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Massachusetts Plumbers Journeyman
Exam Questions with Answers 2024
Existing Work ✔ A plumbing system or any part thereof installed prior to March 11, 2005. Soil Pipe ✔ Any pipe that conveys the discharge of toilets, urinals or fixtures having similar functions to the building drain or building sewer. The discharge may be conveyed with or without the discharge from other fixtures Water Distribution Pipe ✔ A pipe within the building or on the premises that conveys water from the water service pipe to the point of usage Barometric Loop. ✔ A vertical loop of pipe, rising to a height sufficient to prevent back-siphonage from occurring in the potable water supply pipe. (Approximately 35 feet, depending on the weight of the atmosphere.) Developed Length ✔ The length of a pipeline as measured along the center line of the pipe or fittings. Roughing-in. ✔ The installation of all parts of the plumbing system that can be completed prior to the installation of fixtures. This includes drainage piping, water supply piping, vent piping, the necessary fixture supports, and any fixtures that are built into the building. Trap Seal ✔ The vertical distance between the crown weir and the top of the dip of the trap. Air Gap (Drainage System). ✔ The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere between the outlet of a waste pipe and the flood level rim of the receptacle into which the waste discharges. Air Fixture Unit. ✔ A unit of liquid flow used in sizing both supply and drainage pipes. It is equal to 1 cubic foot per minute or approximately 7.5 gallons per minute. Liquid Waste ✔ Discharge from any fixture, appliance, area or appurtenance that does not contain human or animal waste matter suspended in a solution.
Vacuum ✔ Any pressure less than that exerted by the atmosphere Branch Interval ✔ A distance along a soil or waste stack corresponding in general to a story height, but not less than eight feet in vertical height, and wherein the horizontal branches from one floor or story of a building are connected to the stack Testing water supply shall be at a pressure no less than? ✔ 125 PSI Storm or Sanitary drains shall be installed at a slope that: ✔ a slope that produces a computed velocity of discharge of not less than two feet per second. Horizontal drainage piping which is (3) three inches in diameter or smaller shall be installed with a minimum uniform pitch ✔ ¼ inch per foot Horizontal drainage piping which is larger than three inches in diameter shall be installed with a minimum uniform pitch of ✔ 1/8 inch per foot Special Labs. All licensed plumbers and plumbing apprentices installing pipe connections or working on drains to hospital waste and vent systems, mortuary waste and vent systems, laboratory waste and vent systems, dental waste and vent systems and plumbing systems in radioactive sensitive areas ✔ shall have the surface of their body and clothing protected by disposable or washable gowns similar or equal to the gowns, gloves and face masks worn by surgical staff. Whenever there is reason to believe that the plumbing system of any building has become defective, it shall be subjected ✔ test and/or inspection, and any defects found shall be corrected as required in writing by the Inspector Waste and Vent shall be tested for? ✔ until there is a uniform gauge pressure of five P.S.I.G. or sufficient pressure to balance a column of mercury ten inches in height. This pressure shall be held without introduction of additional air for a period of at least 15 minutes. The gauge used for this test shall be calibrated in increments no greater than 1/10 of a pound. c Upon completion of a section or of the entire water supply system when roughed, it shall be tested and proved tight under a pressure not less than ✔ 125 pounds per square inch
✔ Notify the owner or his or her agent. List two requirements when demolishing a building? ✔ 1. You must secure a plumbing permit
- Must make all connections gas and water tight. Storm or sanitary drains shall be installed at a slope that produces a computed velocity of discharge of not less than ✔ two feet per second What fitting could you legally install that the branch is larger than the main? ✔ 4x3 closet bend (The enlargement of a three-inch closet bend or stub to four inches shall not be considered an obstruction). Trenching, Tunneling and Back-filling Where rock is encountered in trenching ✔ The rock shall be removed to a point at least three inches below the grade line of the trench Where trenches are excavated below grade such that the bottom of the trench does not form the bed for the pipe ✔ the trench shall be back-filled to grade with sand tamped in place so as to provide a uniform bearing surface for the pipe between joints. Backfilling. 1. Until the crown of the pipe is covered by at ✔ at least two feet of tamped earth considerable care shall be exercised in backfilling trenches Meter boxes shall be constructed in such a manner that ✔ rats cannot enter a building by following the water service pipe from the box into the building All strainer plates on drain inlets shall be designed and installed so that the diameter of the opening is no greater than...? ✔ 1/2" Piping in Relation to Footings. (a) Outside of Footings. Piping which is installed outside of and below a footing shall not ✔ destroy the bearing value of the soil Through or Under Footings, Foundations or Walls. No pipe shall be installed through or under a footing, foundation or wall, except when ✔ a provision is made in the footing to carry the building or structural loads without transmitting such loads to the pipe. Sewage Disposal Connections (Buildings). (a) The plumbing of each building shall have an independent connection to a public sanitary sewer outside of building, unless
✔ in the opinion of the Inspector, a single separate connection is not feasible. materials not covered by the standards listed in 248 CMR 10.06 may be used with the approval of the...? ✔ approval of the State Board Allowable Materials. (a) When installing fittings or piping for renovations or alterations within an existing soil stack, waste stack, vent stack or drain, the fitting or piping shall be of the ✔ same material as the existing stack or drain and be compliant with a joining method outlined in 248 CMR 10. Exception: In new residential construction ____________ pipe may be used exclusively with PVC for sound reduction ✔ Cast Iron Sheet Lead. shall meet the following requirements: 1. For a safe pan the sheet lead shall not be less than ✔ four pounds per square foot For vent terminal flashing the sheet lead shall not be less than ✔ three pounds per square foot. 3lbs Sheet Copper. Sheet copper shall not be less than ✔ 12 ounces per square foot when used in the following applications:
- safe pan;
- shower pan;
- flush tank linings;
- vent terminal flashing; or
- general use. Floor Flanges. A floor flange used for a toilet or other similar fixture shall conform to the following requirements ✔ -If the flange is composed of brass, the flange shall have a minimum thickness of 1/8" inch -If the flange is composed of cast iron the flange shall have a minimum thickness of ¼ inch, and the minimum caulking depth shall be two inches. A Brass closet flange shall have a minimum thickness of ✔ 1/8" If the flange is composed of cast iron the flange shall have a minimum thickness of ✔ 1/4" and the minimum caulking depth shall be two inches Cleanout plugs shall meet the following requirements
-commercial buildings that incorporate patron areas for the purpose of serving alcohol, soda or other similar carbonated type beverages where the carbonated liquid waste shall drain directly into a floor sink or floor drain Hubless Fittings. (i) There shall be a hanger installed at ✔ -each change of direction -When joining three or more fittings, there shall be a minimum of one hanger for every three-feet or part thereof Water Service Piping (Outside Building). The materials used shall be those specified by the ✔ local municipality The piping that penetrates concrete floors slabs or concrete walls shall be provided with sleeves. Maintain an annular space of ✔ one-inch between the pipe and sleeve. The developed length distance from the fixture outlet to the trap weir shall not exceed ✔ 24 inches The piping shall be connected to cast iron soil pipe hubs using oakum and no less than ✔ one-inch of molten lead Caulk the joint along the inside and outside edges after it has cooled for ✔ 4 minuets Thermal Expansion.. Thermal expansion of PVC pipe occurs at the rate of approximately? ✔ 3/8" inch per ten feet length per 100°F temperature change In a PVC-DWV system an expansion allowance of ✔ ½ inch per ten feet length of pipe is required Expansion joints shall be provided ✔ at every other branch interval up to and including ten stories in height. The expansion fitting shall be installed in a ✔ accessible location in horizontal runs exceeding 20 feet in length. The piping that penetrates concrete floors slabs or concrete walls shall be provided with sleeves. Maintain an annular space of ✔ one-inch between the pipe and sleeve. Piping Trench Installations.Using sand or other fine granular material, compact and backfill around the pipe to a point at least ✔ six-inches over the crown of the pipe.
nstallation Through Fire-walls or Rated Fire Separation Walls. a. When piping passes through a rated fire separation wall or enclosure to another dwelling unit or space, the pipe shall be encased or shielded by a metal sleeve extended ✔ 20 inches on each side of the wall, floor or ceiling. The metal sleeve shall be 18 gauge Installation. ABS-DWV pipe ✔ Expansion joints are not required Urinal Wastes. Urinal waste branches and urinal fixture wastes shall conform to the following: 1 ✔ They shall be made of: a. extra heavy or service weight cast iron soil pipe and fittings with caulked joints b. threaded cast iron pipe with cast iron drainage fittings; or c. iron size copper or brass pipe with cast brass drainage fittings. sumps and Tanks for Sewage. All sumps and tanks for receiving sewage removed by mechanical or ejector methods, shall be constructed as follows: ✔ 1. Concrete. Three-inch minimum wall.
- Cast Iron. Minimum ¼ inch thickness.
- Steel. a. Minimum 3/8" inch thickness for above ground. b. For below ground installation the sump or tank shall be encased in concrete having a thickness of at least three-inches Vacuum Drainage System. ✔ piping arrangements and vacuum pumps that are designed and installed in compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations Caulked Cast Iron Soil Pipe. Every lead caulked joint for cast iron bell and spigot soil pipe shall: ✔ 1. be firmly packed with oakum or hemp;
- be filled with molten lead that is not less than one inch-deep and does not extend more than c inch below the rim of the hub;
- not have paint, varnish, or other coatings on the jointing material until after the joint has been tested and approved; and
- have lead run in one continuous pour and shall have the lead caulked tight Mechanical (Flexible or Slip Joint). 1. Cast Iron Pipe or Ductile Iron Pipe. Every mechanical joint in cast iron pipe or ductile iron pipe shall be ✔ a. made with a flanged collar, rubber ring gasket, and appropriate number of securing bolts; or b. made with a preformed molded ring secured by pulling the pipe together in such a way as to compress the molded ring Slip joints may be used on the
On piping that is over four inch nominal diameter the cleanouts shall not be more than ✔ 100 feet apart Change of Direction. Accessible cleanouts shall be installed: ✔ 1. at each change of direction of the building drain; or
- at each change of direction of horizontal waste or soil lines and branch lines, that are greater then 45 Cleanout Size. Cleanouts shall be of the same nominal size as the pipes up to ✔ four inches and not less than four inches for larger piping Cleanout Clearances. 1. Large Pipe - Cleanouts on three inch or larger pipes shall be so installed that there is a clearance of not less than ✔ not less than 18 inches for the purpose of clearing stoppages.
- Small Pipe - 12 Inch Clearance. Cleanouts smaller than three inches shall be so installed that there is a ✔ 12-inch clearance for the purpose of clearing stoppages. Manholes for Large Pipes. 1. For underground "dedicated system" piping that is over ✔ ten inches in diameter and is outside a building, manholes shall be provided and located at every change of size in diameter, alignment, grade or elevation and at intervals of not more than 300 feet except when the total developed length of the drain is less than 150 feet cleanouts may be installed at 75 foot intervals. When an outside grease interceptor is installed, the entire installation within the property line shall comply with 248 CMR 10.03, and the installation shall be designed by a registered professional mechanical engineer. (b) This installation shall require a chamber vent which shall: ✔ be piped to the inside of the building in compliance with 248 CMR 10.16(5)(e); and
- shall be not less than four inch minimum pipe diameter Commercial laundries shall be equipped with an interceptor having a wire basket or similar device, removable for cleaning, that will prevent passage into the drainage system of solids ✔ ½ inch or larger in size, string, rags, buttons, or other materials detrimental to the public sewerage system The following fixtures are prohibited ✔ (a) A pan, valve, plunger, offset, washout, frost proof latrine, or other toilet which has an invisible seal, mechanical seal or an unventilated space. (b) A toilet that has walls that are not thoroughly washed at each discharge. (c) A toilet that may enable siphonage of the contents of the bowl back into the tank. (d) Trough urinals and floor stall urinals. (e) Wall hung urinals connected to an exposed trap
Toilets. (a) Public Use. A toilet for public use shall be of the ✔ elongated type Float Valve and Ballcocks. A float valve or ballcock in a toilet flush tank shall be of ✔ anti-siphon design and shall provide sufficient water to refill the trap seal in the toilet bowl Seats. A toilet shall be equipped with a seat of ✔ smooth non-absorbent material. The seat of a toilet that is provided for public or semi-public use shall be of the open front type Materials Surrounding Urinals for Public or Semi-public Use. 1. The floor areas one foot in front of the urinal lip and one foot on each side of the urinal, and the wall areas to four feet above the floor, ✔ shall be finished so as to be non-absorbent. Shower Head Supply Riser. Every shower head supply riser or extension from the shower valve to the shower head outlet, whether exposed or not, shall be ✔ securely attached to the structure Waste outlets serving shower stalls and compartments that are not part of bathtubs shall be no less than ✔ two inches in diameter, shall have removable strainers not less than three inches in diameter, and shall have strainer openings not less than ¼ inch in minimum dimension. Shower compartments and stalls shall have at least ✔ 900 square inches of floor area and be not less than 30 inches in minimum dimension measured from its finished interior dimension as the side of a rectangle, altitude of a triangle or diameter of a circle or other angular shape Shower pans shall turn up on all sides at least above the finished threshold level. ✔ The waste outlet opening for individual shower compartments shall be ✔ two inch maximum deliverable temperature of hot water ✔ 112 degrees ___________________are required on the hot and cold water inlets to the automatic central control mixing valve ✔ Check Valves Domestic food-waste grinder units shall be connected to a drain of not less than ✔ 1½ inches in diameter
A safe waste pan shall be installed under a water heater or hot water storage tank that is installed in a position ✔ in a position elevated above any occupied space Safe waste pans shall be at least ✔ two inches deep and have a minimum clearance of two inches around the base of the hot water storage tanks The Minimum size waste pipe is to be ✔ 1¼-inch pipe Safe waste pans shall be installed for hot water storage tanks that are ✔ six gallons in capacity or larger. All indirect waste piping shall discharge into the building sanitary or storm drainage system through ✔ an air gap or air break The air gap between the indirect waste and the building sanitary or storm drainage system shall be at least ✔ at least twice the effective diameter of the drain served No plumbing fixture which is used for ✔ domestic or culinary purposes shall be used to receive the discharge of an indirect waste pipe, The stand pipe receptor for an automatic clothes washing machine shall be installed in one of the following ways: ✔ 1. The stand pipe receptor shall be individually trapped and vented.
- The stand pipe shall be no more than 30 inches nor less than 18 inches above its trap and in no case shall the trap be installed below the floor. No sanitary or storm drainage system, nor shall any water above ✔ 150 degrees enter drainage system Any fixture or piece of equipment to be indirectly wasted that has a waste outlet smaller than 1¼ inches in diameter shall be connected to an indirect waste pipe ✔ one size larger than said outlet. Prohibited. A trap shall not be installed on an ✔ individual indirect waste, an indirect waste main or an indirect waste branch main. 2 An indirect waste stack receiving the discharge from fixtures on ✔ two or more floors shall be extended to the outer air as required for a stack vent
Water Service main to a residence shall be ✔ shall, in no case, be less than ¾ inch nominal pipe diameter howers used for other than safety reasons shall be equipped with flow control devices to limit total flow to a maximum of ✔ 2.5 G.P.M. per shower head Lavatory faucets in public toilet facilities shall: a. Limit the delivery of water to a maximum of ✔ .5 G.P.M. unless a metering faucet is provided that limits delivery to a maximum of 0.25 gallons per metering cycle Public water shall be controlled with equipped or installed with devices which limit the outlet temperature to a maximum of ✔ 110°F The maximum temperature of the domestic hot water in residential buildings shall not exceed ✔ 130 degrees Flushometer toilets that are floor mounted or wall mounted shall be low consumption toilets which use a maximum of ✔ 1.6 gallons (six liters) per flush Flushometer type urinals shall discharge a maximum of ✔ one gallon per flush a. All two-piece toilets shall be low consumption toilets, which use a maximum of ✔ 1.6 gallons per flush The fixture water supply pipe shall be extended to within at least ✔ 30 inches Water pressure absorbers shall be placed ✔ as close as possible to the quick acting valves and shall be accessible for maintenance or replacement Pressure Absorbing Devices. A mechanical pressure absorbing device may be installed ✔ a. at the ends of long pipe runs of pipe; or b. connected to piping serving batteries of fixtures. Variable Street Pressures. Where street main pressures fluctuate, the building water distribution system shall be designed for the ✔ minimum pressure available
✔ one pipe size smaller than the cold water supply or the tank drain, whichever is larger. The minimum size of the vacuum relief valves shall be ✔ ½ inch. When color marking is employed, potable water lines shall be painted ✔ green and non-potable water lines shall be painted yellow. This requirement may be accomplished by painting three inch wide bands of green or yellow at intervals of not more than ✔ 25 feet and at points where piping passes through walls, floors and roofs When tags are used, three-inch diameter metal tags bearing the legend ✔ SAFE WATER in letters not less than ½ inch in height shall identify potable water lines Firmly attached metal tags having the shape of a four-inch equilateral triangle bearing the legend WATER UNSAFE in letters not less than ached metal tags having the shape of a four-inch equilateral triangle bearing the legend WATER UNSAFE in letters not less than _________________? ✔ 7/16 inches in height shall identify non-potable water supply line As in the use of color bands, tags shall be attached to pipes at intervals of not more than ✔ 25 feet and at either side of points where pipes pass through walls and above and below points where pipes pass through floors or roofs Cross connections between potable water systems and other systems or equipment containing water or other substances of unknown or questionable safety are prohibited; except when and where, as approved by the ✔ Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection or its designee, Used Piping. Piping which has been used for any other purpose than conveying potable water shall ✔ not be used for conveying potable water Potable water connections to a heating boiler shall be provided with an approved ✔ back flow preventer or air gap in the water line to prevent a cross connection. Minimum Required Air Gap. a. How Measured. The minimum required air gap shall be measured ✔ vertically from the lowest end of a potable water outlet to the flood rim or line of the fixture or receptacle into which it discharges The minimum required air gap shall be
✔ twice the effective opening of a potable water outlet. Vacuum breakers shall be installed with the critical level at least ✔ six inches above the flood level rim of the fixture they serve and on the discharge side of the last control valve to the fixture Temperature Relief Valves. Temperature Relief Valves shall meet the requirements of M.G.L. c. 142, § 19 and Standard ANSI Z21.22 latest issue. a. Valves shall be minimum ✔ ¾-inch size except that for heaters with input of 15,000 BTU per hour or less, the valve can be ½-inch size The thermostatic relieving element shall extend not more than ✔ five inches into the top of the tank. The temperature relief valve shall have a minimum discharge in BTU per hour at least ✔ equal to the heat source input. e. When the water heater is furnished with a separate relief valve tapping in the side and within the top six inches of the tank, ✔ the valve installed in such tapping may be equipped with either an extension or short thermostatic element Water heaters and storage tanks shall be protected against loss of water from siphoning due to loss of supply pressure by a vacuum relief valve installed in the ✔ cold water supply line at a level above the top of the heater or tank. Open Parking Garages:The maximum distance between stacks shall not exceed ✔ 60 feet intervals A kitchen sink shall not waste into any horizontal drain line that receives the waste from a ✔ bathtub or similar flat bottom fixture that is smaller than three inches in diameter Kitchen Sink Wastes (Domestic). 1. Not less than a ✔ 1½ inch branch waste Roughing - Food Waste Disposer. 1. The fittings used in all sanitary drainage systems which receive the fixture waste from a kitchen sink, shall be installed at a height to permit the installation of a food waste disposer, ✔ (approximate height 12 inches through 15 inches above the finished floor). Where laundries are installed in buildings with more than three Branch intervals, laundries shall be connected to an ✔ independent laundry stack The independent laundry stacks shall connect to a independent laundry main drain
The size of the relief vent shall be equal to the size of the vent stack to which it connects ✔ Increaser. The change in the diameter of a vent terminal shall be made by the use of an increaser; and occur no less than ✔ one foot below the roof surface No vent terminal shall be located ✔ 1. No vent terminal shall be located: a. directly beneath any door, window, or other ventilating opening of the building or of an adjacent building; b. within ten feet horizontally of such an opening unless it is no less than two feet above the top of such opening.
- Plumbing vent terminals shall be located no less than 25 feet horizontally from all fresh air intakes.
- Plumbing vents that terminate no less than two feet above the top of the fresh air intake may be located as close as ten feet. Where frost closure is likely to occur, each vent extension through a roof shall be at least ✔ three inches in diameter For remodeling and alteration work only, vents may be installed outside the building with ✔ prior permission of the Inspector and when all other means of venting have been eliminated or are not practical. Vertical Rise. 1. Where vent pipes connect to a horizontal soil or waste pipe: a. The vent shall be taken off above the ____________of the soil or waste pipe drain. b. The vent pipe shall rise vertically, or at an angle of 45° from the vertical, to a point at least_____________above the flood-level rim of the fixture it is venting, before it may offset horizontally ✔ center line, six inches Horizontal Waste Branch. 1. Two lavatories or similar fixtures installed adjacent or back- to-back within six feet of a main vented stack, proper wet vent, or continuous waste and vent, may be installed on a two inch horizontal waste branch without re-venting, provided: ✔ a. the horizontal waste branch is not less than two inches throughout its entire length and b. the fixture wastes are connected into the side center of the branch.
A waste and vent that serves a kitchen sink, a garbage disposal, a dish washer, or other fixture installed for culinary use, or one that receives the discharge from a clothes washing machine may not serve as a ✔ wet vent for any other fixture. Floor-mounted Fixture Outlet. 1. When installing the piping for a floor outlet type toilet or similar fixture, the vertical piping distance shall not exceed ✔ 20 inches from the finish floor of the fixture served to the center line of the horizontal drain serving such fixture If the vertical distance exceeds 20 inches the fixture shall be individually vented. The minimum diameter of an individual vent shall be not less than ✔ 1¼-inch nor less than ½ the diameter of the drain to which it connects Buildings that require a main vent stack shall have a future vent connection full size of the vent stack. In all other buildings (including residential) there shall be a minimum of a ✔ two inch future vent connection A combination waste-and-vent system is limited to the installation of ✔ floor drains and sinks Every drainage pipe in a combination waste-and-vent system shall be not less than ✔ two pipe sizes larger
- Where only two fixtures that are battery waste and vented are installed on the same branch, a relief vent as described above shall ✔ not be required Batteries of more than eight fixtures as described in 248 CMR 10.16(11)(a)1.b. may be installed, providing a vent as described above is installed for ✔ each eight or less of the fixtures so connected When the circuit, loop, or relief vent connections are taken off the horizontal branch, the vent branch connection shall be taken off at a ✔ vertical angle above the centerline of the drain or from the top of the horizontal branch. The vent opening shall be ✔ as high and close to the fixture as possible In the basement of every building there shall be an ✔ an accessible future vent connection Buildings that require a main vent stack shall have a future vent connection
