Gas lines in CDs

[Designer1]

What page in the construction documents do most Chief users show the gas lines (kitchen, laundry etc) on?  Im viewing a few of different types of CDs done by friends and they vary. 

 

Thanks!

[joey_martin]

I don't generally show the entire gas line run, simply where it comes in and use the G line type.

[Joe_Carrick]

Then just show where the outlets are to be located.  I don't provide separate plumbing plans, just where the fixtures, gas outlets, hose bibs and shut-off valves are to be located.  Generally I do this on the Floor plans.  Site plans for the service piping like Joey said.

[Designer1]

Thanks so much for your input Joey and Joseph, I appreciate your time and help!

[Designer1]

On 1/27/2021 at 5:40 AM, Joe_Carrick said:

Then just show where the outlets are to be located.  I don't provide separate plumbing plans, just where the fixtures, gas outlets, hose bibs and shut-off valves are to be located.  Generally I do this on the Floor plans.  Site plans for the service piping like Joey said.

By the way Joe I sent you a PM. 

[Alchemyjim]

Here on the central coast of California (Monterey) the building department usually requires detailed gas schematics on the plans. From the meter to every appliance you need to show pipe sizes. 

I show the lines on the plumbing plan then provide a separate schematic with size call outs. The math to get the pipe diameter can seem tricky put there is a chart in the plumbing code that makes it fairly easy. 

This one was medium difficulty. Just finished a 10,000 sqft house with 10 gas fireplaces and a pizza oven. That was a bit harder. 

The trick is to create the gas line on the plumbing layer, then copy that into a detail window to add text. 

Good luck. 

[Designer1]

Wow Jim thats an amazing house 10 fireplaces!  Im guessing that must be in our around Carmel.  Ive never even heard of a house with so many fireplaces, Im sure the finished product will be amazing.  Clearly you have got great skills using Chief.  Thank you for sharing this technique with me.  Im trying to learn how best to do construction documents. 

 

Ever since I got into this industry years ago I was always put in the senior design role because Im great with clients and all aspects of design but the companies always left the CDs for junior designers even though I insisted I wanted to learn it.  So now Im trying to understand what a California set of drawings looks like.  

 

What Ive realized is so many companies have different ways of creating them being a newbie with this its very challenging just to find the basics of what is needed.  Im just trying to learn this to be confident in this area that I dont have much experience in.

 

I appreciate you showing me examples of how your using Chief to do the layouts, that was very helpful. Thanks for the reply!

[Alchemyjim]

Hi Designer1.

I can share my experience with plan sets if it is not too boring. Excuse me if it gets long winded. Just thought I'd give you my perspective.

I started (like most of us) on the "dumb end of a hammer". Then after years of seeing the old timers take 10 aspirins a day so they could keep working I decided that although I loved the work I didn't necessarily want to be climbing scaffold in the rain when I was 60. (Lots of fun in your 20's though)!

So I got Chief Architect and 6 years later that's all I do.

You need to look at a completed construction project like a good novel. The plans are the cliff notes. It starts with a page of contents, moves to an introduction, then the details come in. All while not getting bogged down by making it an IKEA manual. The denouement of the novel is when the client walks through the finish product for the first time. 

There is not a lot of information on this topic but I believe that the plan set is an artistic interpretation of a very complex object. For example lets say a house has over a million pieces. Every nail, piece of plywood, insulation batt, gas pipe fitting, etc. Can you image a plan set showing clearly all of these elements? That would be ridiculous of course. 

However you also need to consider everyone from the client, planning tech, contractor, plumber, surveyor, etc. using this set to complete the puzzle. 

Add to all this the fact that you need to cover you butt. You don't want to specify some waste line arrangement in a remodel where you can't actually verify what the existing pipe looks like. 

So how do you satisfy everyone? I really don't know. My plan sets are constantly evolving. You think you have it figured out and then a plan checker shows you some new code they are adopting or a framer asks if you can show the hold-down locations on the foundation plans, so you just adapt. Chief Architect has infinite layers and plan view sets and there is very little it won't do if you ask it nicely. The real conundrum is making sure you have a good idea of the time commitment the project will take from you and you are able to communicate that to the client before you begin. 

I would love to hear any other chief users feedback on this.

 

 

 

[Designer1]

You definitely have lots of experience in the industry and I like your logic in looking at CDs like a novel makes sense. Its interesting to hear everyones experience in this field,  Im looking forward to others stories as well.