A Padel Court centre launched in Waterfall City late last year, with AJC Plumbing assigned to do the plumbing work for the centre.
The back-up water system for the changing rooms.© Plumbing Africa
The state-of-the-art Padel centre includes a kitchen, bathrooms and change rooms, and back-up water supply systems. The plumbing work presented a mammoth task – from first ground break to handover, which took just under a year to complete.
The brief from the client
The client wanted to create a centre for padel courts as part of their housing development, in the hopes of creating a space to bring the community together through healthy activity, with all of the required conveniences in the same area – all of which being in close proximity to the residents’ homes.
In order to achieve this, the client required reliable hot- and cold-water systems, efficient drainage of sewage and storm water, as well as the installation of sanitary fixtures, including toilets, basins, showers, kitchen sinks and a back-up water solution to provide water during outages.
The process
In order to successfully complete all of the plumbing work required by the client before the handover deadline, AJC Plumbing completed and followed five phases of work – Initial planning and site preparation, underground drainage and water services processes, internal plumbing, fixtures and fittings, as well as before-handover checks.
The changing rooms
Phase one: Initial planning and site preparation
Before any physical work started, the plumbing contractor started the process of the project by:
• Reviewing architectural and mechanical drawings.
• Confirming the plumbing layout and fixture locations.
• Checking building regulations and local codes.
• Ordering materials and planning labour.
• Carrying out a site inspection and risk assessment.
Part of this phase of work included co-ordinating with other trades – such as groundworkers, electricians and builders – to ensure that the plumbing installation would fit into the overall construction schedule.
Phase two: Underground drainage and water services processes
Phase two, focusing on underground drainage and water services processes, included:
• Marking out drainage runs according to the drawings supplied.
• Excavating trenches to the correct depth and gradient.
• Laying sewer and storm drainage pipes.
• Installing inspection chambers/manholes.
• Connecting to the main sewer or treatment system.
• Pressure testing and water testing the system.
• Backfilling and compacting, once approved.
The plumbing contractor highlighted that during this phase, correct fall was critical to ensure proper waste flow.
Phase three: Internal plumbing
Once the structure was built, but before plaster was placed, the hot- and cold-water systems, as well as the waste pipes, were installed.
Hot- and cold-water systems:
• Pipework was run to the required water points
• Brackets were installed where required
• Isolation valves were fitted
Waste pipes:
• Stacks were installed
• Internal waste pipework was run
• Correct venting was ensured
All of the installed pipework was pressure tested before screed and plaster was done.
Phase four: Fixtures and fittings
The next phase involved the installation of:
• Toilets
• Basins
• Baths and showers
• Kitchen sinks
• Taps and mixers
• Appliances (such as dishwasher and washing machine connections)
Phase five: Pre-handover checks
Before handover could be completed, the following was done:
• Full-system pressure testing
• Pipework was cleaned and flushed
• Leak checks were done
• Hot water temperature was tested
• Drainage flow was tested
• Safety checks were completed
• Certificates of Compliance (CoC’s) were issued where required
When the main contractor was satisfied with the work done and that the work had met its specific requirements, all work was signed off and the handover was completed.
The new installation
The project provides modern finishes with a back-up water installation, allowing the sports centre to operate without inconvenience during outages. The centre also has paraplegic bathrooms and convenient finishings, catering to those with disabilities.
© Plumbing Africa
