structure that are built on footings in a hole below
the frost line.
Pilaster A masonry column
built against a wall to help absorb the horizontal load
and stiffen
the wall.
Piles Columns supporting
a structure that are driven into the ground to reach
soil of bearing
strength.
Pilot The small flame
that ignites gas in a gas burner.
Piston pump A motorized
pump that lifts water from a well with a series of
pistons. Also
called a reciprocating pump.
Pitch pocket A circular
metal box surrounding the plumbing stack, filled with a
plaster of
paris material, and topped with tar or bitumen, used as stack flashing.
Plaster A powder made of
gypsum and other aggregates that forms a paste when wet
and
a durable surface when applied and dried. Used as a wall and ceiling
facing.
Platform framing A
construction method where the stories of the house are
constructed
one on top of each other.
Plenum The first large
section of supply duct directly over a furnace from
which smaller
ducts branch out to distribute heat to the house.
Ply A layer of roof
covering.
Plywood A building
material made of three or more layers of wood sheets
joined with glue.
Pocket door A door
designed to slide sideways for concealment in a wall.
Polarized outlet An
outlet with a large neutral slot and a smaller hot slot
for plugging in
appliances with large and small prongs.
Polystyrene insulation A
plastic foam insulation manufactured as rigid boards.
Post and beam An old
construction method in which a small number of posts and
beams
carry the weight of the structure to a plank flooring.
Poured concrete In a
foundation wall, concrete poured into forms that are
removed after
the concrete has set, thereby forming a wall.
Power The heat produced
by the flow of current through a given resistance. Power
is
measured in watts, kilowatts, and BTU's.
Power ventilator An
electrically powered ventilator located at the gable end
of the roof or
on the roof surface between rafters.
Pressure gauge On a
pressure tank, a gauge that shows the pressure reading
of the tank.
Pressure reducing valve A
valve on the service pipe near the meter that reduces
city
water pressure as it reaches the house.
Pressure reducing valve A
valve on the water supply line to a boiler that reduces
water
pressure to an acceptable boiler pressure.
Pressure relief valve A
valve on a boiler that will discharge water from the
boiler if
pressure approaches dangerous limits.
Pressure switch On a
pressure tank, a switch that automatically starts and
stops the well
pump at preset pressures.
Pressure tank A storage
tank that holds well water under pressure by being
partially filled
with air.
Pressure-treated wood
Wood impregnated with chemical preservatives that
protect the
wood from termites and fungi that cause rot.
Primary control A control
on a oil burner that starts and stops the burner in
response to
thermostat signals and verifies ignition. May be located on the smoke
pipe or burner
housing. Protects the heating system from excessive updrafts and chimney
downdrafts.
Psi
An abbreviation for pounds per square
inch, a measurement of water pressure.
P-trap A P-shaped trap
commonly used today below fixtures and floor drains.
Usually
vented.
P-trap A p-shaped trap
commonly used today below fixtures which is usually
vented.
Puffback
In an oil burner, a condition where
smoke, soot, or flames escape from the
combustion chamber.
Pull-out fuse block A
handled block containing cartridge fuses that can be
pulled out to
stop the flow of electricity.
Pulse unit A furnace or
boiler with a combustion method involving a sealed
combustion
chamber and a tailpipe that create a self- perpetuating series of
Shockwave ignitions.
Pump control A control on
a boiler that turns on the circulating pump at a signal
from the
thermostat upon a call for heat or from an aquastat at a certain preset
temperature.
Pump house A separate
building built for the purpose of housing well
equipment.
PVC An abbreviation for
polyvinyl chloride, a white plastic piping used in DWV
piping. Uses
mechanical no-hub joints. |