IA 8 Hour Mechanical and Plumbing Combination Course

This eight-hour package provides state-certified continuing education toward satisfying the full CE requirements during each renewal cycle for licensed Plumbers and licensed HVAC technicians in Iowa. Throughout the class, there will be discussions meant to help licensed plumbers and HVAC technicians understand why certain changes have been made and how to integrate those changes into their plumbing and HVAC practice. This approach helps when it comes time to supervise others or to discuss a project with building officials.

The material begins by covering the adoption of the statewide mechanical code for 2016 along with both statewide and local amendments and a discussion of how all the codes work together. The first two hours of the class is devoted to every significant recent revision made to Chapters 1-4 and 12-15 of the 2015 International Mechanical Codes, the model code on which the Iowa Mechanical Code is based. There is also a brief look at some critical codes from the Iowa Energy Code for HVAC, based on the 2012 IECC. the second two-hour block spans every significant recent revision made to Chapters 5 through 11 of the 2015 IMC. These core Chapters, 5 through 11, include 26 changes to codes on exhaust systems.11 changes to duct system codes, and 14 changes to Sections on boilers, combustion air, chimneys and vents, specific appliances, and refrigeration, including critical provisions on locking refrigerant caps and a look at switching to new refrigerants.

The next portion of the course will provide students with four hours of continuing education devoted to the Iowa Plumbing Code, highlighting the changes made to the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), the reasons the IAPMO Technical Committee made the changes, and the amendments to the UPC for Iowa. By the end of this portion of the course, students will be familiar with the transition from the former Plumbing Code (based on the 2012 UPC) to the new Plumbing Code (based on the 2015 UPC), effective June 1, 2016 as well as be able to apply the Iowa amendments to the 2015 UPC. Additionally, students will be apprised of all the significant changes to the 2015 UPC along with the reasons behind those changes (drawn from the proceedings of the IAPMO Technical Committee), as well as be introduced to additional resources that provide background for the changes to the code.

Topics covered include Excavation; Thermoplastic Pipe; Limitation of Hot Water Temperature for Public Lavatories, in Bathtubs, and Bidets, Floor Drains; Cross Connection Control; Drain Lines, Pipe Insulation, Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems; Wet Venting; Circuit Venting; Grease Interceptors; Food Waste Disposers and Dishwashers; On-Site Treated Nonpotable Water Devices and Systems; and Rainwater Catchment Systems.