Backflow 101

Learn about backflow preventer products and applications. This webinar will define backflow configurations typical to the fire protection industry.  The presentation will also discuss the importance of pressure loss and water flow curves and how they impact fire protection systems.  The final discussion will be on the difference between backflow certification and forward flow testing, including changes coming to the 2022 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants should be able to:

1. Identify low hazard vs high hazard in backflow applications. Identify differences between double check valves and reduced pressure double check valves.
2. Define how and why a detector assembly is used on a double check valve.
3. Define who the Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research at the University of Southern California (USC) is and the importance of pressure loss, water flow rate curves, and approvals.
4. Identify the difference between backflow forward testing and backflow certification.

John August Denhardt, P.E., ET, FSFPE, CWBSP

John August Denhardt, P.E., ET, FSFPE, CWBSP, is Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services for AFSA. He is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) registered in the District of Columbia as well as the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He is a NICET Level III in Automatic Sprinkler System Layout and Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems and an NFPA Certified Water-Based Systems Professional (CWBSP). He is a member of the NFPA 13 Sprinkler Discharge Committee and is a Fellow in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). Denhardt is a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Research Foundation trustee, sits on the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering’s Board of Visitors, and is a member of the SFPE Board of Directors. A native of Maryland, Denhardt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park.

Scott Monroe