Water, Sewage & Effluent November December 2018 | Page 11

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as how many guests are going to use
their showers simultaneously and to
what extent will this be true for the
simultaneous use of additional fixtures?
If the engineer ‘assumes’ that all the
showers will be used at the same time,
then it is the highest level of comfort, and
the costliest, piping system. The same
‘rule’ applies when the engineer has
to design a water pipeline to supply a
number of houses, or a drainage pipeline.
There are design standards as well
as norms and regulations that assist the
engineer to make the right assumptions;
however, the engineer must also consult
the owner, as some owners, such
When my CPD lectures were
evaluated, I was told that the
most important element is not
the calculations — engineers
are entirely competent to
do the calculations. Rather,
it is the ‘design information’
and design parameters, and
where to find this information,
that is paramount.
Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2018
9
innovations
The important body is the owner or
the representative, who is an integral
part of the design team. Being part
of the design team is of utmost
importance, so the owner does not
get a surprise when the project is
handed over to him or her, and also
allows the owner the opportunity to
make decisions that are to his or her
satisfaction and that satisfies the
overall requirements and needs.
An example: When the engineer
has to design, for instance, the water
system of a hotel, then a number of
assumptions must be made, such
The process
Hospitals are a vulnerable environment where germs and other forms of contamination can easily spread.