Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
(OP)
Hello folks,
I am a mechanical engineer (ME). I have designed serveal plumbing systems for buildings. We (MEs) always design plumbing system inside the building and terminate our design 5-feet from the building, where a civil engineer (CE) picks up and runs with the utility (water, sewer)lines.
I want to know if this magic figure "5-feet" from the building is an unwritten rule to differenciate between ME and CE responsibilities or is there an engineering LAW that defines the responsibilites of MEs and CEs?
I am a mechanical engineer (ME). I have designed serveal plumbing systems for buildings. We (MEs) always design plumbing system inside the building and terminate our design 5-feet from the building, where a civil engineer (CE) picks up and runs with the utility (water, sewer)lines.
I want to know if this magic figure "5-feet" from the building is an unwritten rule to differenciate between ME and CE responsibilities or is there an engineering LAW that defines the responsibilites of MEs and CEs?





RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
There is no written "rule" that governs who does what.
In many countries a piping engineer will do both. Other counties do not recognise the discipline of piping engineering.
Just remember that a professional engineer should not undertake work outside their competency without it being checked by a competent engineer.
Mechanical engineers design weapons and civil engineers build targets.
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
I wrote before I looked.
The code - IPC in my neck of the woods- states it is 30" where the division lies between the building drain and the building sewer.
Five feet is a convention.
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
if the pipe not buried Mechaical
or
if it moves and was not supposed to Civil
if does not move and was supposed to Mechanical
Hydrae
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
The idea is that you take the pipe far enough away from the structure so that when the next guy comes to dig out and connect the pipe, he will be able to easily dig up the pipe without hitting the structure.
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
RE: Mechanical Engineer VS Civil Engineer
When building a number of large timber pilot boats for the harbour authority we (the fitter) had to run some pipework from the diesel engines- fuel lines, water lines etc, when ever we came to a timber bulk head we had to stop and wait for the shipwrights to drill the holes through the b/heads -for the engine floor plates which were aluminium there was a long battle deciding WHO was the screw the floorplates to the timber bearers - at the end of the day it was given to the fitters under the supervision of the shipwrights who ha to first drill the holes for the fasteners.
Earlier there had been a long protraced discussion regarding the mounting and aligning of the diesel engines onto the wood engine bearers - this was decided in favour of the fitters due to the fact that the shipwrights were not allowed to use dial indicators to check the alignments.
Oh what happy days working in a union shop - never a dull moment.