2025 MA 2nd FIREMAN ACTUAL
EXAM LATEST UPDATED 400
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. List two basic types of boilers: Water tube Fire tube
2. Describe an HRT boiler and a Scotch marine boiler, what is the basic
difference between the two: Horizontal Return Tube boiler has a cylindrical
shell with fire below, Scotch marine is a fire tube boiler with hot flue gas passing
through tank
3. What is a boiler baffle: Plates trapping heat
4. Describe a stirling boiler: Generates steam in stationary land plants
5. List ASME symbols: Operation, Transport, Delay, Storage
6. What is the most important fitting on a boiler: Safety valve
7. What is the lowest permissible water level in a boiler: 2 above danger point
8. What is a heating surface: Water on one side has on the other
9. How do you check the water level in a boiler if the gauge glass is broken:
Try cocks
10. What is gauge pressure and absolute pressure: Gauge pressure=pressure
above atmospheric pressure and absolute pressure is gauge+atmospheric
pressure 11. What is the bourdon tube: An oval metal tube inside a mechanical
pressure gauge that straightens when pressurized
12. What is a pigtail syphon and why is it used: It is a buffer to prevent
damage
,13. What kind of information can be found on a boiler plate: MAWP, BTU,
etc 14. What kind of information is found on a safety valve plate: Size,
Popping pressure, Manufacturer
15. What is the definition of blowdown in relation to safety valves: Difference
between set and reseating 16. Symbols: S-Power boiler
H-Hearing boiler
V-Safety Valves
M-miniature boiler
17. Describe an oil burner in details: Device that delivers Fuel Oil to a furnace
in a fine spray where it mixes with air to provide efficient combustion
18. List 3 common fuels: Fuel oil Natural gas Coal
19. What are the constituents (elements) of fuel?: NOCASH...................
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Ash, Sulfur and Hydrogen
20. Describe an oil system when using #6 oil from the tank to the burner.:
Receive #6 oil from tank, raise temperature to proper ignition point then
strained before getting to the burner. Oil systems always have return lines to
return the oil that does not go to the burner.#6 Oil also has to be atomized to
burn properly, compressed air or steam is used for proper atomization.
21. Describe a natural gas system: Gas burners supply the proper mixture of air
and gas to the furnace so that complete combustion can be achieved.
22. List the product of combustion after the fuel is burned.: Water vapor,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide,sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides and
oxygen.
23. What is the level of excess air when burning #6 oil, Coal and natural
gas?: Natural gas:5-10%, Pulverized coal: 25-35%, Oil: 10-20%
24. What is the amount of carbon dioxide in percentage when burning #6 oil,
,Natural gas and Coal: 11% for gas, 12% for oil, 14% for coal
25. What is a typical stack temperature when using Oil, Natural Gas and
Coal?: Coal:450-500 deg F, Oil: 350-450, Gas:250
26. What could be wrong if the stack temperature is higher than normal?
List all possibilities: Excess air, excess soot, dirty tubes
27. List all safety devices on the boiler and their functions.: Safety Valves,
Pressurematic/power actuator, automatic pressure relief, Low water cutout
Flame scanner, Combustion air proven switch, High and low fuel pressure
switches.
28. Why is chemical treatment important?: Reduce hazard,prevent scale
formation and corrosion in the boiler. Impurities could lead to foaming and
carry over.
29. How is Oxygen removed from the feed water?: Deaerator and oxygen
scavengers like sodium sulfite.
30. How do you start a boiler fired by oil from cold?: Walk down all
components,follow and vent fill procedure, fill with water and vent check for
leaks, Check valves, taps and drains, stop water when visible, open
economizer recirculation valves, check blowdown, check airflow path and
fans, check warmup fuel, check for leaks again, drain due to swelling, check
again for leaks, check flow, walk down, close vents after 25 PSIG
31. How do you blow down a water column on the boiler?: Quick open valve
32. How do you blow down a water glass?: Close steamside shutoff valve,
open blowdown valve at the bottom of the glass until water and steam blows
out, close water side valve, watch water until it disappears and steam flows
out.
, 33. How do you check the water level in the boiler if the water glass
breaks?: Try cocks, second gauge glass or drum level recorder.
34. How do you replace a water glass while the boiler is running?: Close
gauge glass valves, use drain cock to drain glass, loosen brass hardware.
35. List steps taken if black smoke was coming out of the chimney?: Smoke
could be caused by insufficient combustion air, cold oil or fouled burner
36. What is a superheater, an economizer, and an air preheater?:
Superheater is the heat exchanger where steam is superheated, economizer
exchanger that transfers heat in flue gas preheater recovers heat from boiler flue
gas which increases thermal efficiency.
37. What is the most important valve on the boiler and how do you test it?:
Pressure safety valve test: raiser/lower lever look flow of steam
38. List three types of valves and their applications: Pressure relief valve,
relieve pressure control valve, regulate flow, gauge glass valve, flow to glass,
gate globe and ball valves.
39. What is a steam trap? List three types: Special purpose device opens
when condensate, is present and closes when steam tries to get through, float
traps, thermodynamic traps, mechanical traps,
40. How do you start a centrifugal pump?: Fill suction line with liquid, open
vent valve or fill plug, fail to open valve, air centrifugal pump filled with air and
vacuum fail allowing water flow
41. What is steam bound in relation to pumps? And what is air bound?
And how do you correct these situations?: Steam bound is when the water
flashes to steam at the inlet of the pump causing cavitation cool the water coming
into the pump to correct the situation
EXAM LATEST UPDATED 400
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. List two basic types of boilers: Water tube Fire tube
2. Describe an HRT boiler and a Scotch marine boiler, what is the basic
difference between the two: Horizontal Return Tube boiler has a cylindrical
shell with fire below, Scotch marine is a fire tube boiler with hot flue gas passing
through tank
3. What is a boiler baffle: Plates trapping heat
4. Describe a stirling boiler: Generates steam in stationary land plants
5. List ASME symbols: Operation, Transport, Delay, Storage
6. What is the most important fitting on a boiler: Safety valve
7. What is the lowest permissible water level in a boiler: 2 above danger point
8. What is a heating surface: Water on one side has on the other
9. How do you check the water level in a boiler if the gauge glass is broken:
Try cocks
10. What is gauge pressure and absolute pressure: Gauge pressure=pressure
above atmospheric pressure and absolute pressure is gauge+atmospheric
pressure 11. What is the bourdon tube: An oval metal tube inside a mechanical
pressure gauge that straightens when pressurized
12. What is a pigtail syphon and why is it used: It is a buffer to prevent
damage
,13. What kind of information can be found on a boiler plate: MAWP, BTU,
etc 14. What kind of information is found on a safety valve plate: Size,
Popping pressure, Manufacturer
15. What is the definition of blowdown in relation to safety valves: Difference
between set and reseating 16. Symbols: S-Power boiler
H-Hearing boiler
V-Safety Valves
M-miniature boiler
17. Describe an oil burner in details: Device that delivers Fuel Oil to a furnace
in a fine spray where it mixes with air to provide efficient combustion
18. List 3 common fuels: Fuel oil Natural gas Coal
19. What are the constituents (elements) of fuel?: NOCASH...................
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Ash, Sulfur and Hydrogen
20. Describe an oil system when using #6 oil from the tank to the burner.:
Receive #6 oil from tank, raise temperature to proper ignition point then
strained before getting to the burner. Oil systems always have return lines to
return the oil that does not go to the burner.#6 Oil also has to be atomized to
burn properly, compressed air or steam is used for proper atomization.
21. Describe a natural gas system: Gas burners supply the proper mixture of air
and gas to the furnace so that complete combustion can be achieved.
22. List the product of combustion after the fuel is burned.: Water vapor,
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide,sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides and
oxygen.
23. What is the level of excess air when burning #6 oil, Coal and natural
gas?: Natural gas:5-10%, Pulverized coal: 25-35%, Oil: 10-20%
24. What is the amount of carbon dioxide in percentage when burning #6 oil,
,Natural gas and Coal: 11% for gas, 12% for oil, 14% for coal
25. What is a typical stack temperature when using Oil, Natural Gas and
Coal?: Coal:450-500 deg F, Oil: 350-450, Gas:250
26. What could be wrong if the stack temperature is higher than normal?
List all possibilities: Excess air, excess soot, dirty tubes
27. List all safety devices on the boiler and their functions.: Safety Valves,
Pressurematic/power actuator, automatic pressure relief, Low water cutout
Flame scanner, Combustion air proven switch, High and low fuel pressure
switches.
28. Why is chemical treatment important?: Reduce hazard,prevent scale
formation and corrosion in the boiler. Impurities could lead to foaming and
carry over.
29. How is Oxygen removed from the feed water?: Deaerator and oxygen
scavengers like sodium sulfite.
30. How do you start a boiler fired by oil from cold?: Walk down all
components,follow and vent fill procedure, fill with water and vent check for
leaks, Check valves, taps and drains, stop water when visible, open
economizer recirculation valves, check blowdown, check airflow path and
fans, check warmup fuel, check for leaks again, drain due to swelling, check
again for leaks, check flow, walk down, close vents after 25 PSIG
31. How do you blow down a water column on the boiler?: Quick open valve
32. How do you blow down a water glass?: Close steamside shutoff valve,
open blowdown valve at the bottom of the glass until water and steam blows
out, close water side valve, watch water until it disappears and steam flows
out.
, 33. How do you check the water level in the boiler if the water glass
breaks?: Try cocks, second gauge glass or drum level recorder.
34. How do you replace a water glass while the boiler is running?: Close
gauge glass valves, use drain cock to drain glass, loosen brass hardware.
35. List steps taken if black smoke was coming out of the chimney?: Smoke
could be caused by insufficient combustion air, cold oil or fouled burner
36. What is a superheater, an economizer, and an air preheater?:
Superheater is the heat exchanger where steam is superheated, economizer
exchanger that transfers heat in flue gas preheater recovers heat from boiler flue
gas which increases thermal efficiency.
37. What is the most important valve on the boiler and how do you test it?:
Pressure safety valve test: raiser/lower lever look flow of steam
38. List three types of valves and their applications: Pressure relief valve,
relieve pressure control valve, regulate flow, gauge glass valve, flow to glass,
gate globe and ball valves.
39. What is a steam trap? List three types: Special purpose device opens
when condensate, is present and closes when steam tries to get through, float
traps, thermodynamic traps, mechanical traps,
40. How do you start a centrifugal pump?: Fill suction line with liquid, open
vent valve or fill plug, fail to open valve, air centrifugal pump filled with air and
vacuum fail allowing water flow
41. What is steam bound in relation to pumps? And what is air bound?
And how do you correct these situations?: Steam bound is when the water
flashes to steam at the inlet of the pump causing cavitation cool the water coming
into the pump to correct the situation
