POOL OPERATOR CORE 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔MSDS - ✔✔This stands for Material Safety Data Sheets and are required by OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration). These sheets provide complete
information on the chemicals being used
✔✔impeller - ✔✔instrument inside the motor that creates the vacuum pressure that
pulls the water through the system
✔✔backwash - ✔✔the reverse of flow of water through the filter tanks in order to clean
the system
✔✔valves - ✔✔control the flow of water in the system: ex. gate, floating, ball, butterfly
✔✔free available chlorine - ✔✔chlorine that is available for disinfection in the water
✔✔priming the pump - ✔✔process that provides a system enough water to being
filtering prior to the pump being turned on
✔✔chloramines - ✔✔aka combined chlorine. chlorine that has already connected with
ammonia or nitrogen and is no longer useful for disinfection, high levels leave strong
odor and cloudy water
✔✔influent lines - ✔✔lines that bring water into the system (main drain, skimmers,
vacuum)
✔✔combined chlorine - ✔✔ineffective chlorine (aka chloramines) which level is found by
subtracting the free available chlorine from the total available chlorine
✔✔total dissolved solids - ✔✔TDS; matter that is in the water that is unable to be
reduced or eliminated with chemicals
✔✔sequestering agent - ✔✔a chemical that is added to water which PREVENTS
staining by keeping minerals and metal in the water color free
✔✔hair and lint strainer - ✔✔serves as protection to the motor by preventing large
debris from damaging the impeller; located before motor
✔✔superchlorination - ✔✔process of surpassing breakpoint by raising the free available
chlorine level to at least 10 to 15 ppm
✔✔total alkalinity - ✔✔the buffering capacity of the water to maintain its current level of
pH; defined as amount of carbonates and bicarbonates in the water
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔MSDS - ✔✔This stands for Material Safety Data Sheets and are required by OSHA
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration). These sheets provide complete
information on the chemicals being used
✔✔impeller - ✔✔instrument inside the motor that creates the vacuum pressure that
pulls the water through the system
✔✔backwash - ✔✔the reverse of flow of water through the filter tanks in order to clean
the system
✔✔valves - ✔✔control the flow of water in the system: ex. gate, floating, ball, butterfly
✔✔free available chlorine - ✔✔chlorine that is available for disinfection in the water
✔✔priming the pump - ✔✔process that provides a system enough water to being
filtering prior to the pump being turned on
✔✔chloramines - ✔✔aka combined chlorine. chlorine that has already connected with
ammonia or nitrogen and is no longer useful for disinfection, high levels leave strong
odor and cloudy water
✔✔influent lines - ✔✔lines that bring water into the system (main drain, skimmers,
vacuum)
✔✔combined chlorine - ✔✔ineffective chlorine (aka chloramines) which level is found by
subtracting the free available chlorine from the total available chlorine
✔✔total dissolved solids - ✔✔TDS; matter that is in the water that is unable to be
reduced or eliminated with chemicals
✔✔sequestering agent - ✔✔a chemical that is added to water which PREVENTS
staining by keeping minerals and metal in the water color free
✔✔hair and lint strainer - ✔✔serves as protection to the motor by preventing large
debris from damaging the impeller; located before motor
✔✔superchlorination - ✔✔process of surpassing breakpoint by raising the free available
chlorine level to at least 10 to 15 ppm
✔✔total alkalinity - ✔✔the buffering capacity of the water to maintain its current level of
pH; defined as amount of carbonates and bicarbonates in the water
