Words used in this manual
These are the 22 plumbing, flood and rental words this manual uses, each in one or two plain sentences with the procedure where it matters.
- Backflow
- Water flowing the wrong way, from a hose, sprinkler line or pool back into drinking-water pipes, usually when pressure drops in the street main. Where it comes up
- Backwater valve
- A valve in the sewer line that lets wastewater out but closes when the street sewer backs up. Where it comes up
- Ball valve
- A quarter-turn valve with a lever handle; a quarter turn opens or closes it fully. Where it comes up
- Base flood elevation (BFE)
- The height FEMA expects the 1-percent-annual-chance flood to reach at a site. Where it comes up
- Blowout
- Clearing water from drained pipes with compressed air at controlled pressure; a licensed plumber's step in this manual. Where it comes up
- Consumer Confidence Report
- The yearly water-quality report a community water system publishes for its customers. Where it comes up
- CO alarm
- A carbon monoxide alarm. CDC advises one near every sleeping area; Ready.gov says one on every level. Where it comes up
- Drain-down
- Closing the main and opening taps and low-point drains so water runs out of the pipes before winter. Where it comes up
- Flapper
- The rubber seal at the bottom of a toilet tank; a worn one lets water leak into the bowl. Where it comes up
- Flood openings
- Vents in the foundation walls of an enclosure under an elevated house that let floodwater in and out; never blocked. Where it comes up
- Freeboard
- Extra height above the base flood elevation, for equipment or floors. Where it comes up
- Frost-free faucet
- An outdoor faucet whose valve sits inside the house; it drains only with the hose removed. Where it comes up
- Hose-bibb vacuum breaker
- A small screw-on device on an outdoor faucet that stops hose water being siphoned back into the house. Where it comes up
- Low-point drain
- A small valve or cap at the lowest point of a pipe run, opened to empty the pipe. Where it comes up
- Main shutoff
- The valve that stops all water entering the house; know where it is before anything goes wrong. Where it comes up
- National Standard Plumbing Code
- The plumbing subcode New Jersey adopts under its Uniform Construction Code (2024 edition, NJ edition, on the state's current list). Where it comes up
- Private Well Testing Act
- The New Jersey law that requires testing of private wells at sale and, for rentals, every five years. Where it comes up
- Relief valve (T&P)
- The temperature-and-pressure relief valve on a water heater; its pipe must never be capped or plugged. Where it comes up
- Trap
- The bend under a drain that holds water to block sewer gas; sand settles there. Where it comes up
- Winterizing
- Preparing a house's plumbing for winter, either by draining it or by keeping it heated and watched. Where it comes up
- Zone AE / VE
- FEMA high-risk flood zones reached by the base flood; V zones also face waves. Where it comes up
- Zone X
- Moderate (shaded) or minimal (unshaded) flood risk on FEMA maps. Where it comes up