Field & trade terms
Backflow prevention
Backflow prevention is the plumbing that keeps water flowing one way — out to fixtures and equipment, never back into the clean supply. Any point where potable water can meet non-potable water is a cross-connection, and a pressure drop or a backup can pull contamination the wrong way through it. A backflow preventer, sized and typed for the hazard, sits at that connection and blocks the reverse flow; the higher the hazard, the more robust the assembly the plumbing codes call for.
Why it matters
A failed or missing backflow preventer can put contaminated water into the potable system, which is a public-health problem, not just a plumbing one. It's a required, testable device — installed wrong, mounted backwards or left untested, it doesn't protect anything.
What an inspector looks at
The check is that the right assembly is installed for the hazard at each cross-connection, oriented and located per its listing, accessible for testing, and backed by a passing test where one is required. Irrigation, mechanical make-up and equipment feeds are common places one gets left off.
RTI is photo-gated, so the proof is a clear shot of the installed assembly showing its type and orientation, paired with the test result — documentation that stands up long after the plumber has moved on.
Standards it's verified against
Checklists that put backflow prevention to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)The mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades — the systems run through a building's structure that get inspected at rough-in and again at final.
- PenetrationAny point where a pipe, conduit, duct or cable passes through a wall, floor or roof — a hole that has to be sealed back to match the assembly it crosses.
- FirestoppingSealing openings where pipe, conduit or cable pass through a fire-rated wall or floor so the assembly's rating is restored.
- FlashingThin sheet material lapped into an assembly to direct water back out at joints, edges and openings before it can get behind the finish.
- Vapor barrierA sheet material that limits how much water vapor diffuses through an assembly, placed to keep condensation from forming inside the wall or floor.
- Air barrierA continuous plane of materials that stops air from leaking through the building enclosure, sealed at every joint, seam and penetration.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.