Chapter 15

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Tests and Maintenance

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15.1 EXPOSURE OF WORK

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New, altered, extended or replaced plumbing shall be left uncovered and unconcealed until it has been inspected,
tested and approved. Where such work has been covered or concealed before it is inspected, tested and approved, it

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shall be exposed as required.

15.2 EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL AND LABOR FOR TESTS

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Equipment, material and labor required for testing a plumbing system or part thereof shall be provided by the
installing contractor.

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15.3 TESTING OF PLUMBING SYSTEMS
15.3.1 General
a. New plumbing systems shall be tested as prescribed hereinafter to disclose leaks and defects.

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b. Where additions or changes are made to existing plumbing systems, the new work shall be tested or
inspected to the degree necessary to disclose leaks and defects in the new work.

15.4 METHODS OF TESTING THE DRAINAGE AND VENT SYSTEMS

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15.4.1 Rough Plumbing

a. Except for perforated or open jointed drain tile, the piping of plumbing drain and vent systems shall be
tested upon completion of the rough piping installation by water or, for piping systems other than plastic, by
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air and proved watertight. The Authority Having Jurisdiction may require the removal of any cleanout plugs to
ascertain if the pressure has reached all parts of the system. One of the following test methods shall be used:
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1. The water test shall be applied to the drainage system either in its entirety or in sections after rough
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piping has been installed. If applied to the entire system, all openings in the piping shall be tightly closed,
except the highest opening, and the system filled with water to point of overflow. If the system is tested in
sections, each opening shall be tightly plugged except the highest opening of the section under test, and
each section shall be filled with water, but no section shall be tested with less than a 10-foot head of water.
In testing successive sections, at least the upper 10 feet of the next preceding section shall be tested, so that
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no joint or pipe in the building (except the uppermost 10 feet of the system) shall have been submitted to a
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test of less than 10-foot head of water. The water shall be kept in the system or in the portion under test for
at least 15 minutes before inspection starts; the system shall then be tight at all points.
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2. The air test shall be made by attaching an air compressor testing apparatus to any suitable opening
and after closing all other inlets and outlets to the system, forcing air into the system until there is a
uniform gauge pressure of 5 pounds per square inch or sufficient to balance a column of mercury 10
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inches in height. This pressure shall be held without introduction of additional air for a period of at least
15 minutes.
15.4.2 Finished Plumbing
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a. When the rough plumbing has been tested in accordance with Section 15.4.1, a final test of the finished
plumbing system may be required to insure that the final fixture connections to the drainage system are
gas-tight.

2015 National Standard Plumbing Code - Illustrated 339

 b. After the plumbing fixtures have been set and their traps filled with water, their connections shall be
tested and proved gas and watertight. A final smoke or peppermint test shall be required, except in the case
of a previous on site-inspected water or air tested system. If a smoke or peppermint test is required, the
following test methods shall be employed:
1. A smoke test shall be made by filling all traps with water and then reintroducing into the entire

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system a pungent, thick smoke produced by one or more smoke machines. When the smoke appears at
stack openings on the roof, they shall be closed and a pressure equivalent to a one-inch water column shall

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be developed and maintained for the period of the inspection.
2. Where the Authority Having Jurisdiction, due to practical difficulties or hardships, finds that a smoke

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test cannot be performed, a peppermint test shall be substituted in lieu thereof. Such peppermint test shall
be conducted by the introduction of two ounces of oil of peppermint into the roof terminal of every line

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or stack to be tested. The oil of peppermint shall be followed at once by ten quarts of hot (140°F) water
whereupon all roof vent terminals shall be sealed. A positive test, which reveals leakage, shall be the
detection of the odor of peppermint at any trap or other point on the system. Oil of peppermint or persons
whose person or clothes have come in contact with oil of peppermint shall be excluded from the test area.

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Comment: The smoke or peppermint tests on the finished plumbing can be waived by the Authority

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Having Jurisdiction when they are considered to be unnecessary. However, the finished plumbing
tests should be performed if the installation appears to be improper or there is the odor of sewer gas.

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15.5 METHOD OF TESTING BUILDING SEWERS
The building sewer shall be tested by insertion of a test plug at the point of connection with the public sewer,
private sewer, individual sewage disposal system, or other point of disposal. It shall then be filled with water under
a head of not less than 10 feet. The water level at the top of the test head of water shall not drop for at least 15
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minutes. Where the final connection of the building sewer cannot reasonably be subjected to a hydrostatic test, it
shall be visually inspected.

15.6 METHODS OF TESTING WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

a. Upon completion of a section or the entire water supply system, it shall be tested and proved tight under
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a water pressure not less than the working pressure under which it is to be used or 80 pounds per square inch,
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whichever is greater.
b. For metallic pipe and where the Authority Having Jurisdiction determines that providing potable water for the
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test represents a hardship or practical difficulty, the system may be tested with air to the pressures noted above, as
allowed by the pipe manufacturer.
c. For plastic pipe, testing by compressed gas or air pressure shall be prohibited.
d. After testing, piping shall be flushed and disinfected as required by Section 10.9.
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15.7 DEFECTIVE PLUMBING

Where there is reason to believe that the plumbing system of any building has become defective, it shall be
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subjected to test or inspection and any defects found shall be corrected.

15.8 MAINTENANCE
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15.8.1 General
The plumbing systems shall be maintained at all times in compliance with the provisions of this Code.
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15.8.2 Exception
Existing plumbing installed under prior regulations or lack thereof, may remain unchanged unless immediate
hazards to health, life, or property are evident.

340 2015 National Standard Plumbing Code - Illustrated