CA C-36 Plumbing study plan

Map the drainage half of the DWV system: trace a soil stack, waste stack, branch, and building drain from fixture to sewer and label every fitting, cleanout, and transition on a hand-drawn riser.

Compute fixture-unit loads for a two-bathroom house and a small commercial restroom using the standard fixture-unit table, then size the building drain and sewer from that total.

Apply slope and sizing rules: state the required fall per foot for 1-1/2 in through 4 in horizontal drainage pipe and identify where a change in direction needs a long-sweep, wye, or combination fitting.

Explain trap requirements: trap seal depth, trap-arm length limits by pipe diameter, prohibited double-trapping and S-traps, and where trap primers or trap seal protection are required.

Identify the code basis you are being tested on (the California Plumbing Code as adopted, plus the referenced standard plumbing code) and note which chapters govern drainage, vents, water supply, gas, and fixtures.

Design the venting system for the same two-bathroom house: size the vent stack, determine the main vent, and show each individual, common, and wet vent with correct developed lengths.

Distinguish vent types and where each is allowed: individual, common, wet, circuit, island (loop), and air admittance valves, including the conditions and prohibitions attached to each.

Locate the code sections that control vent termination: distance above roof, distance from windows and air intakes, and clearance from lot lines, and write them out in your own words.

Build a one-page index of administrative and regulatory content: permit and inspection requirements, licensing scope for a C-36 contractor, who may design versus install, and the adoption of the current code edition with local amendments.

Drill 40 mixed DWV and code-administration questions and log every miss with the rule that resolves it.

Size a water supply system end to end: determine the available street pressure, subtract building and fixture losses, and select meter, main, and branch sizes using the demand-load method.

Calculate pressure loss for a run of given length, elevation change, and fitting count, and explain how developed length and friction loss change the answer.

Compare piping materials and joining methods for potable water (copper, PEX, CPVC, galvanized) and state where each is permitted or restricted in the code.

Explain backflow protection: identify the cross-connection risks in a typical job, and match the device (air gap, atmospheric vacuum breaker, pressure vacuum breaker, double check, reduced-pressure principle) to the hazard level.

Cover water quality and testing requirements: disinfection of new potable lines, required pressure tests and their durations, and support and protection-of-piping rules.

State the installation requirements for the common fixtures: water closet rough-in and clearance, lavatory and sink rim height, shower and tub/shower valve placement, floor drains, and fixture supports.

Apply fixture-related code rules: minimum fixture counts for occupancies, required ADA/accessibility clearances, trap and tailpiece requirements per fixture, and prohibitions on direct connections.

Explain water conservation and flow requirements in effect in California for toilets, urinals, showerheads, and faucets, and how they affect which fixtures you can install.

Match faucet and valve types to applications: compression, cartridge, ball, ceramic disc, thermostatic and pressure-balancing shower valves, and identify the failure mode and repair for each.

Review the fixtures/appliances domain against the code text and close the gaps found in weeks 1-3 notes.

Size and specify water heaters: match recovery rate and first-hour rating to demand, and identify the code requirements for relief valves, discharge piping termination, drain pans, and thermal expansion control.

Explain California-specific water heater rules: seismic strapping of storage tanks, bracing of tankless units, combustion air and venting for gas-fired units, and the limits on installing in bedrooms, closets, and garages.

Trace how hot water distribution works across a system: recirculation loops, tempering valves, maximum delivered temperature at fixtures, and scald protection at tubs, showers, and public lavatories.

Size a fuel gas piping system: convert appliance input ratings to demand, then use the longest-run method to select the meter, main, and branch sizes, accounting for pressure drop and specific gravity.

Cover gas installation rules: pipe materials and joining, sediment traps and shutoff valves, appliance connectors, CSST bonding and protection, combustion air, and pressure testing of gas piping.

Finish the gas domain: verify venting of Category I and Category IV appliances, identify prohibited locations for regulators and vents, and explain leak testing and purging procedures before turning gas on.

Size and select pumps: compute head and flow for a booster pump and a sewage ejector, and state the venting, check valve, and basin requirements for each.

Explain hydronic system basics: circulators, expansion tanks, air elimination, and the plumbing code interface where potable water meets a boiler system, including backflow protection.

Describe specialty systems you are likely to encounter: private water wells and pumps, water treatment and softening, interceptors for grease, sand, and oil, and indirect waste and special waste connections.

Identify where rainwater/graywater harvesting and nonpotable systems are permitted and the labeling and cross-connection safeguards they require.

Read a plumbing plan set: locate the legend, riser diagram, fixture schedule, and notes, and take off fixture counts and pipe lengths from a sample floor plan without an exhibit in front of you.

Produce a quantity takeoff and estimate for a small job using unit pricing for pipe, fittings, fixtures, and labor hours, then add markup and compare to a budget number.

Lay out a system on paper: set the building drain elevation, establish invert and slope, coordinate with structural and mechanical trades, and mark sleeve and penetration locations.

Cover jobsite safety: trenching and excavation protective systems, confined-space entry, soldering and brazing fire watch, gas leak response, and ladder and lift use.

Match tools and methods to tasks: press and ProPress fittings, PEX expansion versus crimp, sewer machines and jetters, testing equipment, and the calibration and care each tool needs.

Run three timed 100-question practice exams weighted to the domain percentages and review every missed item back to the governing rule.

Re-drill your weakest two domains - whatever the practice scores identify - until each is above 80%.

Rebuild your one-page cheat sheets from memory: fixture units, slope table, vent termination distances, water supply sizing steps, gas sizing steps, and water heater clearances.

Rehearse the code-lookup skill: for twenty random rule prompts, find the answer in the code text within 60 seconds each.