EstatePass

Materials, Joints & Supports — Plumber Practice Questions

55 questions · 12% of the Plumber exam

Worked questions

1. What limits the lead content of solder and flux used on joints in a potable water system?

  • ASolder may contain up to 2 percent lead where the water supply is treated to control leaching.

    Water treatment is not an exemption. The limit is a product requirement on the solder itself, and corrosion control programs reduce leaching from existing lead but never authorize installing more of it.

  • BLead content is unrestricted on lines smaller than 1 inch, because the wetted surface inside small tubing is too little to matter.

    No pipe size threshold exists. Small lines are the ones feeding drinking water fixtures directly, so a size exemption would put lead closest to the point of use.

  • CLead is permitted in flux but prohibited in the solder itself, since flux burns off during heating and never contacts the water.

    Flux is covered along with solder. Residual flux stays inside the joint and contacts potable water for the life of the system, which is why limiting only the solder would leave the lead source in place.

  • Solder and flux used on potable water piping must be lead free, containing not more than 0.2 percent lead

Why D is correct

The code requires solder and flux used on potable water piping to be lead free, defined as containing not more than 0.2 percent lead. A parallel requirement caps the weighted average lead content of the wetted surfaces of pipes, fittings, and fixtures at one quarter of one percent. Both limits are federal in origin and are enforced through product listing and marking.

What this question is testing

This tests knowledge of the lead-free requirement for potable water joints and the fact that flux is regulated alongside solder, plus awareness that a separate wetted-surface limit applies to the pipe and fittings themselves.

On the job

Lead solder is still on shelves for non-potable uses and looks identical to lead-free on the spool. Keep a single lead-free spool in the potable water bag and keep anything else out of the truck. Inspectors do check the spool and the flux can on a repipe. If you inherit a system with lead-solder joints, flushing advice and eventual replacement are the honest answers, not a claim that old joints are harmless.

Memory technique

Lead free means two tenths of a percent, and flux counts too.

Exam tip

Two lead numbers live near each other: solder and flux at two tenths of a percent, wetted surfaces at a quarter percent.

Where to look it up

Chapter 6, the joint provisions for copper and copper alloy tube and the lead content requirements that accompany them. The lead limits are federal and apply in UPC states equally, but the section numbers and wording differ, so use the code your state adopted.

2. What does the IPC require for a joint in hubless cast-iron soil pipe?

  • AA hot-poured lead and oakum joint packed at every connection and caulked tight so the joint holds against head pressure during the drainage test

    Lead and oakum is the traditional joint for hub-and-spigot cast iron, where a bell receives a spigot and gives the lead something to caulk against. Hubless pipe has plain ends and no bell, so there is nothing to pack.

  • A shielded coupling with an elastomeric sleeve and stainless steel clamps, tightened to the torque specified by the coupling manufacturer
  • CA solvent-cemented sleeve installed over the plain pipe ends, since the sleeve spans the gap and the cement seals it without any clamping

    Solvent cement dissolves and refuses certain plastics into a single piece. It has no chemical action on iron at all, so a cemented sleeve on cast iron is only a loose cover sitting over an open joint.

  • DA threaded coupling engaging not less than three full threads, which is the engagement accepted on threaded pipe joints

    Three-thread engagement is a genuine figure from the joint provisions for threaded pipe, which is why it reads well. Cast-iron soil pipe is not threaded, and its wall was never intended to carry a thread.

Why B is correct

A hubless joint is a listed shielded coupling: an elastomeric gasket sleeve inside a stainless steel shield, clamped with worm-drive bands and tightened to the manufacturer's specified torque with a preset torque wrench. The coupling also carries no structural duty, so the piping has to be supported independently rather than letting the joints hold the weight of the run.

What this question is testing

This tests knowledge of the joining method that matches the pipe form, hubless versus hub-and-spigot, and awareness that the coupling is a torque-specified assembly rather than a hand-tight connection. It also touches the support relationship at hubless joints.

On the job

Torque wrenches on no-hub couplings are not optional on a commercial job; inspectors carry one and check random joints. Crews that run the clamps down with a nut driver either leave them loose or crush the shield. Support the pipe so the coupling is not a hanger, keep the pipe ends square and clean, and remember that a heavy vertical run needs support at the base so the stack is not hanging on gaskets.

Memory technique

No hub, no bell, no lead: sleeve, shield, and a torque wrench.

Exam tip

Match the joint to the pipe end: bells get caulked or gasketed, plain ends get shielded couplings.

Where to look it up

Chapter 7, joints for cast-iron soil pipe, plus the hanger and support provisions in Chapter 3 that address support at hubless joints. Coupling standards and support intervals differ between IPC and UPC, so confirm the code your state adopted.

3. The local frost line is 42 inches. The code requires water service pipe to be installed not less than 12 inches deep and not less than 6 inches below the frost line. What is the minimum depth of cover?

  • A42 inches of cover

    Forty-two inches places the pipe exactly at the frost line with no margin, ignoring the additional 6 inches the requirement adds below it. A pipe at the frost line freezes in a hard winter.

  • B12 inches of cover

    Twelve inches is the absolute minimum that applies where frost is not a factor. Applying it in a frost region ignores the requirement that actually governs here.

  • C54 inches of cover

    Fifty-four inches comes from adding the 12-inch absolute minimum to the frost line, treating two independent minimums as if they stack. They do not; the deeper of the two applies.

  • 48 inches of cover

Why D is correct

Where two minimum depths apply, the greater controls. The absolute floor is 12 inches of cover, and the frost requirement is the frost line plus 6 inches, which here is 42 plus 6 equals 48 inches. Forty-eight is greater than 12, so the service is buried with not less than 48 inches of cover. In a warm climate with no meaningful frost line, the 12-inch minimum would be the governing number instead.

What this question is testing

The item tests the ability to apply two simultaneous minimums correctly, taking the greater rather than adding them, and to work with a locally published value, the frost line, as given data. It is the same logic used whenever two code minimums bear on one dimension.

On the job

Frost depth is local and it is published by the jurisdiction, not calculated. Call the building department or check the local amendment before you price excavation, because in northern towns the difference between a 4-foot and a 6-foot trench changes the shoring, the spoil handling, and the machine you need. Also keep the service clear of the sewer trench and maintain the required horizontal separation between the two.

Memory technique

Frost line plus six, but never less than twelve; take the deeper number.

Exam tip

When two minimums apply to the same dimension, the deeper or larger one governs; never add them together.

Where to look it up

Chapter 3, protection of piping against freezing, plus the water service installation provisions in Chapter 6. Frost depth is set locally and the UPC states burial requirements differently, so confirm the depth with the authority having jurisdiction and the code your state adopted.

4. An underground water service is being installed between the meter and the building. Which of these materials is approved for use as water service pipe?

  • AABS plastic pipe of the type used for building drainage

    ABS is a drainage material. It has no pressure rating for water service and no potable water listing, and it will fail under continuous service pressure.

  • Cross-linked polyethylene tubing rated and listed for potable water service
  • CSchedule 40 PVC DWV pipe assembled with solvent-welded joints

    PVC DWV pipe looks like pressure pipe and cements the same way, which is what makes it tempting. It carries no pressure rating and is not permitted for potable water; pressure-rated PVC is a different product with a different marking.

  • DCopper DWV tubing assembled with soldered joints

    Copper DWV tube is thin-wall drainage tube. Copper water service uses the heavier pressure types, not DWV weight.

Why B is correct

Cross-linked polyethylene tubing listed for potable water is among the materials the water service table accepts. It is manufactured to a pressure rating and to a potable water standard, which are the two qualifications that separate service pipe from drainage pipe.

What this question is testing

The item tests the candidate's ability to separate pressure and potable-rated water service materials from drainage materials that share the same base plastic or metal, using the material tables rather than appearance.

On the job

The failure mode here is a leftover stick of DWV pipe on the truck and a service that has to be finished before the concrete crew arrives. Read the printing on the pipe: pressure pipe is marked with a pressure rating and a potable water certification mark, drainage pipe is marked DWV. On plastic services also confirm the tracer wire or locating method your jurisdiction requires, because a buried plastic service that nobody can locate becomes somebody's excavator damage later.

Memory technique

Service pipe holds pressure and holds drinking water. DWV does neither.

Exam tip

If the option says DWV, it belongs to drainage. Water service options carry a pressure rating.

Where to look it up

Chapter 6, Section 605 and the water service pipe material table. Approved material lists differ between IPC and UPC, and several jurisdictions further restrict plastics underground, so verify against your adopted code.

5. PEX water tubing is being stored and installed where it will see direct sunlight for an extended period. What does the code require regarding that exposure?

  • APEX may be exposed to sunlight indefinitely, because the chlorine resistance rating printed on the tubing covers ultraviolet exposure as well

    Chlorine resistance ratings are printed right on the tubing, so borrowing them for another exposure is an easy step to take. They describe performance in hot chlorinated water and say nothing about ultraviolet aging.

  • BPEX may be exposed to sunlight if it is coated with a latex primer that blocks ultraviolet light before the wall is closed

    Paint really is a UV barrier on other materials, which is what makes this sound workable. It is not a listed protection method for PEX and no manufacturer's instruction offers it, so covering the tubing is the answer.

  • CSunlight has no effect on PEX, and only sustained temperatures above 180 degrees F will shorten the service life of the tubing in a hot water distribution line

    Temperature limits are real and the 180 degree figure is close to a genuine rating, which is what sells this. Ultraviolet damage occurs at ordinary ambient temperature, which is why the limit is stated in months of exposure.

  • PEX must be protected from ultraviolet exposure, and any exposure is limited to what the manufacturer's installation instructions and listing permit

Why D is correct

Materials must be installed according to their listing and the manufacturer's instructions, and PEX listings carry a stated ultraviolet exposure limit. Protecting the tubing from sunlight during storage and keeping cumulative exposure inside that stated limit is what keeps the installation compliant.

What this question is testing

The item tests whether the candidate understands that listing and manufacturer's instructions are enforceable code requirements, and knows the specific vulnerability of PEX to ultraviolet exposure.

On the job

The damage is invisible. A coil that baked on a jobsite for a summer looks fine, installs fine and passes a pressure test, then splits in a wall two winters later. Practical habits: keep coils in the carton or under cover, do not use the sun-faded outer wraps of a coil, and note that supply houses sometimes store tubing outdoors. If a skylight well or a garage will leave tubing permanently exposed, sleeve it or reroute.

Memory technique

Sun ages PEX. Keep it in the box until it is in the wall.

Exam tip

When an option says according to the manufacturer's instructions and the listing, it is usually right for plastics.

Where to look it up

Chapter 3 installation-of-materials provisions read with the PEX entries in the Chapter 6 water distribution material tables. UPC jurisdictions state their own plastic piping restrictions, so verify against your adopted code.

6. Riser clamps are being set on a vertical copper water line in a building whose floor-to-floor height exceeds the tabulated support interval. What is the greatest distance the support table permits between supports on vertical copper tubing?

  • AAt each floor level only, with no maximum interval stated

    Support at each floor is the common practice but it is not the rule as written. Where a floor-to-floor height exceeds the tabulated interval, an intermediate support is required.

  • B4 feet

    Four feet appears in the horizontal column for several plastics. Vertical intervals are longer than horizontal intervals for every material in the table.

  • C15 feet

    Fifteen feet is the vertical interval for steel pipe. Steel and copper are neighboring rows and the vertical numbers are the ones candidates swap most often.

  • 10 feet

Why D is correct

The support table gives copper tubing a maximum vertical support interval of 10 feet. On a normal residential or office floor-to-floor height one riser clamp per floor satisfies that, but in tall floor-to-floor spaces an intermediate support is required to stay within the interval.

What this question is testing

The item tests the candidate's ability to use the vertical column of the support table by material and to recognize that per-floor support is a practice rather than the tabulated requirement.

On the job

Riser clamps do more than hold weight. They keep the stack from moving when a valve slams, and on hot water risers they set where the thermal growth goes, which is why you plan the clamp locations together with the offsets or expansion loops. Put the clamp on solid structure, not on a piece of blocking screwed to drywall, and check that the clamp material is compatible with the tube so you do not build a corrosion cell in a chase nobody will open for thirty years.

Memory technique

Copper stands ten feet, steel stands fifteen.

Exam tip

The support table has two columns. Read horizontal or vertical first, then find the material row.

Where to look it up

Chapter 3, Section 308 and Table 308.5, the vertical support column. Support intervals differ between IPC and UPC, so confirm against the code your state adopted.

7. A 3-inch waste line can drop only 9 inches between its upstream end and the stack because of a beam overhead. Take the required slope for that pipe size as 1/4 inch per foot, given. What is the longest developed length that the available fall will support?

  • A18 feet

    Eighteen feet comes from using 1/2 inch per foot. That slope belongs to smaller drainage sizes in the slope table, not to 3-inch pipe.

  • 36 feet
  • C72 feet

    Seventy-two feet comes from using 1/8 inch per foot. That slope is permitted for larger pipe sizes and using it on a 3-inch line both overstates the reach and understates the required grade.

  • D108 feet

    One hundred eight feet is the result of treating the slope as 1/12 inch per foot, which is what you get by dividing 1 inch by 12 rather than reading the slope from the table.

Why B is correct

Available fall divided by slope gives maximum developed length: 9 inches divided by 0.25 inch per foot equals 36 feet. Framing the problem as a division rather than a multiplication is what makes the constraint useful, because the fixed quantity here is the vertical space, not the run.

What this question is testing

The item tests inversion of the slope relationship to solve for length, and whether the candidate uses the slope stated in the problem rather than defaulting to a remembered value for a different pipe size.

On the job

Every remodel in a finished building runs into this. You have a ceiling height to protect below and a floor to stay under above, and the fall you have is all the fall you will get. Measure the actual available drop from the underside of the beam to the finished ceiling before you promise a fixture location, and remember to count the fitting drop at the trap arm and any offsets, because those eat into the same 9 inches.

Memory technique

Inches of drop divided by inches per foot equals feet of run.

Exam tip

Fall divided by slope gives length. Length times slope gives fall. Know which one the question is asking for.

Where to look it up

Chapter 7, the drainage piping slope table by pipe size. Minimum slopes by size differ between IPC and UPC, so use the value given in the problem and verify table values against your adopted code.

8. A long copper hot water main moves as it heats and cools. What does the IPC require of piping that is subject to expansion and contraction?

  • Provision must be made for expansion and contraction, through devices such as expansion loops, offsets or joints, with supports arranged to permit the movement
  • BAdditional rigid anchors must be installed until all movement of the piping is prevented, since a pipe that cannot move cannot work its joints loose or rub its supports

    Holding the pipe still looks like the direct cure for a pipe that is moving. Restraint does not remove the thermal force, it relocates it into the joints and the structure, which is the failure the question describes.

  • CSystem pressure must be reduced until the noise and the movement stop, because the ticking is the pipe shifting under the pressure carried through the anchored run

    The noise invites a pressure explanation, which is the error path here. Expansion is a function of temperature change and pipe length, not of pressure, so reducing pressure would only degrade fixture performance.

  • DInsulating the piping removes the need to make an allowance for movement, since insulation holds the line near a steady temperature year round

    Insulation slows heat loss, protects against condensation and burns, and does moderate the rate of change. The pipe still swings between ambient and delivery temperature every time the system runs, so total movement is unchanged.

Why A is correct

The piping support provisions require that allowance be made for expansion and contraction, using expansion joints, loops, offsets or equivalent means, and that hangers and anchors be arranged so the pipe can move as intended. Anchors are placed deliberately to direct movement into the loop, not to eliminate it.

What this question is testing

The item tests understanding that thermal movement is a design condition to be accommodated, and the candidate's ability to identify the code-recognized means of doing so rather than field remedies that fight the movement.

On the job

Copper grows roughly an inch per hundred feet per hundred degrees of temperature change, and plastics move several times that, which is why the ticking above a ceiling almost always turns out to be a hot line dragging through a tight hanger. The fixes are simple if planned: a swing joint or offset at a change of direction, hangers that let the pipe slide, and isolators where the pipe passes through framing. Retrofitting them after the joints have been stressed is far less pleasant.

Memory technique

Let it move or it will move you.

Exam tip

For expansion questions, the right answer always gives the pipe somewhere to go.

Where to look it up

Chapter 3, Section 308, the expansion and support provisions. Support intervals and expansion requirements differ between IPC and UPC, and plastic piping in particular carries different rules, so verify against your adopted code.

9. 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.

10. Water distribution piping is to be hydrostatically tested. Take these criteria as given for this project: the test pressure must be at least 1.5 times the system's working pressure and in no case less than 100 pounds per square inch. The system's working pressure is 78 pounds per square inch. What is the minimum acceptable test pressure?

  • A78 pounds per square inch

    Testing at working pressure proves the system survives normal service but leaves no margin, and the project criteria plainly ask for more.

  • B100 pounds per square inch

    The 100 pound figure is a floor that applies when the multiplier produces something smaller. Here the multiplier is larger, so the floor is not the answer.

  • 117 pounds per square inch
  • D156 pounds per square inch

    Doubling the working pressure is a criterion from other kinds of testing and overstresses fittings, gauges and any device left in the line.

Why C is correct

Two criteria are given and both must be satisfied, so the larger number controls. One and a half times 78 is 117, which is above the 100 pound floor, making 117 the minimum acceptable test pressure.

What this question is testing

Whether the candidate can apply a two-part test criterion and select the governing value rather than defaulting to the stated minimum.

On the job

Before you pump anything up, isolate or remove what cannot take the pressure: relief valves, expansion tanks, backflow assemblies, gauges and any appliance connection. Choose a gauge whose range puts the test pressure near mid-scale so a small drop is visible. Write the start pressure, the time and the ambient temperature on the tag, because temperature swings move a gauge on a long test and you will want the record when somebody questions the result.

Memory technique

Multiplier or floor, whichever is bigger, wins.

Exam tip

When a rule gives a multiplier and a floor, compute the multiplier first, then take the larger of the two.

Where to look it up

IPC Chapter 3, tests and inspections, for the required tests on water supply and drainage systems. Test pressures and durations differ between the IPC and the UPC and are frequently amended locally, so read them from your adopted code and the project specification.

45 more in the bank

Answers and explanations for these are in the app.

  • Among copper water tube types K, L, and M of the same nominal size, which type has the greatest wall thickness?
  • Which statement correctly describes where PVC and CPVC pipe are permitted in a potable water system under the IPC?
  • Under the IPC, where is PEX tubing permitted to be used?
  • What is the primary performance problem with galvanized steel water piping in older potable systems?
  • Copper tube is being tied into existing galvanized steel on a potable line. Which joining method does the IPC require at that transition?
  • How must joints in copper tubing used for fuel gas piping be made?
  • What surface preparation does the IPC require before solvent cementing a PVC drainage joint?
  • How does the IPC permit ABS drainage pipe to be connected to PVC drainage pipe?
  • How must a buried building sewer be bedded according to the IPC?
  • What is the IPC's basic requirement for supporting vertical piping?
  • A 4-inch building sewer is run at a uniform slope of 1/8 inch per foot, given. The developed length from the building to the point of connection is 96 feet. How much does the invert drop over that run?
  • You will fill 72 feet of 4-inch DWV piping for a water test. The pipe holds 0.65 gallon per foot, given. Approximately how many gallons will the fill require?
  • A DWV section is filled with water to a level 27 feet above the test tee at the base. Using 0.433 psi per foot of water column, given, what static pressure acts at the test tee?
  • Piping runs through a bored hole in a stud, and the hole is less than 1-1/4 inches from the face of the framing member. What does the IPC require?
  • Where are the limits on how much a load-bearing joist or stud may be notched or bored for plumbing piping found?
  • What does the IPC require where a pipe passes through a foundation wall?
  • After the sewer is laid and inspected, what backfill method does the IPC prescribe for closing the trench?
  • Drainage piping is being installed underground beneath a building. Under the IPC materials tables for drainage piping, which copper tubing is permitted for that underground portion?
  • PEX tubing must change direction sharply inside a framed wall. How may that change of direction be made?
  • A PEX water distribution system is being assembled and a substitute brand of fitting is proposed. Under the IPC, which fittings may be used to join that PEX tubing?
  • ABS drainage pipe is being assembled with solvent cement. Which statement correctly describes what that joint requires?
  • A connection is being made between an existing vitrified clay building sewer and new cast-iron pipe. How does the IPC require that connection to be made?
  • A flared joint is being made in copper water tubing. What does the IPC require for that joint to be acceptable?
  • A horizontal run of 3/4-inch copper water tubing is being hung. Under the piping support table, what is the maximum spacing permitted between hangers on that run?
  • A roof drain conductor will be installed inside a building and connected to an underground storm drain. What does the IPC require of the piping material used for that conductor?
  • A fitting is being selected for a horizontal drainage branch. What does the IPC require of fittings installed in drainage piping?
  • Previously used pipe, fittings and valves are being offered for installation in a new plumbing system. What does the code permit regarding the reuse of those materials?
  • An inspector questions a length of piping on which no manufacturer's markings are visible. What does the code require regarding identification of piping materials?
  • A 4-inch building drain must cover 96 feet of developed length between the stack base and the point of connection, and the elevations at the two ends leave 12 inches of fall available. Take the minimum slope for 4-inch drainage piping as 1/8 inch per foot, given. What slope does the available fall produce, and how does it compare with that minimum?
  • A water distribution riser in a tall building holds 40 psi at its highest point when no water is flowing. The lowest point of that riser is 210 feet below the highest point. Using 0.433 psi per foot of water column, what static pressure does the piping at the lowest point see?
  • A new water service consists of 240 feet of 1-1/2 inch pipe and 60 feet of 2-inch pipe. Take these capacities as given data: the 1-1/2 inch pipe holds 0.11 gallon per foot and the 2-inch pipe holds 0.17 gallon per foot. Approximately how many gallons of water does the completed service hold?
  • Piping is being installed so that it passes through a concrete slab. What does the IPC require at that penetration?
  • A threaded connection has to be made in a PVC water piping run so the pump can be removed for service. What does the plumbing code permit regarding threading plastic pipe?
  • An addition to an older building will extend existing galvanized steel water piping to a point outside the structure. How does the plumbing code treat galvanized steel pipe used underground?
  • Vent piping is being selected for a building whose drainage system is PVC. How does the plumbing code establish which materials may be used for the vents?
  • A cleanout is being installed on a cast-iron drainage line and the plug is being selected. What does the plumbing code require of that plug?
  • A 3-inch drain must offset 9 inches sideways to clear a duct, using a pair of 22-1/2 degree fittings. Take the 22-1/2 degree offset constant as 2.613, so that travel equals the offset multiplied by that constant. What is the travel between the two fittings?
  • A section of drainage piping to be water tested consists of a 3-inch stack standing 38 feet tall plus 55 feet of 4-inch horizontal piping, all of which will be filled. Take these capacities as given: 3-inch pipe holds 0.38 gallon per foot and 4-inch pipe holds 0.65 gallon per foot. Approximately how much water is needed to fill the section?
  • A new horizontal waste line has to be supported in a crowded ceiling space, and the easiest attachment points are the existing cast-iron drainage line and a nearby suspended ceiling grid. What does the plumbing code require of the supports?
  • A CPVC water line has been repaired with solvent-cemented joints and the building owner wants the water turned back on immediately. What governs when that piping may be pressurized and tested?
  • An underground water service will be run in copper tube. Which copper water tube is acceptable for that buried run?
  • A PVC water distribution line needs a 90-degree change of direction, and the only fitting left on the truck is a drainage pattern elbow of the same size and material. What does the plumbing code require?
  • CPVC piping is being installed on a continuously circulating hot water loop. What determines whether that material may be used in this application?
  • A horizontal drainage main must cross a structural expansion joint that divides a long building into two sections. What does the plumbing code require of the piping at that crossing?
  • An inspector asks how you can tell that a length of plastic pipe on the job is suitable for potable water. What should the markings on that pipe show?

Practice all 55 Materials, Joints & Supports questions

Plus timed mock exams and a wrong book that follows you between the web and the app.

Start studying free

Other Plumber content areas