New York City Master Plumber Exam

Key Concepts

Permits & Administration - Permits comply with PC §106.1, Article 105 of Chapter 1 of Title 28, and other code requirements. - Other permits (PC §106.6): building sewer permits from DEP; sidewalk and street opening permits from DOT; abandoned building sewers require plug permits from DEP and must be sealed inside the curb line, as close thereto as practicable (§701.2.5). - §28-105.4.4(2): ordinary plumbing work includes relocating up to two fixtures in the same room a maximum of 10 feet (3048 mm) from the original location, except in health care facilities. §28-105.4.4(3): replacement or repair of a sump pump is ordinary work — a new sump pump installation is not listed and needs a permit. - §28-105.3: separate permits are not required for foundations/earthwork or for air conditioning, ventilation and heating work included in construction documents filed for a new building or alteration. Plumbing (including gas piping), sprinkler and elevator work still require separate permits. - Maintenance (§102.3): existing and new installations are maintained per original design, safe and sanitary; required devices/safeguards are maintained in compliance with the applicable provisions under which they were installed. - §701.2.4: where a public sewer is made available to premises with an on-site private disposal system, abandon the private system as prescribed by the commissioner and connect within 6 months of notification the sewer was accepted to receive flow.

Key Concepts

Limited alterations (ADC Art. 101 definitions; BC 106.10; PC 107.5) - Category 1 permits the addition of not more than five plumbing fixtures or fixture connections in a building within any 12-month period; Category 1 also caps new sprinkler heads installed off an existing domestic water system at 5 in any 12-month period. - Category 2 covers in-kind replacement of gas-fired appliances (and gas burners) with a combined heat input of 3,000,000 Btu/h (879 kW) or less. The 350,000 Btu/h figure belongs to the separate direct-vent appliance replacement provisions for one- and two-family dwellings. - Category 2 permits rearrangement of not more than 20 sprinkler heads in already-sprinklered light hazard areas (NFPA 13 as amended by BC Appendix Q) that remain in that occupancy and were legally installed off a domestic water system; 30 applies to replacement of existing heads with same orifice size, type and deflector position. - A limited alteration application shall not include associated work otherwise requiring an alteration permit, "including but not limited to any construction of fire-rated partitions and enclosures." - BC 106.10 / PC 106.7: for permits on limited alteration applications, refer to §28-101.5 and §28-104.6, Exception 1. - PC 107.5: riser diagrams, diagrammatic floor plans and appurtenant-equipment plans (pumps, ejectors, water tanks) are not required for applications for limited plumbing alterations.

Key Concepts

Scope and administration - FGC coverage of piping systems "shall extend to the outlet of the appliance shutoff valves," and includes design, materials, components, fabrication, assembly, installation, testing, inspection, operation and maintenance (FGC 101.2.2). Natural gas installations at 15 psig or above shall also comply with Appendix G. - Outside the scope: piping systems for mixtures of gas and air within the flammable range with an operating pressure greater than 10 psig (FGC 101.2.4, Item 16). - The Plumbing Code regulates only nonflammable medical/nonmedical gas and nonmedical oxygen systems; fuel-gas distribution piping and equipment are regulated by the Fuel Gas Code (PC 101.2). - Prior code buildings: guards (306.6) and permanent means of access (306.5) do not apply where equipment replaces existing equipment in the same location (FGC 102.4.2.2). Whether seismic requirements apply to an alteration is determined under the 1968 Building Code and department interpretations (FGC 102.4.2.3). - Construction documents must include seismic protection and restraint details per Chapter 16 of the NYC Building Code (FGC 107.5, Item 5).

Permits and inspections - Gas piping installation/alteration is authorized under a plumbing permit (§ 28-105.2, item 6). - Emergency work (including gas leak repair) may proceed without a permit only to relieve the emergency; the permit application, with a written description of the condition and mitigation measures, is due within 2 business days after the work commences (§ 28-105.4.1). - Ordinary plumbing work without a permit requires a monthly report of completed and in-progress work (block, lot, address), fees, and a certification of code compliance (§ 28-105.4.4). - Rough-in inspection and gas test are waived on appliance replacement only if no piping is replaced upstream of the…

Key Concepts

Permits and applicants (NYC ADC Title 28) - The applicant for a plumbing work permit must be the licensed master plumber who performs the work — the exception to the general applicant rule in § 28-105.5.1; a GC, owner or design professional cannot stand in that role. - A plumbing permit covers installation or alteration of plumbing and plumbing systems including gas piping, and includes permits for limited plumbing alterations (§ 28-105.2). - Ordinary plumbing work (§ 28-105.4.4) includes: relocation of up to two fixtures within the same room, maximum 10 feet, except in health care facilities; repair/replacement of non-gas, non-fire-suppression branch piping after the riser shutoff valve (including fixture replacement); repair/replacement of such piping not longer than 25 feet inside a building; and installation, replacement or repair of a secondary backflow preventer (for a sump pump, only replacement or repair is listed). - Relocating a portion of the water distribution system is expressly work not constituting minor alterations or ordinary repairs (§ 28-105.4.2.1). - Plumbing plans for new systems and alterations must include a statement from DEP giving the minimum water pressure in the main (PC 107.5, item 5.3). - Nonpotable systems: permits for construction/installation/alteration, plus DOHMH permits for review, commissioning and operation (PC 1301.4).

Key Concepts

Permits (NYC ADC Ch. 1). § 28-105.2 item 10 classifies fire protection and suppression system permits (installation/alteration of sprinkler and standpipe systems) and states such permits include limited sprinkler alterations and limited standpipe alterations. § 28-105.4 item 7 exempts alternative automatic fire extinguishing systems — including commercial cooking equipment systems — from department permits, subject to Fire Department approval under FC § 105; fire alarm, emergency alarm and in-building auxiliary radio communication systems are likewise listed in § 28-105.4. Under § 28-105.4.1, emergency work (item 5: replacing parts required for operation of a standpipe or sprinkler system) may precede the permit, but the later application must include a written description of the emergency condition and the measures undertaken to mitigate the hazard.

Sprinklers — NFPA 13 as modified (BC Q102). Existing 3/4-in. pipe in an altered system must be removed and replaced with pipe of 1-in. minimum diameter (§8.15.20.4.4); nipples under 1 in. must be schedule 80 and no longer than shoulder length (§8.15.20.4.5). Closet/pantry sprinkler omission: 12 sq ft in Group R dwelling units other than hotels/motels; 24 sq ft with 3-ft least dimension in hotel/motel dwelling units (§8.15.8.2). Non-metallic piping and fittings only in Group R occupancies 6 stories or less (§6.3.9.9). Acceptance hydrostatic test duration is 1 hour (§25.2.1.1, §25.2.1.4.1). Maintenance follows NFPA 25 and the NYC Fire Code (§27.1). Test pipe not less than 1 in., upper story, test valve accessible and not over 7 ft above the floor, control valve not exposed to freezing (§8.17.4.2.1.1).