Domestic plumbing fixtures, systems, and terminology.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Ornate clawfoot bathtub feet often depict claws gripping which shape?
The ball-and-claw motif also appears on antique furniture, including the feet of chairs and tables.
Traditional clawfoot bathtubs have heavy bodies made from which material?
A cast-iron tub can weigh several hundred pounds before water is added, so the bathroom floor must support a substantial load.
What gives a traditional cast-iron clawfoot bathtub its smooth, glasslike bathing surface?
Manufacturers fuse enamel to the metal at high heat, creating a coating that shields the iron from water.
Which surface is visible on a clawfoot tub in the middle of a room but hidden on an alcove tub?
The freestanding design lets homeowners paint a cast-iron tub's exterior without changing the enamel inside.
What does the float in a toilet tank help regulate?
After a flush, the float drops and lets the inlet valve admit water until the tank reaches its set level.
Why does a gravity-flush toilet store water in a tank before flushing?
The narrow supply pipe fills the tank gradually, while the wide flush outlet releases the stored water into the bowl in seconds.
What do the two buttons on a dual-flush toilet usually change?
The smaller flush uses less water for liquid waste, while the larger flush supplies more water for solid waste.
Inside many toilet tanks, what does the handle's chain lift to release water into the bowl?
The flapper falls back over the outlet as the tank empties, holding the next tankful of water ready for another flush.
What is the main purpose of the curved P-trap under a sink?
The P-trap holds water in its curve to seal the drain, blocking foul sewer gases while letting wastewater flow out.