CWEA Home    Technical Certification Home     Print Entire Handbook

Mechanical Technologist Grade 2

Plant Maintenance (PM) Mechanical Technologist Grade II Certification is designed to demonstrate competency at the skilled or journey level. More specifically, Grade II certification implies competence in the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the Essential Duties of a skilled Mechanical Technologist.

Eligibility Criteria For Taking The Test
The basic requirement is four years of full-time work experience performing the Essential Duties of a Grade II Mechanical Technologist (listed below). You may also qualify by having two years of experience and holding a Plant Maintenance or Mechanical Technologist Grade I Certificate for one year, OR having two years of full-time experience and holding an Associate’s degree in a related field, OR having one year of full-time experience and holding a Bachelor’s, or higher, degree in a related field.

Eligibility criteria are summarized in the table below. You may qualify by meeting either Education/Experience Combination A, B, C, or D. If you do not meet any of the combinations of experience and education, then you do not qualify for Grade II: 

Qualifying With Your Education
Holding a college degree, or its equivalent, in a field related to your vocation will reduce the number of years required for your test (see the table above). Your degree must be in a field that is related to the certificate for which you are applying. If you are uncertain if your degree is related to your vocation you should still include your degree information in your application. The Technical Certification Program Committee will determine if your degree qualifies. If it does not, you will be accepted for the next highest grade level for which you qualify. Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in technical fields are usually accepted. Degrees are evaluated on a case-by-case basis upon receipt of the application. College credit without a degree is not accepted unless it can be demonstrated that the credit is equivalent to a degree.

Essential Duties Of The Grade II PM Mechanical Technologist
Individuals certified as Grade II PM Mechanical Technologists are expected to possess acceptable competency when performing the tasks that are necessary for skilled or journey level Mechanical Technologists. These necessary tasks are known as the Essential Duties. The certification test measures knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the Essential Duties.

 Essential Duties for Grade II

1. Essential duties identified on the Test Content Specifications for Plant Maintenance Grade I.
2. Repairs, maintains, installs, inspects, troubleshoots, and adjusts a variety of mechanical equipment at treatment facilities. Equipment includes: sluice gates, compressors, and flights; hydraulic controls; mechanical structural, and plumbing apparatus; belt, chain, and conveyors; diesel and or gas engines and related co-generation equipment.
3. From work orders, drawings, specifications, schematics, sketches, verbal and written instructions, performs complex mechanical maintenance, repairs, fabrication, and rebuilding of shop, field, and plant equipment used in wastewater plants, pump stations, and collection systems.
4. Maintains, installs, inspects, and repairs a variety of pumps, such as centrifugal, positive displacement, and screw; services, lubricates, and adjusts chemical feed and processing equipment; determines excess wear and pump efficiencies; and follows preventive and predictive maintenance practices.
5. Performs horizontal and vertical welding, fabricating, silver soldering, hard facing, and brazing using acetylene, arc, mig, and tig welder on most ferrous and nonferrous metals; makes specialized cuts and complex angles using a band saw; and performs blacksmithing and parts fabrication.
6. Maintains, installs, inspects, and repairs piping systems of PVC, black and cast iron, stainless steel, and copper tubing; installs, removes, and repairs larger pipes and valves; draws minor new designs; modifies existing piping systems and welded steel pipe, such as nozzles and saddles; and taps, cuts, and threads pipes.
7. Performs complex maintenance and repair tasks on a wide variety of internal combustion engines; adjusts valves and carburetors; and repairs and maintains exhaust systems.
8. Performs regularly scheduled maintenance, inspection, and repair tasks on comminuting and grinding devices; overhauls equipment, such as cutters, bearings, chains, mechanical seals, gear reducers; performs close tolerance checking and testing.
9. Performs basic to complex maintenance, inspection, and repair or overhauling tasks on drive components, such as right angle drive gears, reduction drives, variable speed and belt and chain drives.
10. Overhauls, maintains, installs, adjusts, inspects, and repairs a variety of hydraulic and pneumatic systems and compressors.
11. Properly uses and cares for hand and power tools such as grinders, saws, jacks, hydraulic presses and pullers, and pipe threaders, inspects, tests, and measures equipment and material using precision instruments such as scales, height and depth gauges, calipers, verniers, and micrometers of various types.
12. Plans tasks, keeps records of work performed and makes estimates of labor and material necessary for the performance of the work.
13. Follows proper safety practices, precautions, and procedures, such as confined space   entry, storing, handling, and transporting gases, using correct lockout and tagout procedures, using flash protection when welding, and assisting in using safe rigging and welding practices.

Complexity Of Test Questions
At the Grade II level, certificate candidates are expected to have the knowledge, skill and ability to safely and effectively accomplish most of the Essential Duties listed above. Grade II candidates are also expected to be familiar with the Grade I Test Content Areas. Examinees will have to answer multiple choice questions that test comprehension, application and analysis of the subject matter. The complexity of the questions will cover the ability to basically understand the subject matter; to recall and apply principles, ideas, and theories; and to breakdown ideas and theories into their constituent parts.

Test Content Areas
The following list is an outline of Test Content Areas. Each content area is a knowledge, skill, or ability that is required to perform the Essential Duties listed above. Since all of the knowledge, skills, or abilities are required to perform the Essential Duties they are all equally important in the demonstration of acceptable competency. Thus, all of the content areas listed below are equally weighted on the test. Candidates should also be thoroughly familiar with the Grade I Plant Maintenance Technologist Test Content Areas.

1. Knowledge, skills and abilities identified on the Test Content Specifications for Plant Maintenance Grade I.
2. Standard methods, theory, practices, materials, tools, and equipment used in installing, adjusting, maintaining, and repairing mechanical equipment common to a wastewater treatment plant and collection system.
3. Safety practices and procedures pertaining to the work performed.
4. Characteristics and capabilities of common metals and alloys; uses and operation of electric and gas cutting and welding equipment; and rigging principles and techniques.
5. Use standard hand, electric, and pneumatic tools and equipment of the mechanical trades.
6. Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
7. Read and interpret mechanical drawings, plans, and specifications.
8. Diagnose and trouble shoot a variety of mechanical equipment common to a wastewater facility.
9. Make repairs and perform routine preventive and predictive maintenance to the equipment used in the collection, transport, and treatment of wastewater
10. Estimate labor and materials for proposed work and keep and complete records.

11. Effectively communicate in both written and oral form, in the English language.

<< Previous Page        Next Page >>

Copyright © 2000 Califormia Water Environment Association