Building services are an integral component of a building that serves the needs of its occupants. A building will not function effectively without well designed and properly installed mechanical and electrical (M&E) services. After commissioning, the building has to provide its services continuously for the life of the building, interspersed by periodical maintenance. The M&E services start to ‘age’ and deteriorate immediately from first use. Such failures or breakdowns can be ameliorated by:
- Proper design and fittings selection
- Proper installation, and
- Proper maintenance
Selection of materials is very important, fittings and accessories that enhance workmanship quality during installation and minimise maintenance issues during operation.
CONCEALED FLOOR GRATING METHOD
Floor trap collects water or liquids discharged from a higher to lower level via gravity flow. The water collected is then discharged through the piping system. Traditionally, a pipe sleeve which forms part of the floor trap, is cast together with the slab concrete. A grating is then installed at the final stage after waterproofing, screeding and tiling on the concrete slab are completed. Generally, the gratings have 5mm perforations to allow water to discharge. This design often leads to tarnishing or discoloration of gratings due to regular contacts with water, perforation blockage due to trapped hair and wear of hinges when it is often lifted up for maintenance purpose. From the aesthetic point, the metal or plastic finish of the grating may not blend with surrounding floor finishes such as marble or tile.
EMBEDDING M&E PIPES:
Traditionally, solid bricks are used to construct wet areas partition walls. This is to ensure better water tightness. However, as there are a number of services in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens, the brick walls often need to be hacked to embed the services for aesthetic reasons. This has the following disadvantages:
- A risk of over hacking the wall, which may weaken the structure.
- Hacking is labour intensive.
- Housekeeping is needed to clear the debris.
An alternative to brick walls is to use concrete masonry blocks with recessed profiles. Masonry blocks are made of cement, water and aggregates such as sand, gravel or crushed stones. Two types are commonly available viz. cement brick (solid type) and hollow blocks. They are used to construct partition walls and are designed in modular shapes to ease the installation work. Solid cement bricks are preferred for use in wet areas.
CLIP-TYPE ELECTRICAL SOCKETS:
Electrical boxes also known as “knock out” or “KO” boxes serve as end or transition points for electrical wires, which are often run in embedded conduits. Outlet points, such as light switches, TV switches, heater sockets, etc are connected to the KO boxes and allow end-users to access and operate the services. However, there are some issues that are likely to be encountered during construction:
- When the KO box level sinks below or protrudes from the wall level due to differences in the plastering thickness or other reasons, it requires modification to the box. This involves hacking and touching up around the boxes and often leaves a messy and untidy finish.
- Typically, a socket (also called face plate) is connected to the KO box (which is embedded in the wall) by screws. If the wall level is not flat, inconsistent gaps can be observed between the face plate and the wall.
- In typical construction sequence, sockets are usually installed before the final coat of wall paint so as not to disturb the finished surface. Consequently, they have a high possibility of getting stained if they are not protected properly.
These issues can be eliminated by using clip-socket method which has three stages in installation instead of two i.e. installation of KO box, base plate and the final socket. In this method, the base plate is installed on the KO box before wall painting. Thus, if there is any undulation discovered on the plastered surface, it can be levelled with putty or other materials before fixing the face plate. As a better level surface can be achieved on the wall, gaps between the face plate and wall if it does
Moreover, the final socket can be clipped on to the base plate before testing and commissioning or handing over. This reduces the chances of it being damaged by other trades. The cost of this method is higher than the conventional method of installation but consideration should be given to the better workmanship quality that can be achieved
SUMMARY
Each type of fitting and method of construction has its own merits and limitations. The choice should be based on its function that meets end-users requirements. At the same time, other factors like regulatory requirements, integration with other trades and maintainability during use should also be considered. It is highly recommended that product specialists be consulted to determine a product’s suitability before use
