Georgia Journeyman Plumber Exam

Key Concepts

Board complaints, records and discipline (Appendix E — Title 43, Ch. 1) - Complaint status: O.C.G.A. § 43-1-19(h)(5) — the division director and board must, upon request by the complainant, advise the complainant of the status while the complaint is pending, and notify the complainant of the disposition after the investigation. - Investigative records: § 43-1-19(h)(2) — results reported solely to the board; no part released except to the board for any purpose other than a board hearing; not subject to subpoena; but the board may release records to another enforcement agency or lawful licensing authority. - Judicial review: § 43-1-19(f) — initial judicial review lies solely in the superior court of the county of domicile of the board; attorney's fees may be assessed where an appeal lacks substantial justification. - Service: § 43-1-19(k) — if certified mail/statutory overnight delivery to the last known address is returned "unclaimed" or "refused" and the…

Key Concepts

Code official authority and administration (IPC Chapter 1) - The code official may determine compliance, render interpretations, and adopt policies and procedures to clarify application, but these shall not have the effect of waiving requirements specially provided for in the code (IPC 104.2). - Where a listing is required and no listing standard is specified, the listing shall be based on an approved listing criteria (IPC 104.2.1). - The code official is authorized to require the owner or the owner's authorized agent to provide a technical opinion and report (IPC 104.2.2). - Alternative materials, designs and methods are allowed if not specifically prohibited by the code and approved (IPC 104.2.3). - Modifications: details of the written request and the action granting the modification must be recorded and entered in the files of the department of building safety (IPC 104.2.4). - Official records of approvals, inspections, tests and fees are retained **not less…

Key Concepts

Precedence of codes, standards and manufacturer's instructions - Where conflicts occur between provisions of the code and the referenced standards of Chapter 15, the provisions of the code apply (IPC 2024, Section 102.8.1). Where a referenced code or standard covers subject matter within the scope of the code, the code takes precedence (Section 102.8.2). - Where equipment, materials or products must be listed, installation is per the listing and the manufacturer's instructions; where required to verify compliance, the listing standard and the manufacturer's instructions shall be made available to the code official (IPC 2024, Section 104.2.1). Warranties, invoices and shop drawings are not the documents named. - Specifications vs. codes: if the specifications conflict with applicable codes, follow the stricter of the two; codes are the minimum requirements by law (NASCLA Ch. 7 — Project Documents).

Key Concepts

Pipe length calculations (threaded, copper, PVC) - The fitting allowance for a threaded fitting is the distance between the end of the pipe (which may be inside the fitting) and the center of the fitting (Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, Page 39). - e-e is always shorter than c-c because the pipe does not thread into a fitting as far as the center point. Correct sequence: get the center-to-center measurement first, then subtract the total fitting allowance (Pages 39-41). - For two threaded ells: total fitting allowance = 2(A) − 2(B), where A = center-to-face and B = thread-in (Pages 40-41). - Copper fitting allowance = center-to-face measurement minus the depth of the solder cup (Page 44). PVC allowances are handled the same way — center-to-face minus depth of cup, with no thread-in subtraction — and are simply added together and subtracted from c-c (Pages 48-49). - Welded fittings / flanges: a…

Key Concepts

Gas pipe sizing. Piping must supply the maximum demand and deliver gas to each appliance inlet at not less than the minimum supply pressure required by the appliance (IFGC 402.1). The volumetric flow rate is the sum of the maximum input of the appliances served, using total connected hourly load as if all appliances ran at full capacity (IFGC 402.2). Sizing is by pipe sizing tables/equations, the sizing tables in a listed system's manufacturer's instructions, or engineering methods (IFGC 402.3). Length is determined by the longest length method — longest length from point of delivery to the most remote outlet, with the load of the section (402.4.1); the branch length method — each unsized branch uses the length from the point of delivery to the most remote outlet in that branch (402.4.2); or hybrid pressure — higher-pressure sections use the length to the most remote line pressure regulator, and piping downstream uses…

Key Concepts

Responsibility and notice. The permit holder shall make the applicable tests, give reasonable advance notice to the code official, furnish the equipment, material, power and labor for the inspection and test, and is responsible for determining that the work will withstand the prescribed test pressure (IPC 312.1). Testing is with water or, for piping systems other than plastic, by air (IPC 312.1).

Drainage/vent rough-in tests. - Water test (IPC 312.2): tested in sections, each section held not less than 15 minutes; when testing successive sections, include not less than the upper 10 feet of the next preceding section, so no joint or pipe except the uppermost 10 feet is subjected to less than a 10-foot head. - Air test (IPC 312.3): force air to a uniform gauge pressure of 5 psi, or sufficient to balance a 10-inch column of mercury, held not less than 15 minutes. Air testing of plastic piping is…

Key Concepts

Gas piping testing and leak detection - Mechanical gauges used to measure test pressures shall have a range such that the highest end of the scale is not greater than five times the test pressure (IFGC 2024, 406.4). - Test pressure shall be not less than 1 1/2 times the proposed maximum working pressure, but not less than 3 psig (IFGC 406.4.1). - Test duration: not less than 1/2 hour for each 500 cubic feet of pipe volume or fraction thereof; for a system less than 10 cubic feet or any system in a single-family dwelling, not less than 10 minutes; not required to exceed 24 hours (IFGC 406.4.2). - Appliances designed for operating pressures less than the test pressure must be disconnected and their outlets capped (IFGC 406.3.3). Appliances rated equal to or greater than the test pressure are isolated by closing the individual appliance shutoff valve (IFGC 406.3.4). - Leakage…

Key Concepts

Fuel gas pressure testing (IFGC 2024, Chapter 4) - Test pressure: not less than 1½ times the proposed maximum working pressure, but in no case less than 3 psig (Section 406.4.1). Mechanical gauges must have a range whose high end is not greater than five times the test pressure (Section 406.4). - Duration: not less than ½ hour per 500 cubic feet of pipe volume or fraction thereof; not less than 10 minutes for a system under 10 cubic feet or a system in a single-family dwelling; never required to exceed 24 hours (Section 406.4.2). - Test medium shall be air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or an inert gas; oxygen shall not be used (Section 406.2). - Appliances designed for operating pressures less than the test pressure must be disconnected and their outlets capped (Section 406.3.3). Appliances rated equal to or greater than the test pressure are isolated by closing the individual shutoff…

Key Concepts

• Water head and pressure. Each foot of height in a column of water produces 0.434 psi at the base, derived from a cubic foot of water weighing 62.5 pounds spread over 144 square inches (62.5 ÷ 144 = 0.434). Each psi requires a head of 2.304 feet (the reciprocal of 0.434). The shape or slope of a tank's sides does not affect the pressure on the bottom. (Pages 188–189, Unit 53)
• Low head backpressure is a pressure less than or equal to 4.33 psi, the pressure exerted by a 10-foot column of water. (IPC 2021, Section 202)
• Force on a plug = psi × area of the plug in square inches (area from A = πr²). (Unit 53)
• Cubic measure. 1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches (12 × 12 × 12) — a three-dimensional measurement. (Page 14, Unit 1)
• Water measure. 231 cubic inches = 1…