Illinois Administrative Code › Title 77 - PUBLIC HEALTH › Part 890 - ILLINOIS PLUMBING CODE › Subpart M - INSPECTIONS, TESTS, MAINTENANCE AND ADMINISTRATION › Section 890.1930 - Test Methods

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) Roughed-In
				Plumbing. The piping of plumbing drainage and venting systems shall be tested
				upon completion of the roughed-in piping installation by water or air to prove
				watertight. The Department or local plumbing inspector may require the removal
				of any cleanout plugs to ascertain if the pressure has reached all parts of the
				system.
b) Water test. The water
				test shall be applied to the drainage system either in its entirety or in
				sections after piping has been roughed-in. 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
				opening of the section being tested and each section shall be filled with
				water; however, a section shall not be tested with less than a ten (10) foot
				head of water. In testing successive sections, at least the upper ten (10) feet
				of the next higher section shall be tested, so that every joint or pipe in the
				building (except the uppermost ten (10) feet of the system) shall be submitted
				to a test of at least a ten (10) foot head of water. The water shall be kept in
				the system or in the portion being tested for at least 15 minutes before
				inspection starts; and inspection or testing of the system shall confirm that
				the system is tight at all points.
c) Air test. An air test shall be made by
				attaching an air compressor 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 gauge pressure of five (5) pounds per square inch
				(p.s.i.) or sufficient to balance a column of mercury ten (10) inches in
				height. This pressure shall be held without introduction of additional air for
				a period of at least fifteen (15) minutes.
d) Water Supply System. Upon completion of a
				section, or the entire water supply system, the system shall be tested and
				proved tight under a water pressure at least one and one-half (1 ½)
				times the system pressure but at least 100 p.s.i., by air or water. When
				exceeding 100 p.s.i., the test shall be of the hydrostatic type only. Testing
				pressure shall be maintained for 15 minutes. The water used for this test shall
				be from a potable water supply.
e)
				Finished Plumbing. After the plumbing fixtures have been set and their traps
				filled with water, their connections shall be tested and proved gas and
				watertight. The test for gas and water tightness of the completed drainage and
				vent system shall be made by filling all traps with water, and then introducing
				into the system a pungent, thick smoke produced by one or more smoke machines.
				When the smoke appears at stack openings on the roof, the stack opening shall
				be closed and a pressure equivalent to a one (1) inch water column shall be
				maintained for the period of the inspection. Where the Department or local
				plumbing inspector finds that a smoke test cannot be performed, a peppermint
				test may be substituted. A peppermint test is conducted by introducing two (2)
				ounces of oil of peppermint into the roof terminal of every line or stack to be
				tested. Immediately after the oil of peppermint is introduced into the system,
				ten (10) quarts of hot (160 degrees F.) water shall be added, and each terminal
				sealed. The detection of the odor of peppermint at any trap or at any other
				point in the plumbing system denotes a leak. Individuals whose body or clothing
				have come in contact with oil of peppermint shall be excluded from the area
				until the test is completed.
f)
				Building Sewer. The building sewer shall be tested by insertion of a test plug
				at the point of connection with the public sewer. The building sewer shall be
				filled with water under a head of at least ten (10) feet of water. The water
				level at the top of the water column shall not drop for at least 15
				minutes.