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86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the electrical main disconnect |
The first switch that the electrical service entrance cable connects to and will shut off our power to the structure |
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What is the distribution panel |
Distribute electricity through individual circuits to various parts of the house. Each circuit will have one or more outlets such as wall outlets to be connected to |
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What are black, red and white wires |
Black and red wires are connected to the live bus bar and the white wire is connected to the neutral busbar. Black wires are hot wires |
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What are underground outlets |
Old types of clouds containing two slots of equal size and are not grounded |
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What does grounded plugs mean |
Have extra wire to send current to earth or ground in the event of a power surge |
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What is a ground fault circuit interpreter |
Device that shuts off the power to a circuit when the current is leaking or falling out that could cause electrical shock. Usually used anywhere within 3 feet of water and have a reset button on them |
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What are circuit breakers and fuses |
Safety devices found in the main distribution panel to prevent overload of an electrical system |
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What is aluminum wiring |
Softer than copper and may be nicked crushed by the installer which leads to overheating. Having these wires can make it difficult to get insurance |
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What can ungrounded outlets cause |
Can cause electrical fire, risk of shock or damage to appliances |
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Why is knob and tube wiring bad |
Cannot except three prong appliances as there is no ground wire, poses risk, fire hazard/ electrical shock when Barbwire is near material |
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What are indicators of problems with electrical systems |
Frequently blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers, hot electrical outlet, flickering/Denning of lights, electrical shock when plugging in appliances, light bulbs burn out quickly and too many extension chords in use |
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What does input and output capacity of heating systems tell you |
Input capacity tells you how much fuel energy is consumed every hour of operation and output tells you how much useable heating or cooling the unit provides to the home |
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What is efficiency of heating systems |
Takes the input and output into account and gives a percentage of how efficient the system is at heating the home |
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What is efficiency ratings |
Tells you how well the energy put into a heating system is based on annual fuel utilization rating |
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What is a forced air heating system |
Central heating system controlled by a thermostat and uses air as its heat transfer medium. Quicker and use the same ductwork as the air conditioning |
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What is a steam heating system |
Boiler furnace heats water that travels through pipes into radiators giving off heat. It’s quiet and provides constant heat. Good for people with allergies, less energy efficient, insulated by asbestos that poses health risk |
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What is hot water heating system |
It’s water and distributes it through the house by way of piping and two radiators. Quiet, good for people with allergies, more expensive, insulated with asbestos posing health risk |
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What is electric heating system |
Baseboard resistance heater and radiant heating cables or coil’s placed in the floor or ceiling allowing for a thermostat to control temperature and each room, quiet, environmentally friendly, air conditioning is unable to be added to system, difficult for maintenance and produces dry heat |
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What is radiant heat system |
Supplies he directly to the floor or two panels in the wall or ceiling, energy efficient, expensive to install limits location of carpet and an air conditioning is unable to be added |
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What is ground source heat pump system |
Uses the earth, groundwater or both as a source of heat in the winter, low maintenance, expensive to install, energy efficient and quiet |
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What is air source heat pump system |
Transfers heat from outside to inside a building or vice versa, low maintenance once installed, environmentally friendly and expensive to install |
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What is an electric furnace |
Converts electricity to heat, more expensive to operate, takes longer to heat up the house, quiet and low maintenance |
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What is a gas furnace |
Burns natural gas which heats up a heat exchanger, energy efficient, expensive to install, it’s low levels of carbon monoxide and low operation costs |
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What is an oil furnace |
Have a burner and combustion chamber and I’ll mats exhaust through flu pipe and chimney, maintenance requirements are regulated, must be replaced every 10 years, last longer than gas furnaces, easier to service than gas or electric, higher fuel price, less energy efficient and can cause environmental problems if buried in the yard |
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What is a gravity furnace |
No longer installed and newer builds and works on gravity as hot air rises and cold air falls, requires little maintenance, energy efficient, costly to run and takes up a lot of space |
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What is an open boiler |
Allow space for water to expand when water is heated, uses gravity rather than circulating pump and no longer commonly used |
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What is a closed boiler |
Water is pressurized a few pounds higher, typically has circulating pump to force water through system |
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What is a central air conditioning system |
Distributes cold air through a structure |
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What is a ductless air conditioner |
Individual air conditioning units that can be placed in different rooms, more energy efficient, Illinois, best option for old houses, consent cooling for rooms individually, require putting units on a wall I can also be used to heat a home with a heat pump installed |
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What are gas and propane fireplaces |
Consist of combustible logs covering gas fences in the fire itself friends behind glass doors, no ashes are set to deal with, no annual chimney cleaning required, does not pose a risk to insurance company |
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What is a zero clearance fireplace |
Pre-manufactured gas fireplace |
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What is a wood stove fireplace |
Closed metal fire box with glass windows |
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What is a fireplace insert |
Inserted into existing Masonry fireplace powered by electricity, gas, propane and wood pellets |
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What is a pellet stove fireplace |
Burn designed pellets made from compressed sawdust that burn in an import area producing constant flame |
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What is the minimum clearance for woodstoves |
Minimum clearance of 152 cm from top of the ceiling and 123cm from each side must be met. With shielding installed the side clearance is reduced to 91 cm |
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What are service pipes |
Water mains that are underground pipes that deliver fresh and clean drinking water from municipal supply to the lot lines of properties |
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What are Galvanized pipes |
Coated with the zinc that contain lead and other impurities |
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What are kitec pipes |
Have high zinc content that can cause corrosion and restrict water pressure resulting and flooding and water damage. Can leak or even burst if hot water system runs at too high of a temperature or pressure |
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What is Blackwater versus gray water |
Black water is from toilets and contain human waste whereas gray water is from washing dishes, showers and so on that does not contain human waste |
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What is the difference between older versus newer neighbourhood plumbing waste systems |
Newer neighbourhoods have separate storm sewers and sewage sewers that go to the treatment plant which reduces the load |
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What are problems that occur with waste plumbing |
Back ups when storm sewers and sanitary stores are combined causing flooding, overloaded drain and sewer line from the house to the street that are made of clay are vulnerable to collapse |
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What is copper piping most commonly used for |
Used for water distribution and does not degrade with long exposure of water, can tolerate high temperatures and used least commonly for venting and drainage |
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What is PEX piping |
Cheaper than copper, quicker to install, common for water distribution, can tolerate high temperatures but cannot connect directly to boilers therefore needs copper pipe in between. Commonly used for drainage and venting purposes |
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What is PVC piping |
Lightweight, low cost material that does not corrode overtime however can degrade when exposed to UV light. Cannot be used for hot water and most commonly used for waste plumbing and venting |
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What is CPVC piping |
Can be used for all water distribution, used for hot applications were PVC cannot, most commonly used for waste plumbing and has added chlorine during manufacturing |
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What are common water efficiency problems |
Reduced buildup/corrosion, leaky pipes and older Fossett/showerheads that use about 40 to 50% more water than modern ones |
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What are water efficiency options |
Dual flush toilets, installation of gray water system, installing pressure control valve |
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What is recovery rate |
The amount of hot water the water heater is capable of providing in a given period of time |
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What are tankless water heater’s |
Powerful gas or propane powered heaters which heat water as needed, no storage capacity, can be wall-mounted, doesn’t run out of hot water and needs high-pressure gas to function |
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What are the pros and cons of renting a water heater |
Less expensive, renter does not have to pay for repairs or ongoing maintenance, can shift to rent to own when becoming financially viable however terminating contracts can be expensive |
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What is the installation of wells regulated under |
Ontario water resource act, any technicians that work on Wells must be licensed by the Ministry of environment, conservation and parks |
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What can decommissioned wells cause |
Power safety problems for humans or animals, contaminate groundwater, affect water quality of neighbouring wealth, salt used on roads can seep into Wells, septic affluent can enter wells and streams can contaminate wells |
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What are dug wells |
Made by digging down to water table with hand shovel or backhoe until water enters faster than it can be bailed out. Used in Sandy and gravelly areas |
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What are drilled wells |
Used cable tool or rotary drilling machine that are small in diameter meaning can’t store much water |
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What are bored wells |
Created using large diameter bore or drill that typically tend to be shallow used in Gravley or sandy areas |
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What are point driven wells |
Small sharpened pipe driven into shallow water bearing sand or gravel that are simple and inexpensive |
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What are shared wells |
Should have formal well sharing agreement, normally located on property with submersible pump &typically expected to share cost of maintenance |
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What is a lake and river water well |
Provide water through above ground or below ground pipes from the water to the building and can be easily contaminated if the pipes are not extended far out |
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What is a water well record |
Every well constructed in Ontario should have record showing how it is construction, its location, water quality information. Records the recovery rate and other important information Of a well. Administered by Ministry of environment, conservation and parks |
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What should the height of the well casing be above the ground |
Well owner should not reduce the height of well casing to less than 40 cm above the ground |
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Is the world record necessary to prove it was decommissioned |
Yes |
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What is water softening |
Devices attached to water supply that removes minerals that make water taste bad |
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What is reverse osmosis |
Tightly woven membranes that remove solids from water |
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What is granulated activated carbon filtration |
Uses carbon to effectively remove odors, tatties and discolouration caused by lead and other dangerous chemicals |
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What is ultraviolet system |
Uses ultraviolet light to neutralize any present bacteria |
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What is iron deionizer |
Hi iron content leads to red or orange staining which can be dealt with by using iron deionizer removing iron from water |
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What is chlorine injector units |
Used to kill many bacteria and water and remove odours |
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What is desalinators |
Removes salt from water supply |
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How often should wells be tested |
Tested regularly, when they are first constructed and then once or twice per year unless there is a reason to test |
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How often should wells be tested for rural cottages |
Two or three samples per season |
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What is coliform bacteria |
General category of bacteria present in digestive tracts of animals and plants indicating water is polluted |
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What is faecal coliform bacteria |
Found in digestive tracts of warm blooded animals and is a better indicator of contamination |
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What is capacity in terms of wells |
Amount of water that a well can contain |
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What is flow rate |
Evaluation of wells water supply typically done by flow test rate that measures the rate at which water can be extracted |
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What are class one sewage systems |
Waterless toilets, portable toilets and composting toilets |
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What is class two sewage systems |
Gray water systems |
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What is class three water systems |
Designed for human waste and are often dumping stations for recreational vehicles |
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What is class four sewage systems |
septic tank and leaching bed system |
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What is class five sewage distance |
Systems used for holding and retaining sewage |
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What is a septic tank |
Large tank that contains bacteria to break down solid waste |
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How often should septic tanks be pumped |
Every 3 to 5 years |
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What is septic system size/ capacity determined by |
Total number of water fixtures in the house, total living area and number of bedrooms |
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What are the setback requirements for leaching beds |
Must be 5 m from any structure, 30 m from a well with no water tight casting, 15 m from wells with castings, lakes, ponds and rivers |
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What is required to apply for a permit for leaching beds |
Location, diameter of pipes, location in relation to zoning setbacks and overall area in square metres |
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What is the minimum distance for septic tanks |
1.5 m from any structure, 3 m from any property line and 15 m from any lake, well or stream |
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What are septic tank issues |
Route of trees can grow in and around systems causing damage, buildup of solids, driving or parking a car over leaching beds and too many plumbing fixtures leading to overload |