Any overview must be personal. In this case, the perspective is based on 25 years of exposure to the whole gamut of plumbing issues from application of mathematical simulations to the efforts necessary to bring water supply to the less privileged areas of developing countries; from the investigation of venting problems in underground structures to the political and business issues inherent in the manner in which codes and regulations are specified.
This perspective leads to caution in addressing the title “Back to Basics.” In the U.K., and probably other western democracies, this phrase represents the graveyard of many political aspirations. The first step in this overview therefore is to define “basics” and probably more importantly to determine what is not included under this heading.