As a backpacker, the most important item I carry in my backpack is water. I start each morning of a hike with three liters of water; two in my bladder and one in my bottle. The water bottle looks like any typical water bottle that people carry.

There are four remaining state-written plumbing codes used in the United States. You could say that the remaining four states are just stubborn. Maybe they think they do it better than the model plumbing codes, but they don’t.

The goal of my last column was to begin to change the way most plumbers size natural gas distribution systems.

Hugo Aguilar returns following a year-long stint as director of codes and standards for the ASA.

The 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code will be available in the first quarter of 2020.

Table 610.3 in the Uniform Plumbing Code provides a matrix of fixture unit values for various fixtures so you do not have to figure this out on your own.

While Chapter 5 of the Uniform Plumbing Code is titled “Water Heaters,” it also addresses combustion air, chimneys, different types of gas vent materials, exhaust gas venting, and more.

The 87th annual IAPMO Education and Business Conference will be held Sept. 25-29.