Testing the Plumbing

TESTING THE PLUMBING After a job has been roughed-in, and before being covered up, it should be thoroughly tested, to obviate the necessity for any tearing-up of floors or removal of plaster in order to locate and repair leaks that may show up after the fixtures are set.

Water Test.

The water test is usually ap plied on new work, and is one of the severest tests that can be adopted. Any defective ma terial or leaks in joints will be readily detected when the system is filled with water. The mode of applying the water test is to close up all open ings in the soil, waste, and vent pipes, either by soldering the ends shut, if lead is used; by plugs or caps, if iron pipe is used; or by test plugs. Fig. 4S shows one style of test plug. These plugs are made in different forms to suit all the uses for which they may be called upon in test ing a job. The rubber ring expands against the sides of the pipe when the handle is screwed down, and it will stand considerable pressure before blowing out—more pressure, in fact, than will be placed on the piping system during the test. The water supply for testing may be con nected to the end of the test plug where capped, with a stop-cock to shut off when necessary; and then the system is ready for filling.

The filling should be done slowly, and any leaks found should be immediately fixed. Where a leak occurs in a lead joint which only requires a little more calking, the water may be shut off until this is done; but if a split pipe or fitting is found, it should immediately be replaced. It is better to fill from the bottom of the stack, since filling from the top is apt to allow water to run down the piping, and, having the appearance of a leak, makes the testing a more difficult job than is actually necessary. The stacks may be tested in sections as the job progresses, by leav ing out a joint of pipe and inserting same for the final test. This may be found necessary owing to the plasterers being in a hurry to get their work done; and after inserting the sec tions that were left out, it is a simple matter to test them on the final filling.

A careful inspection of the material as it is being put in place, will save much trouble at times, as it is an easy matter to detect cracked pipings or fittings by tapping same with a ham mer. The difference in sound between good and defective material is easily detected by the ear after a little practice.

Smoke Test. The smoke test is another test that can be applied to roughed-in new work. It is used most frequently, however, in testing old work, or in testing new work after the fixtures have been set. The manner of applying a smoke test is to close all openings, the same as for the water test, and also the openings at the roof. The testing machine, which is made especially for this purpose, is then connected to the piping system, and the smoke turned into the pipes.

Oily waste or rags are placed in the machine and lighted, thus generating a heavy smoke which will entirely fill the pipes, and escape through any leaks that may exist—which are thereby easily detected. The smoke test is pre ferred by many, as it is cleaner than the water test, should any leaks develop, and there is no wetting down of the building.

Peppermint Test. The peppermint test is applied by putting about two ounces of oil of peppermint into the system at the roof, after all openings have been closed as with the other tests, and pouring about a gallon of hot water into the piping, immediately closing the opening with a plug kept at hand for the purpose. The fumes of the peppermint are supposed to travel throughout the system of piping, and to pene trate any existing leaks, the presence of which can then be detected from the characteristic smell. There being no pressure applied in this test, there is a possibility of the odor not escap ing through very small leaks; and this test, therefore, is not so reliable as the water or smoke tests.

The person who puts the peppermint in the piping should not try to look for leaks, as he will carry the odor around with him through the building, and is apt to imagine that he smells leaks where in reality they do not exist.

In the water test, the piping at the bottom of the system will receive the heaviest pressure; and in tall buildings, this pressure may be heavy enough to burst the pipes. It may be policy, in such cases, to test the job in sections, as spoken of before. The pressure that will be exerted on the stacks at any given point, can be easily de termined by multiplying the head, in feet, by the decimal .434—which will give the pressure in pounds per square inch at that point. Every foot in height of a column of water exerts a pres sure per square inch of .434 pounds; and in a tall building, it will readily be seen, this pressure will amount to considerable at the foot of the stack.

Local rulings generally prescribe the form of test to be applied to plumbing installations. Many pltmibers, where there are no local rul ings requiring or regulating tests, test all their work for their own satisfaction, and are then in a position to guarantee absolutely with some de gree of satisfaction, all the work they install.

The added cost for testing does not amount to a very large item; and it gives the plumber the advantage of an added prestige when it becomes known to his customers—both the customers he already has, and prospective ones—that any job he does must be right to his own satisfaction before he is ready to turn it over to his custom ers; and this will soon increase his list of clients. There is only one way to do work, and that is to do it right; and this fact soon becomes known, and to your credit.