Fixtures, Fixture Fittings, and Appliances
Fixture Requirements
Fixtures must be approved, have smooth and impervious surfaces, and be installed with clearances and access for cleaning. Know water closet, lavatory, sink, bathtub, shower, floor drain, and drinking fountain requirements. Understand flood level rim, air gap, and overflow. Learn the difference between a fixture fitting (faucet, valve) and an appliance (water heater, dishwasher).
Installation Details
Know required clearances, mounting heights, and the need for backflow protection on hose bibb connections and appliances. Showers require specific drain sizes, liners, and valve protection. Water heaters need temperature and pressure relief valves piped to a safe discharge. Learn that fixture outlets must be accessible and that floor drains need trap primers.
Traps in Questions
Distractors omit the air gap on indirect waste, allow a relief valve to discharge into a trap, or forget trap primers for floor drains. Watch for questions on fixture spacing and on the distinction between a fixture and an appliance. Another trap: assuming a dishwasher air gap is optional where code requires it.
Worked Example
Rule of thumb: "Every connection to potable water needs a gap or a listed device." A hose bibb needs a vacuum breaker; an indirect waste needs an air gap. If a question shows a direct connection to a drain, look for a missing air gap.