SOLAS Plumbing study guide
SOLAS Plumbing · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The SOLAS plumbing craft certification is the Irish trade qualification route for plumbers working on domestic, commercial and industrial installations. It is aimed at apprentices completing their craft phases, experienced plumbers seeking formal recognition of skills gained on site, and those returning to the trade who need their competence confirmed against a current national standard. The SOLAS Plumbing study guide has 11 sections and about 3,527 words.
01Health, Safety and Welfare on Plumbing Sites
This domain tests whether you can plan plumbing work so that nobody is harmed, and whether you can justify site decisions with the legal duties behind them. Expect questions that put you in a real situation - a hot-work task in an occupied house, a cylinder to move upstairs, a pit to enter - rather than asking you to quote legislation.
366 words, about 2 min02Plumbing Science
This domain tests the physics you apply every day - pressure, flow, energy and heat - and whether you can use the numbers to choose pipe sizes and spot an installation that will not work. Pressure is force per unit area (1 bar = 100 kPa).
362 words, about 2 min03Materials and Pipework Systems
This domain tests whether you can select a material that suits the water, the temperature, the pressure and the installation method - and explain why the alternative would fail. Copper to EN 1057, usually R250 half-hard, is joined by capillary soldering with lead-free solder, by press fittings, or by compression.
343 words, about 2 min04Water Supply, Storage and Distribution
This domain tests how water gets from the main to the outlet at the right pressure, flow and quality, and how stored water must be protected. The communication pipe belongs to the water utility up to the boundary or stopcock; the supply pipe from there to the building is the customer's.
330 words, about 2 min05Sanitary Appliances
This domain tests whether you can choose, fit and connect sanitary appliances so that they flush, drain and remain hygienic, and whether you know the access requirements that apply. WC pans to EN 997 are commonly 6/4 L dual flush, with a trap seal of at least 50 mm.
339 words, about 2 min06Drainage and Above-Ground Discharge
This domain tests above-ground drainage: how waste leaves the building without letting sewer gas in. BS EN 12056-2 governs gravity drainage.
317 words, about 2 min07Heating, Hot Water and Renewable Systems
This domain tests heating and hot water design, controls and the renewable options that increasingly sit alongside them. Boiler and emitter sizing start from room-by-room heat loss and U-values, not from floor-area rules of thumb.
285 words, about 1 min08Water Treatment, Legionella Control and Backflow Protection
This domain tests water quality and the two risks that dominate it: legionella and backflow. Hard water scales heat exchangers; base-exchange softeners remove hardness but add sodium, so a hard drinking-water tap should be left unsoftened.
303 words, about 2 min09Installation Practice
This domain tests how you actually install: setting out, jointing, supporting, protecting and testing. Copper capillary joints need clean, fluxed pipe and even heat until solder is drawn in; press fittings need the correct jaw and full insertion; compression needs the olive square and only nipped up; push-fit needs the insert and a depth mark.
312 words, about 2 min10Commissioning and Handover
This domain tests the handover: proving the system works, is safe and is documented. Chlorinate new or altered pipework to the specified concentration and contact time, then neutralise and flush.
286 words, about 1 min11Maintenance, Fault Diagnosis and Repair
This domain tests diagnosis: how you find a fault logically and prove the repair. Gather the complaint, reproduce it, check the simple things first, then test in sequence - pressure, flow, temperature, electrical continuity, control response.
284 words, about 1 min