CPE Facility Operations & Maintenance 5

Question 1

What does the term 'deferred maintenance' refer to in facility management?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled maintenance that is postponed due to budget or resource constraints

Answer

Deferred maintenance is necessary upkeep that has been postponed, often accumulating into a larger backlog with higher future costs.

Question 2

A plant engineer must calculate the economic justification for replacing an aging motor with a premium efficiency model. The key financial metric used is:

Accepted Answer

Payback period based on annual energy cost savings

Answer

Simple payback period — capital cost divided by annual energy savings — is the standard metric for motor efficiency upgrade justification.

Question 3

Which maintenance document provides step-by-step instructions for performing a specific maintenance task safely and correctly?

Accepted Answer

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or Maintenance Procedure

Answer

SOPs and maintenance procedures standardize how tasks are performed, ensuring safety, quality, and consistency across technicians.

Question 4

In a chilled water system, what does it mean when the chiller delta-T (supply vs. return temperature difference) is lower than design?

Accepted Answer

The system is experiencing low delta-T syndrome, indicating hydraulic imbalance or coil fouling

Answer

Low delta-T syndrome reduces chiller efficiency and capacity, commonly caused by coil fouling, poor flow distribution, or air handler bypass.

Question 5

Which regulation requires facilities to report and manage hazardous chemical inventories above threshold quantities?

Accepted Answer

EPA EPCRA / SARA Title III Tier II reporting

Answer

EPCRA/SARA Title III requires facilities to report hazardous chemical inventories to state and local emergency planning committees.

(CPE) Certified Plant Engineer Practice Test

(CPE) Certified Plant Engineer Practice Test

CPE Facility Operations & Maintenance 5