Applied Plumbing Engineering Professional Program
25Applied Plumbing Engineering Professional Program
✨ Premium ContentDesign real domestic water, DWV, venting, storm drainage, and specialty plumbing systems — fixture units, pipe sizing, hot water systems, backflow prevention, medical gas, and plumbing codes (UPC/IPC). 17 core modules, 5 complete real-project design packages (multi-family residential, hospital medical gas, commercial office restroom core, restaurant grease waste, high-rise domestic water riser), a 12-template documentation kit, and a certificate of completion. One-time purchase, no account required.
Explore the Full Curriculum →Knowledge Articles
20Frequently Asked Questions
You generally complete a ~4–5 year apprenticeship (~7,500–8,000 hours plus classroom), pass the Journeyman Plumber exam, gain several years of licensed journeyman experience, then pass the Master Plumber exam. Requirements vary by state and locality.
Most journeyman and master plumbing exams are open-book using the adopted plumbing code (UPC or IPC) and state amendments. They are computer-based and time-pressured, so fast code lookup matters.
Medical gas installation requires ASSE 6010 (installer) certification, with inspection/verification covered by ASSE 6020/6030; the work follows NFPA 99 and requires brazing qualification. It is a specialty layered on a plumbing/pipefitting background.
A Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester certification (commonly ASSE 5110) certifies you to test and certify backflow-prevention assemblies. It involves an approved course plus written and hands-on practical exams, and is often required to perform tests for water utilities.
Concept Explainers
12A solenoid or check valve slams shut in milliseconds and a fast-moving column of water has nowhere to go. Illustrated look at the pressure spike that results, and why an air-chamber arrestor tames it.
A vacuum pulling contaminated water backward is not the same failure as a boiler pushing it backward — and a device that stops one often does nothing against the other. Illustrated side-by-side of both mechanisms.
One relies on nothing but a continuously sloping pipe; the other puts a grinder pump on every lot. Illustrated look at why terrain — not one method being 'better' — decides which sewer system a neighborhood gets.
An air gap has nothing that can fail because it isn't connected to anything at all; an RPZ assembly stays in-line under pressure but depends on springs, seals, and discs staying in good working condition. Illustrated look at both prevention approaches and why codes require each at different hazard levels.
Every trap can lose its water seal to the vacuum created by its own draining fixture. Illustrated look at the three code-recognized venting methods that stop that from happening — and why they aren't interchangeable design choices.
One pipe carrying both sewage and rain runoff works fine in dry weather — until a heavy storm pushes the combined volume past capacity and the system is forced to overflow untreated into a river. Illustrated look at why separate sanitary and storm sewers don't have this failure mode at all.
Hard water's dissolved calcium and magnesium cause real scale buildup and soap-effectiveness problems — but ion-exchange softening fixes that by adding sodium, a genuine chemical tradeoff, not a free upgrade. Illustrated look at both, and why many installs bypass softening for an exterior spigot.
Why some fixtures and equipment must never be directly piped to the drain system — an air gap makes drainage-system backup contamination physically impossible, regardless of downstream blockage severity.
Same two words, reversed — but a stack vent is just the soil stack itself extended through the roof, while a vent stack is a genuinely separate, dedicated pipe running alongside it. Illustrated side-by-side of both configurations and why taller systems need the dedicated pipe.
A Water Supply Fixture Unit is a demand-probability weight, not a GPM figure — which is exactly why converting a building's total WSFU count into design GPM needs Hunter's Curve, not a fixed multiplier. Illustrated look at the nonlinear curve and why doubling WSFU never doubles the required flow.
Three genuinely different jointing methods — crimp/expansion, sweat-solder, and solvent-weld — and three genuinely different limit curves. Illustrated look at why the 'right' pipe material is a per-run decision, not a universal winner.
'Endless hot water' is real, right up until simultaneous fixture demand exceeds the unit's flow-rate ceiling. Illustrated look at why a tankless heater and a tank heater run out of two completely different resources.
Plumbing License & Certification Exam Prep
9/9 LiveSimulators
4Engineering Calculations
3Interactive Readers
2Interactive 11-section plumbing reference covering water supply sizing (Hunter's method), sanitary drainage (IPC/UPC), vent systems (trap-to-vent distances), water heaters (legionella prevention), backflow prevention (RPZ/DCVA), roof drainage, medical gas (NFPA 99), and fuel gas (NFPA 54/IFGC). First 3 free to preview.
Interactive 23-section illustrated guide covering WSFU pipe sizing and Hunter's Curve, DWV and roof drainage design, hot water recirculation and storage sizing, commercial and multi-story riser design, and facility-specific plumbing plans through inspection and commissioning. First 3 free to preview.