FIELD ANSWERS
Straight answers to real jobsite questions
7,630 direct answers across 8 trades, each written and reviewed against published standards and linked to the full field guide, the calculator, and the checklist behind it. The questions crews and inspectors actually ask, answered without the fluff.
Answered straight, reviewed against code
A sample of the questions we get most, one per trade. Every answer links to the full guide and the tools that back it.
What is an assured equipment grounding conductor program (AEGCP)?
An AEGCP is a written OSHA program for temporary power that tests every cord set, temporary receptacle, and cord-and-plug tool for ground continuity and correct termination, on a set schedule, and records the results. Under 29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1) it is one of two ways to protect workers, the other being GFCI protection.
Full field guide: AEGCP field guideWhat is AI cluster commissioning?
AI cluster commissioning is the bring-up that proves a GPU cluster works after the building passes facility commissioning. It verifies the racks and cabling against the design, matches firmware across the fleet, validates the fabric link by link, checks every GPU, and stress-tests the cluster under load before any workload runs.
Full field guide: AI cluster commissioningHow do you install an adhesive anchor?
Drill the hole to the diameter and depth in the MPII, clean it by blowing, brushing with the correct-size wire brush, and blowing again, then discard the first strokes of adhesive through a fresh nozzle. Fill from the bottom up, set the rod with a turning push to the marked depth, and let it cure fully before loading.
Full field guide: Adhesive anchor installationWhat is crusher run or dense-graded aggregate?
Crusher run, also called dense-graded aggregate, DGA, GAB, 21A, 411, or 3/4 minus, is a crushed-stone blend running from a top size around 3/4 in down through sand to fines. The continuous range of sizes lets it compact into a tight, interlocked layer, which makes it the standard material for road base and gravel-road surfacing.
Full field guide: Aggregate base and gravel roadsWhat is air balancing?
Air balancing is the part of testing, adjusting, and balancing that proportions airflow so each outlet and space gets its design CFM. The technician sets total air at the fan, balances branches and outlets as ratios, then documents design versus measured airflow in a certified report the engineer accepts.
Full field guide: Air balancing report field guideHow do you install artificial turf?
Excavate and remove organics, build and compact an aggregate base with a fine screeded top, set the drainage and slope, then roll out and acclimate the turf, run the grain one direction, cut to fit, seam with tape and adhesive, anchor the perimeter, and brush in the infill. The base decides the result.
Full field guide: Artificial turf installationWhy did my RPZ fail the test?
An RPZ usually fails because the first check is passing pressure into the zone, which makes the relief valve weep or discharge. Less often it is a worn relief diaphragm or a leaking second check. Flush the line first, because debris on a seat causes most failures, then rebuild the part the gauge points at.
Full field guide: Backflow failed test repair guideWhat is a built-up roof?
A built-up roof, or BUR, is a low-slope membrane built on the deck from alternating plies of reinforcing felt and layers of bitumen, then topped with a surfacing such as gravel, a cap sheet, or a coating. It is the original tar and gravel roof, typically 3 to 4 plies for redundancy.
Full field guide: Built-up roof installationAnswers by trade
All field guides- What is an assured equipment grounding conductor program (AEGCP)?
- What is a three-way match in accounts payable?
- What is a MEWP?
- Is aluminum wiring dangerous?
- How do you install an adhesive anchor?
- Why do bridge decks deteriorate faster than the rest of the bridge?
- What is the difference between mortar and grout in a block wall?
- What is the most important part of tile installation?
- What is air balancing?
- How do you start an apprenticeship program?
- What is a building automation system?
- What is the difference between a fire-tube and water-tube boiler?
- How do contractors get paid faster?
- Why did my RPZ fail the test?
- How do you test a backflow preventer?
- What is a backwater valve?
- What is AI cluster commissioning?
- Why does AI need fast storage?
- What is the difference between hot-aisle and cold-aisle containment?
- Cast-in vs post-installed anchors: which should I use?
- What is a built-up roof?
- What is a construction safety program?
- Why is customer communication important in the trades?
- What is an EPDM roof?