Glossary of Plumbing Terms - I - Keidel Bath, Kitchen, Plumbing, Cabinetry, Appliances

Welcome to Keidel's Plumbing Glossary. Every industry and trade has its own standards and terminologies. This glossary is our attempt to help the general public understand some of the terms unique to our industry.

Our database contains over 1000 unique terms, compiled from a variety of public and private sources. To use the glossary efficiently you can click on the letter of the desired term that you would like to find. For example: click on "C" to find out about "Closet Augers" or "P" for "Petcock." Definitions listed here are provided without warranty.

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ID	Inside diameter. All pipes are sized according to their inside diameter.
IPS	Iron Pipe Size (OD). Same as NPS. Standard pipe threads. Also Internal Pipe Swivel connection (female)
ISO	International\ Organization for Standardization based in Geneva Switzerland. Among the many standards it issues are pump and seal standards for the metric community
ISO 9000	A series of five standards for developing a total quality management system. Developed by the International\ Organization for Standardization.
Immersion	A term referring to something submerged in water.
Impeller	Rotating wheel with vanes found inside a centrifugal pump. As it spins at high speed it draws fluids in and thrusts them under pressure to the discharge outlet.
Incomplete Combustion	A product of inadequate ventilation which restricts the flow of air into an appliance. This may lower oxygen content in the surrounding air.
Incoming Inlet Temp.	Temperature of water entering the tank.
Indirect Wastes	waste pipe used to convey gray water by discharging it into a plumbing fixture such as a floor drain.
Induction motor	The most common type used in industry. Has a slippage of 2 to 5 percent compared to synchronous motors.
Influent	The stream entering a unit, stream or process, such as the hard water entering an ion exchange water softener.
Injection	The drawing of primary air into a gas burner by means of a flow of fuel gas.
Inlet	An entrance, opening, or aperture for the intake of fluid or gas.
In-line Pump	Small pump which pumps fluid through a line on which it is supported and mounted.
Input	The amount of fuel used by a water heater in a given period of time, usually 1 hr.
Input Rate	The quantity of heat or fuel supplied to an appliance, expressed in volume of heat units per volume of time (BTUs/hour).
Input Rating	The gas burning capacity of an appliance in BTU's per hour as specified by the manufacturer.
Insanitary	So unclean as to be a likely cause of disease; Contrary to sanitary principles injurious to health.
Inserts	Faucet handles
Insert Fittings	Fittings equipped with external, annular rings fir gripping, which are inserted into flexible rubber or plastic tubing as a connection.
Ion	An atom or group of atoms which function as a unit, and have a positive (cation) or negative (anion) electrical charge, due to the gain or loss of one or more electrons.
Ion Exchange	A reversible process in which ions are released from an insoluble permanent material in exchange for other ions in a surrounding solution; the direction of the exchange depends upon the affinities of the ion exchanger for the ions present, and the concentrations of the ions in the solution.
Ionization	The process in which atoms gain or lose electrons; sometimes used as synonymous with dissociation, the separation of molecules into charged ions in solution.
Island Vent	An air admittance valve
Isolation Mount	The four small rubber feet located beneath a whirlpool's pump base, or attached to the pulse cannister assemblies, designed to reduce noise and vibration when the whirlpool is running.
Instantaneous Water Heater	A type of water heater that heats water as it flows through a heat exchanger coil.
Insular	Kohler's registered trade name for factory-installed insulation, which minimizes condensation on the outside of the tank when exposed to high humidity.
Insuliner^®	Kohler's Registered trade name for factory-installed tank insulation, which minimizes condensation on the outside of the tank (also known as tank sweating) when exposed to high humidity
Integral Stops	Stops that allow the owner to shut off water supply at the faucet for maintenance without shutting off the water supply to the entire house.
Integral Vacuum Breaker	A device typically used in a sink or shower sprayer to keep water from backflowing into the fresh water supply.
Interceptor	Device for separating grease and oil from drainage system. See grease trap.
Isothermal	Action that takes place with no change in temperature.

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