All new plumbing work and such portions of existing systems as may be affected by new work or any changes shall be inspected to ensure compliance with all the requirements of this chapter and to assure that the installation and construction of the system is in accordance with approved plans.
It shall be the duty of the plumber to give advance notice to the proper administrative authority when plumbing work is ready for test and inspection.
It shall be the duty of the plumber to make sure that the work will stand the test prescribed before giving the above notification.
If the proper administrative authority finds that the work will not pass the test, the plumber shall be required to make the necessary corrections and the work shall then be resubmitted for test or inspection.
The equipment, material, power and labor necessary for inspections and test shall be furnished by the plumber.
All piping of the plumbing system shall be tested with water or air. After the plumbing fixtures have been set and their traps filled with water, the entire drainage system shall be submitted to a final test. The proper administrative authority may require the removal of any cleanouts to ascertain if the pressure has reached all parts of the system.
The water test shall be applied to the drainage system 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 filled with water to the point of overflow. If the system is tested in sections, each opening shall be tightly plugged, except the highest opening of the section under test, and each section shall be filled with water, but no section shall be tested with less than a ten-foot head of water. In testing successive sections, at least the upper 10 feet of the next preceding section shall be tested, so that no joint or pipe in the building (except the uppermost 10 feet of the system) shall have been submitted to a test of less than 10 feet head of water. 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.
The air tests shall be made by attaching an air compressor or testing apparatus to any suitable opening and, after closing all other outlets to the system, forcing air into the system until there is a uniform gauge pressure of five pounds per square inch or sufficient to balance a column of mercury 10 inches in height. This pressure shall be held without introduction of additional air for a period of at least 15 minutes.
A final test of the completed drainage and vent system shall be made. This may be either a smoke test or a peppermint test.
Upon completion of a section or of the entire water supply system, it shall be tested and proved tight under water pressure not less than the working pressure under which it is to be used. The water used for the tests shall be obtained from the normal source of supply.
Leaders or downspouts and branches within a building shall be tested as per § 221-330 of this article.
No plumbing system or part thereof shall be covered until it has been inspected, tested and approved as prescribed in this article.
If any plumbing system or part thereof is covered before being regularly inspected, tested and approved as prescribed in this article, it shall be uncovered upon the direction of the proper administrative authority.
Upon the satisfactory completion and final test of the plumbing system, a certificate of approval shall be issued by the proper administrative authority to the plumber, to be delivered to the owner. The regular use of the plumbing system is prohibited until so approved and certified by the Inspector.
The drainage system of any building, where there is reason to believe that it has become defective, shall be subject to test or inspection.
No tests or inspections shall be required where a plumbing system or part thereof is set up for exhibition purposes and not used for toilet purposes and is not directly connected to a water supply or sewerage system.