Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
A. Required Tests.
The permit holder shall make the applicable tests prescribed in §319. B thru
319.E of this Part to assure compliance with the provisions of this code. The
permit holder shall give reasonable advance notice to the plumbing official
when the plumbing work is ready for tests. The equipment, material, power, and
labor necessary for the inspection and test shall be furnished by the permit
holder and he is responsible for assuring that the work will withstand the test
pressure prescribed in the following tests. All the piping of the plumbing
system shall be tested with either water or air. After the plumbing fixtures
have been set and their traps filled with water, the entire drainage system
shall be submitted to final tests. The plumbing official may require the
removal of any cleanouts to ascertain if the pressure has reached all parts of
the system.
B. Drainage and Vent
Tests. The following applies to the testing of drainage and vent systems.
1. A water test shall be applied to the
drainage system and vent system either in its entirety or in sections. If
applied to the entire system, all openings in the piping shall be tightly
closed, except the highest opening, and the system shall be filled with water
to point of overflow. If the system is tested in sections, each opening shall
be tightly plugged except the highest openings of the section under test, and
each section shall be filled with water, but no section shall be tested with
less than 10 ft head of water [29.9 kilopascal (kPa)]. In testing successive
sections at least the upper 10 ft (3048 mm) of the next preceding section shall
be tested, so that no joint or pipe in the building (except the uppermost 10 ft
(3048 mm) of the system) shall have been submitted to a test of less than a 10
ft head of water (29.9 kPa). 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.
2. An air test shall be made by attaching an
air compressor or 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 gage pressure of 5 psi (34.5 kPa) or sufficient to balance a
column of mercury 10 inches in height (33.8 kPa). This pressure shall be held
without introduction of additional air for a period of at least 15 minutes.
a. Exception. Cast iron soil pipe joined with
compression gaskets or mechanical couplings shall be tested with 6 psi (41.4
kPa) of air and allowed a 1 psi (6.9 kPa) reduction in pressure or a 2-inch
(50.8 mm) drop in the column of mercury in a 15 minute period.
3. The final test of the completed
drainage and vent system shall be visual and in sufficient detail to assure
that the provisions of this code have been complied with, provided, however,
that, for cause, it may be necessary to subject the plumbing to either a smoke
or peppermint test. Where the smoke test is preferred, it shall be made by
filling all traps with water and then introducing into the entire 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 1-inch water column [248.8 Pascal (Pa)] shall be maintained for
15 minutes before inspection starts. Where the peppermint test is preferred, 2
oz (59 mL) of oil of peppermint shall be introduced for each stack.
C. Test of Water Distribution
System. Upon the rough-in completion of a section of or the entire water
distribution system [e.g., before closing the wall in and, for
example, after capping and crimping a copper piping system, after plugging and
sealing approved plastic piping such as CPVC, PEX, etc.], it shall be tested
and proved tight under a water pressure not less than 200 psi (1379 kPa) for at
least 15 minutes. The water used for tests shall be obtained from a potable
source of supply.
D. Test of
Building Sewer. The following applies to the testing of the building sewer.
1. Gravity sewer tests shall consist of
plugging the end of the building sewer at the point of connection with the
sewerage system, filling the building sewer with water, testing with not less
than a 10 ft (3048 mm) head of water and maintaining such pressure until
backfill is completed.
2. Forced
sewer tests shall consist of plugging the end of the building sewer at the
point of connection with the sewerage system and applying a pressure of 5 psi
(34.5 kPa) greater than the pump rating, and maintaining such pressure until
backfill is completed.
E. Test of Interior Leaders or Downspouts.
Leaders or downspouts and branches within a building shall be tested by water
or air in accordance with §319. B.1 or §319. B.2 of this code.
F. Backflow Prevention Devices. Backflow
prevention devices shall be tested in accordance with ASSE Series 5000, USC's
FCCC & HR's "Manual of Cross-Connection Control", or UFL's
TREEO's "Backflow Prevention - Theory and Practice".
1. The test gauge used in testing backflow
prevention devices shall be calibrated at a frequency of at least every 12
months by a factory authorized laboratory to an accuracy of +-0.2 pounds per
square inch differential (psid) (1.378 kPa) for increasing and decreasing
pressure differential pressure readings over the scale of 1.0 psid to 15 psid
(6.9 kPa to 103.4 kPa). The gauge shall be tested for accuracy in the vertical
position with water and at different inlet pressures.
a. The reference source(s) used to verify
accuracy shall have a maximum permissible error of +-0.05 psig (0.344 kPa).
Such reference source(s) shall have their calibration traceable to the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
40:4(A)(7) and
R.S.
40:5(2)(3)(7)(9)(16)(17)(20).
