Exam Cheat Sheet · Quick Reference
Kansas Journeyman Plumber with Gas Exam (ICC 560, 2015 IPC/IFGC)
Kansas · Pearson Vue
Verified, not estimated. Every figure below is drawn from the official exam structure we maintain — question counts, passing standard and topic weighting. Practice questions are grounded in the source law with statute citations. We omit any figure we can't verify rather than guess at it.
Total questions
70
Passing score
75%
Exam time
180 min
Administered by
Pearson Vue
Format
Reference materials allowed
Kansas State Portion 70 questions
Plumbing Fixtures and Terminology
3 Q · 4%
Definitions of plumbing fixtures, fittings, and appurtenancesMinimum number of required plumbing fixtures by occupancy typeFixture installation requirements (clearances, spacing, and setting)Prohibited fixtures and connectionsFixture material and quality standardsFaucets, fixture fittings, and shower valve requirementsFlushing devices for water closets and urinalsIndividual fixture requirements (bathtubs, showers, water closets, urinals, sinks, bidets, and specialty fixtures)Fixtures, Faucets and Fixture Fittings
Plumbing Fundamentals
10 Q · 14%
Code scope, intent, and applicability (IPC Chapter 1)Permit requirements, application, issuance, expiration, and exempt workCode official authority, duties, inspections, and right of entryViolations, stop work orders, penalties, and unsafe plumbing abatementBoard of appeals process and qualificationsRequired plumbing system tests (water, air, smoke, gravity sewer, forced sewer, shower liner)Protection of pipes from corrosion, freezing, physical damage, and structural membersPipe support intervals, hangers, anchorage, and sway bracing by material typeScope and AdministrationGeneral Regulations
Traps, Cleanouts and Interceptors
3 Q · 4%
Fixture trap requirements and prohibited trap typesTrap seal depth requirements and seal protection methodsCleanout placement intervals and location requirementsCleanout sizing, access clearance, and plug specificationsGrease interceptor requirements, sizing, and capacityOil separators and sand interceptors for commercial applicationsVenting, access, and maintenance of interceptors and separatorsSpecialty interceptors for clothes washers, bottling plants, and slaughterhousesSanitary Drainage
Special Requirements
2 Q · 4%
Nonpotable water storage tank requirements (location, access, venting, overflow, testing)On-site nonpotable water reuse systems (permitted/prohibited sources, collection piping, disinfection, valves)Nonpotable rainwater collection and conveyance systems (collection surface, roof washer, debris excluders, filtration)Reclaimed water system design and distribution piping requirementsSubsurface landscape irrigation system design, sizing, and installation (percolation tests, seepage trenches, absorption area)Indirect waste piping requirements (air gap, air break, waste receptors, food-handling equipment)Special wastes — neutralization and treatment of corrosive wastes
Drainage Requirements
10 Q · 14%
Sanitary drainage pipe materials and applicable standards (above-ground, underground, and building sewer)Slope and installation requirements for horizontal drainage pipingDrainage fixture unit values and system sizing tablesCleanout placement, sizing, access, and clearance requirementsJoints and connections for sanitary drainage piping by material typeSumps, sewage ejectors, and below-grade subdrain pumping systemsStorm drainage system sizing using rainfall rates, roof drain flow rates, and conductor/leader tablesSecondary (emergency) roof drains, scuppers, and backwater valve requirementsSanitary DrainageStorm Drainage
Vent Requirements
10 Q · 14%
Trap seal protection and maximum allowable pressure differentialVent terminal location and height requirements (roof, wall, and proximity to openings)Frost closure and cold-climate vent sizing requirementsVent pipe sizing using developed length and drainage fixture units (Table 906.1)Maximum distance of fixture trap from vent (Table 909.1)Venting methods: individual, common, wet, circuit, combination waste-and-vent, and waste stack ventAir admittance valve installation, location, size, and prohibited applicationsRelief vent requirements for stacks exceeding 10 branch intervals and circuit-vented branches
Water Distribution
8 Q · 12%
Water service pipe sizing and separation requirementsPipe and fitting materials for water service and distribution (approved standards)Fixture supply pipe sizing and minimum flow rates/pressures at outletsMaximum flow rates and water consumption limits for fixtures and fittingsBackflow prevention devices and cross-connection controlPressure regulation, water hammer arrestors, and booster systemsValve placement requirements (full-open and shutoff valves)Water heater safety devices, relief valves, and discharge piping requirementsWater Supply and Distribution
Plan Reading
10 Q · 14%
Interpreting drainage fixture unit (DFU) values and pipe sizing tables for sanitary drainage systemsReading water distribution system design criteria tables (flow rates, pressures, and fixture supply pipe sizes)Identifying pipe slope requirements for horizontal drainage piping from plan specificationsLocating and interpreting cleanout placement requirements on drainage plan drawingsReading vent pipe sizing tables (stack vents, vent stacks, and individual vents) from developed length and fixture unit dataIdentifying required valve locations (full-open and shutoff) on water distribution system plansInterpreting building drain and sewer sizing tables based on slope and fixture unit loadReading trap-to-vent distance requirements and vent connection configurations from plan layoutsWater Supply and DistributionSanitary DrainageVents
Gas
14 Q · 20%
Gas piping sizing using tables and equations (longest length, branch length, and hybrid pressure methods)Piping materials, fittings, and joining methods (metallic pipe, copper tubing, CSST, polyethylene plastic)Piping installation requirements (prohibited locations, burial depth, underground protection, support, and identification)Pressure testing, inspection, and purging of gas piping systemsShutoff valves and flow controls (appliance shutoff valves, pressure regulators, excess flow valves)Appliance connections and connector requirements (flexible connectors, maximum length, prohibited locations)Combustion air requirements (indoor air, outdoor air openings, mechanical air supply methods)Venting of gas appliances (vent types, vent connector sizing, chimney requirements, vent termination locations)Gas Piping InstallationsChimneys and Vents
Key Distinctions
Longest length method (IFGC 402.4.1)vsBranch length method (IFGC 402.4.2)
Longest length method sizes every section of the system from the single table row for the most remote outlet's length, while branch length method sizes each branch from its own meter-to-outlet length (e.g., branch 1 sized on the 20-ft row by branch length vs the 60-ft row by longest length).
IFGC Section 402.4.1, Longest Length Method; Table 402.4(2), Schedule 40 Metallic Pipe (natural gas, 0.5 in. w.c. drop)Water supply system test (IPC 312.5)vsDrainage and vent system test (IPC 312.2/312.3)
The water supply system is tested at a water pressure not less than the working pressure, or for non-plastic piping by air at not less than 50 psi held not less than 15 minutes, whereas drainage and vent piping is water tested with no section at less than a 10-foot head for not less than 15 minutes (5 psi air only for nonplastic).
IPC 2015 Section 312.5Plastic drainage/vent pipingvsNonplastic drainage/vent piping
Plastic piping shall not be tested using air, so a PVC drain/vent rough-in gets the 10-foot-head water test, while the 5 psi air test of Section 312.3 applies only to nonplastic piping.
IPC 2015 Sections 312.2 and 312.3Gravity building sewer test (IPC 312.6)vsForced sewer test (IPC 312.7)
A gravity sewer is tested with a 10-foot head, while a building sewer served by a sewage pump is plugged at the public sewer connection and tested at 5 psi greater than the pump rating, maintained for 15 minutes.
IPC 2015 Section 312.7Plumbing appurtenancevsPlumbing appliance / plumbing fixture
An appurtenance is an adjunct to the basic piping system that demands no additional water supply and adds no discharge load, an appliance depends on energized components for its operation, and a fixture is a receptacle or device connected to the water supply or drainage system.
IPC 2015 Section 202 (definitions of "Plumbing Appurtenance," "Plumbing Appliance," "Plumbing Fixture")Tempered watervsHot water
Tempered water has a temperature range between 85°F and 110°F; water at or above 110°F is defined as hot water.
IPC 2015 Section 202 (Tempered Water)Combustion air from outdoors — openings direct or through vertical ductsvsCombustion air from outdoors — openings through horizontal ducts
Direct outdoor openings or vertical ducts require 1 square inch of free area per 4,000 Btu/h per opening, while horizontal ducts require 1 square inch per 2,000 Btu/h.
IFGC 2015 Section 304.6.1Rock at pipe bottom (IPC 306.2.2)vsSoft, poor load-bearing material (IPC 306.2.3)
Rock must be removed to not less than 3 inches below the bottom of the pipe and backfilled to bed level with tamped sand (pipe and joints never resting on rock), which is a different remedy from that required for soft or poor load-bearing soil; supporting pipe on blocks to grade is prohibited by 306.2.
IPC 2015 Section 306.2.2Vent stack connected at base of drainage stackvsVent stack connected to the building drain
The vent stack may connect at the base of the drainage stack at or below the lowest horizontal branch, or to the building drain downstream of the drainage stack within 10 times the stack diameter (40 inches for a 4-inch stack).
IPC 2015 Section 904.4Steel shield plates for piping in framing (IPC 305.6)vsProtective sheathing through concrete/cinder walls (IPC 305.1)
Piping other than cast iron or galvanized steel less than 1 1/2 inches from the edge of a stud/joist needs steel shield plates not less than 0.0575 inch (No. 16 gage), while pipes through concrete or cinder walls and floors need sheathing or wrapping with a wall thickness not less than 0.025 inch.
IPC 2015 Section 305.6Sway bracing at changes in direction (IPC 308.6)vsRestraints for drainage piping greater than 4 inches (IPC 308.7.1)
Rigid support sway bracing is required at changes in direction greater than 45 degrees for pipe 4 inches and larger, while Section 308.7.1 separately requires restraints for pipe sizes greater than 4 inches at all changes in direction and at changes in diameter greater than two pipe sizes.
IPC 2015 Section 308.6Grinder pump serving a water closet (712.4.2 Exception 1)vsMain text solids requirement
A grinder pump or grinder ejector receiving water closet discharge is permitted a discharge opening of not less than 1 1/4 inches instead of meeting the 2-inch spherical solids requirement of the main text.
IPC 2015 Section 712.4.2, Exception 1Full-open valve required at base of each water riservsExempt occupancies (IPC 606.1 item 4)
Full-open valves are required at the base of every water riser except in multiple-family residential occupancies two stories or less in height and in one- and two-family dwellings; a two-story apartment is exempt, but a three-story apartment, a hotel and a two-story office are not.
IPC 2015 Section 606.1Key Terms
Branch interval IPC 2015 Section 202 (Branch Interval)
A vertical measurement of distance, 8 feet or more in developed length, between the connections of horizontal branches to a drainage stack, measured down the stack from the highest horizontal branch connection (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Circuit vent IPC 2015 Section 202 (Circuit Vent)
A vent that connects to a horizontal drainage branch and vents two traps to a maximum of eight traps or trapped fixtures connected into a battery (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Building drain IPC 2015 Section 202 (Building Drain)
The lowest piping of a drainage system that receives discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside the building and extends 30 inches in developed length of pipe beyond the exterior walls (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Backpressure, low head IPC 2015 Section 202 (Backpressure, Low Head)
A pressure less than or equal to 4.33 psi (29.88 kPa), or the pressure exerted by a 10-foot column of water (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Tempered water IPC 2015 Section 202 (Tempered Water)
Water having a temperature range between 85°F and 110°F (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Plumbing appurtenance IPC 2015 Section 202 (definitions of "Plumbing Appurtenance," "Plumbing Appliance," "Plumbing Fixture")
A manufactured device, prefabricated assembly or on-the-job assembly of component parts that is an adjunct to the basic piping system and plumbing fixtures, demanding no additional water supply and adding no discharge load (IPC 2015 Section 202).
Crown vent (prohibited) IPC 2015 Section 909.3
A vent installed within two pipe diameters of the trap weir; IPC 2015 Section 909.3 prohibits it, while maximum trap-to-vent distances are governed separately by Table 909.1.
Wall (sidewall) vent terminal IPC 2015 Section 903.6
A vent terminating through a wall must be not less than 10 feet from the lot line and not less than 10 feet above average ground level, and shall not terminate under the overhang of a structure with soffit vents (IPC 2015 Section 903.6).
Vent rough-in for future fixtures IPC 2015 Section 905.6
Where drainage piping is roughed-in for future fixtures, a vent rough-in connection not less than one-half the diameter of the rough-in drain served must be installed and identified as a vent (IPC 2015 Section 905.6).
Common branch vent IPC 2015 Section 906.4
Where multiple branch vents connect together, the common branch vent is sized on the common horizontal drainage branch that is or would be required for the total drainage fixture unit load vented, then taken at one-half that required drain size (IPC 2015 Sections 906.4 and 906.2).
Auxiliary (secondary) drain pan with separate drain IPC 2015 Section 314.2.3
A corrosion-resistant pan not less than 1 1/2 inches deep and not less than 3 inches larger than the unit or coil in width and length, with the drain discharging to a conspicuous point of disposal (IPC 2015 Section 314.2.3, Item 1).
Water heater pan drain to exterior IPC 2015 Section 504.7.2
A pan drain run full size to the exterior must terminate not less than 6 inches and not more than 24 inches above the adjacent ground surface (IPC 2015 Section 504.7.2).
Indirect waste for food-handling equipment IPC 2015 Section 802.1.1
Equipment and fixtures used for storage, preparation and handling of food must discharge through an indirect waste pipe by means of an air gap, and each well of a multiple-compartment sink must discharge independently to a waste receptor (IPC 2015 Section 802.1.1).
Strainer plate openings IPC 2015 Section 304.2
All strainer plates on drain inlets must be designed and installed so that all openings are not greater than 1/2 inch in least dimension, to exclude rodents (IPC 2015 Section 304.2).
Pipe sleeve through a foundation wall IPC 2015 Section 305.3
Pipe passing through a foundation wall must have a relieving arch or a pipe sleeve built into the wall that is two pipe sizes greater than the pipe passing through (IPC 2015 Section 305.3).
NSF 14 certification IPC 2015 Section 303.3
All plastic pipe, fittings and components installed in a plumbing system must be third-party certified as conforming to NSF 14 (IPC 2015 Section 303.3).
Chemical waste vent to an air admittance valve IPC 2015 Section 901.3
A chemical waste vent system may terminate to an air admittance valve complying with ASSE 1049 if the valve is of materials approved under Section 702.5 and tested for chemical resistance per ASTM F 1412 (IPC 2015 Section 901.3; repeated in 918.8).
Null and void permit IPC 2015 Section 106.5.3
A permit becomes null and void if authorized work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days; a new permit is then required at one-half the fee for a new permit provided the construction documents have not changed and the suspension has not exceeded 1 year (IPC 2015 Section 106.5.3).
Board of appeals — mechanical and plumbing seat IPC 2015 Section 109.2.1
That seat may be filled by a mechanical and plumbing contractor with not less than 10 years' experience, 5 years of which were in responsible charge of work (IPC 2015 Section 109.2.1).
Board of appeals — concurring vote IPC 2015 Sections 109.5 and 109.6
The board modifies or reverses the code official's decision by a concurring vote of three members; when fewer than five members are present the appellant may request a postponement, and if not requested the hearing proceeds (IPC 2015 Sections 109.5 and 109.6).
Formulas to Know
Gas demand / capacity conversion (natural gas at 1,000 Btu per cubic foot)
cfh = Btuh ÷ 1,000; Btuh = cfh × 1,000 (e.g., 40,000 Btuh ÷ 1,000 = 40 cfh; 247 cfh × 1,000 = 247,000 Btuh)Spare (or short) capacity of an installed gas pipe
Spare cfh = table capacity at that size/length − connected demand (e.g., 247 − 35 = 212 cfh; 170 − 60 = 110 cfh; 322 − 150 = 172 cfh)Table length row selection (Table 402.4(2), 0.5 in. w.c. drop)
Use the actual length; if the table has no row for it, use the next longer row (55 ft → 60-ft row; 68 ft → 70-ft row; 75 ft → 80-ft row; 95 ft → 100-ft row; 110 ft → 125-ft row)Longest length method row and section load
Measure meter to the most remote outlet (sum the main sections) and size EVERY section from that one row; each section carries the total of all outlets downstream of it (e.g., 40,000 + 35,000 + 100,000 = 175 cfh in the 70-ft row → 1 inch)Branch length method branch length
Branch length = main length from meter to its tee + branch length (15 + 5 = 20 ft; 15 + 8 = 23 ft → 30-ft row; 30 + 15 = 45 ft → 50-ft row); mains are still sized on the longest runVent stack connection to the building drain
Connection downstream of the drainage stack within 10 × stack diameter (4-inch stack: 10 × 4 = 40 inches maximum)Individual vent size with length increase
Vent = not less than one-half the required drain diameter (1/2 of 3 in = 1 1/2 in); if developed length exceeds 40 feet, increase one nominal size for the entire developed length (1 1/2 in → 2 in)Mechanical gauge range for gas piping pressure test
Highest end of gauge scale not greater than 5 × test pressure (3 psig test → 15 psig maximum full scale) — IFGC 2015 Section 406.4Drainage fixture units for continuous/semicontinuous flow
dfu = gpm × 2 (12 gpm × 2 = 24 dfu) — IPC 2015 Section 709.3Storm drainage sizing area with a diverting vertical wall
Sizing area = projected roof area + 1/2 of the vertical wall area that diverts water (4,000 + 1,200 = 5,200 sq ft) — IPC 2015 Section 1106.4Outdoor combustion air, two-permanent-openings method (direct or vertical ducts)
Each opening free area = total input ÷ 4,000 Btu/h per square inch (120,000 ÷ 4,000 = 30 sq in each); horizontal ducts use 1 sq in per 2,000 Btu/h — IFGC 2015 Section 304.6.1Indoor combustion air, standard method (unknown infiltration rate)
Required volume = 50 cubic feet per 1,000 Btu/h of total input of all appliances in the space (120,000 ÷ 1,000 × 50 = 6,000 cu ft) — IFGC 2015 Sections 304.5 and 304.5.1