ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber Exam (2015 IPC)

An air break is a piping arrangement in which a drain discharges indirectly into another fixture, receptacle or interceptor at a point below the flood level rim but above the trap seal, while an air gap requires unobstructed vertical separation through free atmosphere between the waste pipe outlet and the flood level rim.

Devices and equipment such as process tanks, filters, drips and boilers discharging nonpotable water may discharge through an indirect waste pipe by air break or air gap, whereas potable clear-water waste, swimming pool waste and food-handling equipment all require an air gap.

Pollution is an impairment of potable water quality that creates no public health hazard but adversely and unreasonably affects aesthetic qualities for domestic use; contamination is an impairment that creates an actual hazard to public health through poisoning or spread of disease.

A horizontal pipe or fitting makes an angle of less than 45 degrees with a horizontal plane (so a 40-degree run is horizontal), while a vertical pipe makes an angle of 45 degrees or more with the horizontal.

A stack vent is the extension of a soil or waste stack above the highest horizontal drain connected to that stack, while a vent stack is a vertical vent pipe installed primarily to provide air circulation to and from the drainage system.

A yoke vent connects upward from a soil or waste stack to a vent stack to prevent pressure changes in the stacks; a relief vent's primary function is circulation of air between drainage and vent systems, and a branch vent connects individual vents to a vent stack or stack vent.

The building drain is the lowest piping receiving discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside the building and extends 30 inches in developed length beyond the exterior walls; beyond that 30-inch point the piping is the building sewer.

Plastic drainage and vent piping shall not be tested with air and is tested by water with no section less than a 10-foot head held not less than 15 minutes (the 5 psi air test applies only to nonplastic DWV piping), whereas the water supply system is tested at water pressure not less than the working pressure or, for piping other than plastic, by air at not less than 50 psi held not less than 15 minutes.

A forced (pumped) building sewer is tested by plugging the end at the public sewer connection and applying 5 psi greater than the pump rating for 15 minutes, while the gravity sewer test uses a 10-foot head.

Essentially nontoxic transfer fluids have a Gosselin rating of 1 (propylene glycol, mineral oil, polydimethylsiloxane, certain refrigerants, FDA-approved boiler water additives); essentially toxic transfer fluids have a Gosselin rating of 2 or more (ethylene glycol, hydrocarbon oils, ammonia refrigerants).

A plumbing appurtenance (e.g., a water-distribution manifold) is an adjunct to the piping system that demands no additional water supply and adds no discharge load, while a plumbing appliance depends on energized components (whirlpool bathtub, water heater) and a plumbing fixture receives water or discharges waste.

'Private' applies to fixtures in residences and apartments and in nonpublic toilet rooms of hotels and motels and similar installations intended for use by a family or individual; fixtures in general toilet rooms of schools, office buildings and public comfort stations are 'Public or public utilization.'

An application is abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith, but the code official may grant one or more extensions of not more than 180 days each on written request with justifiable cause; an issued permit, by contrast, may be extended only once.

An annual permit may be issued in lieu of individual permits for each alteration to an already approved system, equipment or appliance installation to any person, firm or corporation regularly employing one or more qualified tradespersons on the premises, and the permit holder must keep a detailed record of alterations accessible to the code official.