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An illustrated review designed to prepare practicing A/C contractors and senior year apprentices for the Journeyman’s HVAC or General Mechanical Exam. Includes over 500 questions and answers from previous municipal and state certification tests.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION, 1

PART 1, EVERYTHING FOR THE EXAM
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY COURSE, 4
PREPARING FOR THE EXAM, 7
300 QUESTIONS, 40

PART 2 TECHNICAL TABLES & FORMULAS
BASIC MATH, 101
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER, 108
AIR FLOW FORMULAE, 109
PRESSURE FORMULAE, 110
REFRIGERATION FORMULAE, 111
ELECTRICAL FORMULAE, 112
TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS, 116
REFRIGERANT TEMP-PRESSURE CONVERSION, 117
SYMBOLS, 118

PART 3 FIELD APPLICATION PROBLEMS
SYSTEM TESTING, 133
MINIMUM TEST PRESSURES, 134
CLASSIFICATION OF REFRIGERANTS, 135
SIZING REFRIGERANT PIPE, 136
HOW TO USE THE CHARGING MANIFOLD, 137
BRAZING AND SOLDERING, 140
COMMON CAUSES OF LOW CO, 141
COOLING TOWERS, 142
PIPEFITTING, 144
FANS, PULLEYS AND BELTS, 162
RIGGING AND SAFETY, 174

PART 4 QUIZZES & TESTS
QUIZZES 1 THROUGH 20, 192
FINAL EXAM, 223

PART 5 ANSWERS TO QUIZZES
ANSWERS TO 300 QUESTIONS, 241
BASIC REFRIGERATION QUIZ #1, 242
BASIC REFRIGERATION QUIZ #2, 242
COOLING TOWER QUIZ #3, 242
COOLING TOWER QUIZ #4, 243
COOLING TOWER QUIZ #5, 243
MATH QUIZ #6, 244
TROUBLE SHOOTING QUIZ #7, 245
TROUBLE SHOOTING QUIZ #8, 245
SERVICE & MAINTENANCE QUIZ #9, 245
SERVICE & MAINTENANCE QUIZ #10, 245
GAS LAWS QUIZ #11, 246
TEMPERATURE QUIZ #12, 247
PIPEFITTING QUIZ #13, 247
REFRIGERATION CYCLE QUIZ #14, 247
PULLEY LAWS QUIZ #15, 248
FAN LAWS QUIZ #16, 248
THINGS TO REMEMBER QUIZ #17, 249
FORMULAS QUIZ #18, 249
FORMULAS QUIZ #19, 249
WARM-UP QUIZ #20, 240
FINAL EXAMS, 251

PART 6 APPENDIX
USEFUL CONVERSION FACTORS, 256
DECIMALS OF A FOOT CONVERSION, 258
INCH-FOOT DECIMALS CONVERSION, 259
SCHEME FOR IDENTIFYING PIPING, 260

INTRODUCTION

Unfortunately, there are no existing "Standards" for writing examinations, testing, or grading at this time. Neither are there any standards set for experience, residency or educational qualifications for applicants. Examinations and qualification requirements vary from place to place. But the basics do not change, most exams will ask questions about service and construction. Some questions will be practical, some theoretical. In addition most examinations will test the candidates knowledge on Code Questions.

Although different areas around the country use different building codes, most local codes are usually referral codes, that is, they refer to other standards and are based, in general, upon those standards. For this reason, most codes are quite similar although, of course, there may be sharp regional differences owing to hurricanes, earthquakes and other condi tions that are unique to specific areas. Such standards as ASHRAE 15 Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration; ASME B3l.9 piping code; SMACNA duct construction and installation manuals and the NFPA National Fire Code Standards make up the basis for all local codes.
You should be thoroughly familiar with these standards.

Because South Florida was the first to require certification examinations for journeyman general mechanical and many other regions around the country have borrowed from these exams through the years, many of the questions and problems in this book have been taken for those exams. Many of these examination questions were written by me twenty-five years ago when I was Chairman of the Mechanical Contractor's Examining Board and are still current.

This book is divided into six parts. In Part 1 I have tried to familiarize the reader with the language and construction of tests generally so he need not walk into the exam room cold. To many, the thought of sitting in a "classroom" or "examination room" is a disturbing and intimidating experience; I have given some hints about what to expect in the exam room and hints about what, where, when and how to study. Part 1 ends with 300 of the most frequently asked questions--they should be reviewed over and over and over again.

It is suggested that you treat the questions found in the following pages as an actual exam. Before looking for answers, find a quiet place to sit down, and work the questions as though you were in an actual examination room. Allow an average of 2-1/2 minutes per question. Of course, some questions will be much more difficult than others, and some will be problem type questions, but. on average, you will have to answer 25 questions in an hour to pass the exam. Examiners usually allow 4 hours for a 100 questions exam or 8 hours for a 200 questions exam; to complete your work, you will have to answer each question in approximately 2-~ minutes. That will require a good deal of concentration and self-discipline. Timing is essential in any exam; do not spend more time on one question than is allowable. If you can't answer a question in the allotted time, pass it by and. go to the next, returning afterwards if you have additional time left at the remainder of the exam.

After you have answered all the 300 questions in the allowable time, check your answers with those at the end of each section and mark your grade. The passing grade is usually 70%. Allowing 0.333 points per each correct answer, you will have had to answer 210 correctly to achieve a passing grade. If you examine the questions you missed, you will notice that they fall into some kind of pattern; your weakness will either be in a particular category such as heating or pressure piping, or you will not be sharp enough with formulas, or what-have-you. Whatever the case may be, your weakness is the area that should receive your concentrated attention and study.

Part 2 is the technical section beginning with a basic math review and ending with symbols; very important for recognition tests. All the basic formulas and tables are presented here. I have tried to keep this material lean, and have relied more on modern graphic illustrations than on complex calculations. Charts, tables and "Speed-O-Graphs" are used to help the reader find answers quickly; time is the most important element in any examination.

Part 3 deals with basic field application problems. Concentrate on those subjects that are your weakness. In those areas in which you are particularly weak go to your other reference books for in-depth study. This book is designed to give you the confidence and experience you need to take, and pass any journeyman's certification exam.
It is not designed to teach you your trade or profession.

Part 4 offers quizzes and tests in specific subject areas related to the information presented in Part 2, and Part 3 and concludes with a typical "final exam." Our strategy is to direct your studies in the right places, help structure your study plans, show you how to study and provide quizzes and tests to sharpen your test-taking skills. The questions and quizzes presented here are actual examinations and are representative of what one might expect to encounter in the exam room.

Part 5 gives the answers to all well as to the 300 Questions in Part 1.

Part 6 is the Appendix, it represents important conversion tables and other quick-reference material.

BACK COVER

JOURNEYMAN GENERAL MECHANICAL EXAMINATION

CONTENTS. . . What to Bring to the Examination Room. . . The Day of the Examination . . . Tactics Used by the Test Writers and the Strategy Used to Beat Them. . .300 Answers to Questions from Previous Examinations. . . Basic Mathematics . . Pipefitter's Formulas and Tables. . . Fans, Pulleys, and Belts. . . Useful Electrical Data. . . General Safety Requirements. . . Useful Conversion Factors. . . Decimals of a Foot. . . Inch-Foot-Decimal Conversion. . . Calculated Lengths of Pipe for Various Bends
. . . Pressure Temperature Chart. . . Refrigerant Circuit Accessories . . . Scheme for the Identification of Piping Systems. . . Refrigerant Piping Test Procedures. . . Hangers, Straps, and Chains.

SOME COMPLEMENTS. . . "Provides the examinee with everything he needs to pass the journeyman's examination. . . any 3rd year apprentice should pass with this book."-Bill Grady "This book does more than prepare a mechanic for examination. . . it's a dandy handbook for any journeyman. . . loaded with hard-to-find information." -Gene Giordano "It's about time someone wrote such a book. . . a long needed volume that puts all the vital information together in one place."-Ivan Kilen

THE AUTHOR... John Gladstone, B.S., M.A., is former Chairman of the Examinations Committee of the Dade County Mechanical Contractors Examining Board. He is the author of several books on air conditioning and construction as well as numerous articles for the technical press, and has taught air conditioning design and license preparation at Miami-Dade Community College for ten years. Gladstone is a life Member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Certificate Member of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, and a Founding Member of the Associated Air Balance Council.