Hydrostatic Test Pressure and Hold

Test pressure (1.5x water; 1.5x fuel gas, never below 3 psig) and recommended hold time.

Run the calculator

Example

You enter

Working pressure (psi) 100
System volume (gal) 200
System type water

You get

Test pressure 150 psi
Multiplier 1.5
Hold time 30 min

Checked against published worked examples from: IPC / Plumbing engineering practice.

Details, formula, and sources

Formula or tableTest pressure: at least the working pressure for water systems (IPC 2027 Section 312.6 [312.5 in IPC 2021]; 1.5x is common engineering practice, not an IPC rule), and at least 1.5x the maximum working pressure but not less than 3 psig for fuel-gas systems (IFGC 2027 Section 406.4.1); recommended hold time scales with system volume.

Source and editionIPC 2027 (International Plumbing Code). Section 312; IFGC 2027 (International Fuel Gas Code) / NFPA 54. Section 406.4.

Free accessFree read-only access at codes.iccsafe.org.

What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed plumber / gas fitter govern. Verify against the IPC / IFGC edition adopted in your jurisdiction.

API field namesworking_pressure_psi, system_volume_gal, material, test_pressure_psi, multiplier, hold_minutes

Default hold time ≥ 15 min for plumbing tests; ≥ 10 min for fuel-gas testsIPC 2027 Section 312.6 [312.5 in 2021] / IFGC 2027 Section 406.4.2