IAPMO UPC PI flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Authority Having Jurisdiction

The officer or agency that enforces the plumbing code, interprets its provisions, approves alternate materials, issues permits, and conducts inspections. The AHJ's adopted edition governs the project.

Permit Exemption for Minor Repair

Code permit exemptions typically cover stopping leaks, clearing stoppages, and replacing faucet washers or exposed fixture fittings where no piping system change occurs. New installations and alterations still require permits.

Approved vs Listed vs Labeled

Approved means acceptable to the AHJ. Listed means included in a published list by an approved evaluation agency. Labeled means bearing that agency's mark on the product or its container.

Alternate Materials and Methods

A proposed substitute for a code-prescribed material or method. It requires written AHJ approval, usually supported by listing reports or test data showing equivalent safety and performance.

Plan Submittal Contents

Scaled drawings showing piping sizes and routing, fixture locations and types, venting, water supply sizing, and gas load calculations. The AHJ determines which projects must submit plans.

Plumbing System Definition

The water supply and distribution pipes, fixtures and traps, drainage and vent pipes, and gas piping within the property line, including their connections to the public system or private disposal.

Water Closet Side Clearance

Not less than 15 inches measured from the centerline of the water closet to any side wall or partition, ensuring usable space and access for the occupant.

Water Closet Spacing

Not less than 30 inches center-to-center between adjacent water closets, measured along the wall on which the fixtures are installed.

Fixture Front Clearance

A minimum of 21 inches of clear space measured from the front of a water closet or lavatory to any wall, door, or obstruction in the room.

Shower Compartment Minimum

A finished interior of not less than 30 inches by 30 inches, with a minimum finished curb or threshold where required and a listed shower drain.

Trap Seal Depth

The liquid seal in a trap must be not less than 2 inches and not more than 4 inches deep, measured between the crown weir and the dip of the trap.

Drainage Fixture Unit

A relative measure of the drainage load a fixture imposes. A private lavatory is 1, a residential kitchen sink is 2, and a water closet is 3 drainage fixture units.

Indirect Waste Connection

A discharge that enters the drainage system through an air gap or air break rather than a direct connection, used for ice makers, dishwashers, and sterilizers to prevent backflow contamination.

Water Supply Fixture Units

Load values assigned to fixtures for sizing supply piping. Total WSFU is converted to probable peak demand in gallons per minute, then matched to pipe size using available pressure and developed length.

Minimum Residual Pressure

The code sets minimum flowing pressures at fixtures, commonly 8 psi for flush-tank water closets and other fixtures and higher for flushometer valves, measured at the most remote outlet.

Drainage Slope Rule

Horizontal drainage pipe 2.5 inches and smaller must slope at 1/4 inch per foot. Pipe 3 inches and larger may slope at 1/8 inch per foot, but no drain may slope less than that.

Trap Arm Length Limit

The developed length from a trap to its vent may not exceed the distance allowed by the vent table for that trap size, and the arm must not fall steeper than one pipe diameter.

Vent Termination Height

A vent must extend at least 6 inches above the fixture flood level rim before any offset, and must terminate outdoors above the roof at the height the code specifies.

Cleanout Locations

Cleanouts are required at the base of each vertical stack, at the upper end of each horizontal drain, at changes of direction greater than 45 degrees, and at intervals not exceeding 100 feet.

Wet Vent Limits

A wet vent may serve limited fixtures where the wet-vented pipe is enlarged one or two sizes and the fixture-unit load limits are met. Not all fixtures may be wet vented.

Air Admittance Valve Rules

A listed AAV may replace a vent only where the code and AHJ permit; it must be installed above the fixture flood level rim, remain accessible, and have at least one open vent to outside air on the system.

Longest Length Gas Sizing

Measure developed length from the meter to the farthest appliance, sum connected loads in cubic feet per hour, then select pipe size from the table for that gas type and pressure.

Gas Heating Value

Natural gas is sized at approximately 1,000 BTU per cubic foot. Propane is sized at approximately 2,500 BTU per cubic foot. Appliance input divided by heating value gives cubic feet per hour.

Sediment Trap

A tee with a capped nipple at least 3 inches long installed downstream of the appliance shutoff valve, arranged so debris settles in the nipple rather than entering the appliance controls.

Appliance Connector Limits

A listed flexible connector may not exceed 6 feet unless its listing permits longer for a specific appliance, and it may not pass through a wall, floor, or ceiling or be concealed.

Gas Shutoff Location

A listed shutoff valve must be installed in the same room as the appliance and within 6 feet of it, with a union or ground-joint connection for removal of the appliance.

Combustion Air Openings

A confined space requires two permanent openings, one near the top and one near the bottom, sized per the code based on space volume and total appliance BTU input.

Gas Piping Bonding

Gas piping must be bonded to the grounding electrode system where required. CSST requires bonding per the manufacturer's instructions, typically with a minimum 6 AWG conductor.

Drainage Water Test

Fill the drainage and vent system with water to at least 10 feet above the highest point of the section under test and hold for 15 minutes with no leakage.

Drainage Air Test

Where the AHJ permits, the drainage and vent system may be tested with air at a minimum of 5 psi held for 15 minutes with no drop indicating leakage.

Water Supply Test

The supply system is filled and tested at not less than the working pressure, with a minimum of 100 psi, held for at least 60 minutes without leakage.

Rough-In Inspection

An inspection performed after piping is installed but before concealment, verifying pipe size, slope, venting, support spacing, trap installation, and test results.