BACKFLOW PREVENTION COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Physical Disconnection (Separation) - ✔✔The removal of pipes, fittings, or fixtures
that connect a potable water system to a non-potable source or one of questionable
quality.
✔✔Plumbing - ✔✔Any arrangement of pipes, fittings, fixtures or devices intended to
move a liquid, solid, or gas from one point to another.
✔✔Poison - ✔✔A substance that can kill, permanently injure, or impair a living
organism.
✔✔Pollution - ✔✔An actual or potential threat by a substance that does not present a
threat to the health of the consumer but is aesthetically objectionable or impairs the
quality of the water with respect to taste, odor or color.
✔✔Pollution Hazard - ✔✔A term used by the Ohio EPA to describe the degree of
hazard of a substance that tends to degrade the water quality but poses no threat to
health.
✔✔Potable Water - ✔✔Water intended for human consumption.
, ✔✔Premises - ✔✔Means any building, structure, dwelling or area containing plumbing
or piping supplied from a public water system.
✔✔Pressure Vacuum Breaker - ✔✔A backflow prevention device consisting of one or
two independently acting, spring-loaded check valves, and an independently acting,
spring-loaded air inlet valve designed to prevent backsiphonage.
✔✔ Absolute Pressure - ✔✔The total pressure; gauge pressure plus atmospheric
pressure. Absolute pressure is generally measured in pounds per square inch, and is
indicated as pounds per square inch absolute (psia).
✔✔Air Gap - ✔✔The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from any pipe or outlet supplying water to a tank, plumbing
fixture, or other device, and the flood level rim of the receptacle.
✔✔Approved Air-Gap Separation - ✔✔An approved air-gap separation is a distance
through the free atmosphere equal to two times the nominal diameter of the supply pipe
discharge opening, but never less than one inch.
✔✔Atmospheric Pressure - ✔✔The pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere
(14.7 psig) at sea level). As the elevation above sea level increases, the atmospheric
pressure decreases.
✔✔Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker - ✔✔A mechanical device consisting of a float check
valve and an air-inlet port designed to prevent backsiphonage.
✔✔Auxiliary Water System - ✔✔Any water system on or available to the premises other
than the public water system. These auxiliary water systems shall include used water or
water from a source other than the public water system, such as wells, cisterns or open
reservoirs that are equipped with pumps or other prime movers, including gravity.
✔✔Backflow - ✔✔The unintentional reversal of the normal direction of flow in a potable
water system that may result in the pollution or contamination of the system by a liquid,
gas, solids, or mixtures.
✔✔Backflow Prevention Device - ✔✔Any device, method, or type of construction that is
used to prevent a backflow condition into a potable water system.
✔✔Backpressure Backflow - ✔✔A reversal of the normal direction of flow in a water
system due to an increase in downstream pressure above that of the supply pressure.
✔✔Backsiphonage - ✔✔A reversal of the normal direction of flow in the piping due to a
drop in supply pressure, a vacuum, or a negative pressure in the supply piping.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Physical Disconnection (Separation) - ✔✔The removal of pipes, fittings, or fixtures
that connect a potable water system to a non-potable source or one of questionable
quality.
✔✔Plumbing - ✔✔Any arrangement of pipes, fittings, fixtures or devices intended to
move a liquid, solid, or gas from one point to another.
✔✔Poison - ✔✔A substance that can kill, permanently injure, or impair a living
organism.
✔✔Pollution - ✔✔An actual or potential threat by a substance that does not present a
threat to the health of the consumer but is aesthetically objectionable or impairs the
quality of the water with respect to taste, odor or color.
✔✔Pollution Hazard - ✔✔A term used by the Ohio EPA to describe the degree of
hazard of a substance that tends to degrade the water quality but poses no threat to
health.
✔✔Potable Water - ✔✔Water intended for human consumption.
, ✔✔Premises - ✔✔Means any building, structure, dwelling or area containing plumbing
or piping supplied from a public water system.
✔✔Pressure Vacuum Breaker - ✔✔A backflow prevention device consisting of one or
two independently acting, spring-loaded check valves, and an independently acting,
spring-loaded air inlet valve designed to prevent backsiphonage.
✔✔ Absolute Pressure - ✔✔The total pressure; gauge pressure plus atmospheric
pressure. Absolute pressure is generally measured in pounds per square inch, and is
indicated as pounds per square inch absolute (psia).
✔✔Air Gap - ✔✔The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from any pipe or outlet supplying water to a tank, plumbing
fixture, or other device, and the flood level rim of the receptacle.
✔✔Approved Air-Gap Separation - ✔✔An approved air-gap separation is a distance
through the free atmosphere equal to two times the nominal diameter of the supply pipe
discharge opening, but never less than one inch.
✔✔Atmospheric Pressure - ✔✔The pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere
(14.7 psig) at sea level). As the elevation above sea level increases, the atmospheric
pressure decreases.
✔✔Atmospheric Vacuum Breaker - ✔✔A mechanical device consisting of a float check
valve and an air-inlet port designed to prevent backsiphonage.
✔✔Auxiliary Water System - ✔✔Any water system on or available to the premises other
than the public water system. These auxiliary water systems shall include used water or
water from a source other than the public water system, such as wells, cisterns or open
reservoirs that are equipped with pumps or other prime movers, including gravity.
✔✔Backflow - ✔✔The unintentional reversal of the normal direction of flow in a potable
water system that may result in the pollution or contamination of the system by a liquid,
gas, solids, or mixtures.
✔✔Backflow Prevention Device - ✔✔Any device, method, or type of construction that is
used to prevent a backflow condition into a potable water system.
✔✔Backpressure Backflow - ✔✔A reversal of the normal direction of flow in a water
system due to an increase in downstream pressure above that of the supply pressure.
✔✔Backsiphonage - ✔✔A reversal of the normal direction of flow in the piping due to a
drop in supply pressure, a vacuum, or a negative pressure in the supply piping.
