Copper water tube is being joined with press-connect fittings instead of solder because open flame is not permitted in the occupied building. What does the plumbing code require for those joints to be acceptable?
- The fittings must be listed for the application and installed with the manufacturer's tool and procedure
- BThe joints must be soldered afterward, because press fittings are permitted only as a temporary connection
Press joints are permanent joints in a permitted joining method. Soldering over one is neither required nor possible without destroying the seal.
- CThe joints must be supported within 6 inches on each side, since a pressed joint carries no mechanical strength
Support intervals follow the pipe material and size from the support table. A pressed joint does not change them.
- DThe fittings must be limited to cold water piping, because the sealing element cannot be used on hot water
Listed press systems are used on hot and cold water alike, with the sealing element selected for the service.
Why A is correct
Listing plus the manufacturer's procedure is how the code handles proprietary joining systems. The listing establishes what the joint can do, and the installation instructions are the conditions under which it does it.
What this question is testing
Whether the candidate knows how the code treats proprietary joining systems and can reject invented restrictions on a listed method.
On the job
Press systems have taken over occupied-building and retrofit work because hot work permits and fire watches are expensive. The discipline they demand is different from soldering: mark the insertion depth on every tube, keep the jaws clean, and have a plan for finding the one joint somebody forgot to press before the wall closes. Many installers pressure test at low pressure first for exactly that reason, since an unpressed joint leaks immediately.
Memory technique
Listed fitting, right tool, full insertion. That is the whole rule.
Exam tip
For any proprietary joint, the answer is almost always listed for the application and installed per the manufacturer's instructions.
Where to look it up
IPC Chapter 6, the joints and connections provisions for copper and copper alloy piping, read with the general requirement to follow manufacturer instructions in Chapter 3. The UPC lists approved joining methods in its own materials chapter.