Louisiana Backflow Tester Certification Courses
40-Hour Backflow Class Schedule ($750)
We do not have any open enrollment courses scheduled currently. Check out our course hosting program or we can do a private course ( minimum 8 students )
We hold an approval with our 40-hour course for general testing. If you are doing the WSPS through the State Board of Plumbing, you would also need a third party examination that we can proctor through ABPA (more info on our Exam Prep Page). See below additional info on approvals.
How Do I Become a Certified Backflow Tester in Louisiana?
Backflow Prevention Assembly Testing is regulated by two entities in Louisiana:
The Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals maintains a list of certified testers for the state, our single party exam as part of a 40-hour course did receive an approval through the DHH as meeting their criteria as a tester certificate from a "nationally recognized backflow certification organization," just the length, textbook, type of examination, etc., was approved as equivalent to other programs currently accepted by the DHH. We also have certified testers in 20+ states, and Kruger Training Academy has been training students in this version or others for 30+ years, so would be considered nationally recognized by most rational people. The list of testers is posted online here - The full rules and regs are outlined in the Louisiana Admin Code 51: XII.344.B which is the basis of regulators in the state needing to determine if the certificate is "nationally recognized" - you do not need to be a plumber or irrigator for this program, can be other trades or just backflow preventer testing. According to the Louisiana Admin Code, a general tester is not licensed to repair or install preventers.
The State Board of Plumbing of Louisiana (SBPLA) has a designation called the Water Supply Protection Specialist (WSPS), where this license certifies a Louisiana Master Plumber or Irrigator to test backflow preventers as well as install and repair them. Their rules recently changed, from what I understand if you passed an approved single party exam that was listed on their website prior to 12/31/24 then they will accept that license through its expiration, but courses taken by those previously listed after 12/31/24 are not acceptable to them, although that is a little unclear on their website. Our exam was denied approval through SBPLA because they determined that we were not "nationally recognized" enough at a vote at one of their board meetings. Currently they have two organizations listed, American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) and American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA), which we host ABPA exams infrequently and are longstanding members of the organization - more info on the WSPS program is listed on their website - www.spbla.com/cpe/wsps-certification - so to do both parts with us, you would need a 40-hour course which includes our single party exam which you can use with DHH, and then sit for the ABPA exam after that, which our exams are largely similar to ABPA's, but the checks and balances regarding the integrity of the exam ( forms that are filled out, who the proctors are, maintaining of records, etc. ) are much more thorough and ABPA is considered the Gold Standard for third party exams across the country, also their conferences are very interesting, which the one this year is May 5-7, 2025 in Little Rock, AR, and they typically host the ABPA exams at their conferences, also you can learn more about their organization there. They also have one listed in Lafayette, LA, in March on their website.
This class is designed for Plumbers and Contractors
As a disclaimer, this class is arranged in a way that we have found works best for contractors. We typically have local hosts that sell plumbing supplies, irrigation supplies, or backflow repair kits, or are manufacturing reps for these products, often also contractors host the courses. At a bare minimum we require a room with tables, chairs, and access to a water source. The wet labs are often outside. If you are with a water purveyor or larger company and have training facilities, we would recommend a private course. We have a gallery of photos of our mobile wet labs posted here - www.krugerstraining.academy/wet-lab-photos
Which Backflow Preventer Testing Procedures Should I Use?
We have found the USC-10th Edition testing procedures to be the most efficient. On our YouTube Channel, we created a series of videos where we test the four types of preventers using these procedures:
The Complete Guide to Testing Backflow Preventers - By the Book
Reduced Pressure Principle (RPZ) - USC 2-Valve Procedures
Double Check Valve Assembly (DCV) - USC Procedures
Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PVB) - USC Procedures
Spill Resistant Vacuum Breaker (SVB) - USC Procedures