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What’s So Important About Backflow Testing?

The Basics of Backflow

In most places (including Annapolis), commercial buildings and multi-family homes must have backflow prevention devices. These devices must also undergo regular testing by professional plumbers who are authorized to do it. This is a requirement because the dangers of backflow are so great that they can affect the water supply for hundreds or thousands of people if a backflow preventer fails.

But it’s not just commercial and apartment buildings that need backflow preventers. Homes with sprinkler systems also need this maintenance and must be tested regularly. This article will explain the dangers of backflow and how backflow testing helps to prevent this potentially disastrous situation.

Why Is Backflow Dangerous?

Backflow happens when wastewater flows backward into a plumbing system, contaminating the clean water in that system. This usually happens because of a sudden change in pressure, such as a broken water main or firefighters accessing the municipal plumbing system to fight a fire nearby.

If wastewater is allowed to flow back into a system, contaminating the clean water, it can threaten the health of anyone who comes into contact with that contaminated water. Ensuring the contamination is dealt with effectively is extremely time-consuming and costly. This is why backflow is so dangerous — and why backflow testing is so important.

What Backflow Testing Entails

Backflow preventers need to be tested regularly to ensure they function properly. Since a single faulty backflow preventer can have such wide-ranging consequences, most local ordinances require that they’re tested annually. However, some localities require less frequent testing than this. It’s best to check local laws to see how often these devices must be tested.

A professional plumber performs the testing process itself, and it is a relatively quick process. The plumber will test the device to ensure it will act as needed during sudden pressure changes. The specifics of these tests will depend on the type of backflow prevention device. Once signed off by a certified backflow testing plumber, the device will be good to use until the next test is required.

The Critical Importance of Backflow Testing

Water contamination can happen in several ways. Most people think of wastewater when they think of possible contamination. However, pesticides and dangerous chemicals can also work into the water supply if backflow testing isn’t done regularly. The water may be shut off in many places if the backflow testing isn’t done on time.

For homes, backflow testing helps ensure that contaminated water from the sprinkler system doesn’t get into the home’s plumbing. Irrigation systems are often more susceptible to wear and tear from the elements, tree roots, or breakage during landscaping or yard work. If the backflow preventer isn’t tested regularly, it could fail and allow dirty water into the system, threatening the health of those who live in the house.

So backflow testing is important whether it’s a commercial building, an apartment building, or a single-family home with a sprinkler system. It can help ensure drinking water stays clean, preventing a public health emergency.

About Heidler, Inc.

The friendly professionals at Heidler, Inc. have been serving Annapolis, MD, with dedication and honor since 1947! As a family-owned-and-operated business, they pride themselves on expert workmanship and efficient service. They also provide flat-rate pricing, so there are no surprises! Contact them today for backflow testing in Annapolis, MD.

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Understanding the Importance of Backflow Testing

FAQs About Backflow

While water is the safest and most convenient it has ever been, most people don’t understand the vast amount of infrastructure and work it takes to keep water clean and readily available. Water is the perfect carrier for many different chemicals and harmful organisms. Under certain conditions, these pollutants and pathogens can find their way into the safe water supply.

One of the most common conditions that causes contamination of safe water is called backflow. The fluid dynamics in plumbing are such that under the right conditions, water can be siphoned backward through the system. When this occurs, contaminated water mixes with safe water and can endanger everyone on that section of the water grid. Everyone should be familiar with certain devices that prevent backflow and practices like backflow testing to help keep water safe. Here is a quick guide to backflow, answering some commonly asked questions about backflow.

What Happens During Backflow?

In fluid dynamics, there is a process called siphoning. In its simplest form, it looks like a third-grade science experiment where a tube pulls water from a higher bowl to a lower bowl with no mechanical help. The principle behind a siphon is the fact that there is a pressure differential across the tubing. The same thing can happen in plumbing, but it is called backflow.

Backflow generally occurs under circumstances that generate a pressure differential. When a high demand occurs in a large pipe, it can siphon water backward from smaller pipes, like when a water main ruptures. If the proper precautions aren’t in place, the smaller lines will pull whatever fluid they are in contact with backward into the system. This can include anything from sewage and groundwater to chemicals.

How Is Backflow Prevented in Plumbing?

Since backflow poses such a threat to clean water supplies, rigorous standards are in place to prevent backflow. The easiest and simplest way to prevent backflow is to leave an air gap between the supply and drain lines. These are common in homes in places like sinks and overflows for water heaters.

Air gaps are not always appropriate where piping is concerned, so devices called backflow preventers can also be used. In the home, they are common on irrigation systems and sometimes near the service entrance where water lines enter the house. Most commonly, they are in industrial settings protecting huge water lines.

How Often Should Backflow Devices Be Tested?

Backflow devices are crucial for keeping the water supply safe, so they must be tested for proper operation by qualified experts. Backflow devices are essentially more reliable check valves that ensure that water only flows in one direction through piping so that, in the event of a pressure differential, no contaminated water will enter the plumbing.

Backflow prevention devices are required to be tested annually. This allows plumbers to ensure they operate as expected and correct deficiencies. Having them tested routinely is essential not only to protect a home’s water supply but also to prevent the contamination of multiple homes’ water and the spread of waterborne diseases.

About Heidler, Inc.

Heidler, Inc. is a family-owned and operated business that has been serving Annapolis and the surrounding areas for over 70 years. They offer flat rates, live assistance, and a maintenance club. Call them today for backflow testing and certification in Annapolis, MD.

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How Important Is Backflow Testing?

All Your Questions About Backflow Testing Answered

Owning a home is amazing. It’s a big part of the American Dream, and it’s a point of pride for anyone who has worked hard to keep their home looking good and its systems operating properly. But for many homeowners, there are things that may come as a surprise. Every homeowner knows the importance of keeping the plumbing system healthy, but not every homeowner is familiar with why this entails backflow testing. They may not even know what backflow testing is and why it’s important.

Luckily, this article will go over these and other questions about the importance of backflow testing.

What Does Backflow Mean?

Backflow is a term for a type of flooding that can happen to a plumbing system that causes water that’s flowing out of the home to flow back into it. As most homeowners can guess, the water that’s flowing out of the home is doing so for a reason: because it’s dirty. So when dirty water is allowed to flow back into the home, it can contaminate the entire plumbing system, making incoming water dangerous.

Backflow happens when there’s a sudden and drastic change in water pressure in the plumbing system. This is often caused by a break in the main water line or a fire hydrant that has been opened nearby. Too much rain can actually cause backflow too.

Why Is Certification Required?

Backflow certification is required because backflow is so dangerous. It can be sneaky because it’s not always apparent that backflow has even occurred. This means that homeowners could be drinking and bathing in contaminated water, not realizing it until it’s too late. This is why many areas require backflow certification by law.

In fact, if backflow happens, it can end up contaminating the water supply for multiple houses or even an entire area. And fixing this issue – decontaminating all that water and those systems – is a costly and involved process. And it’s not just sewage that can cause contamination with backflow. Other dangerous substances, such as herbicides, fertilizer, and pesticides, can also contaminate clean water through backflow. This is why backflow testing and certification are incredibly important.

Who Can Perform Backflow Testing and Certification?

Backflow preventers can’t be tested and certified by just anyone. Even those hand DIY homeowners can’t do their own testing and certification. These important devices need to be tested by a certified plumbing professional. These backflow prevention devices don’t often get used, so it’s somewhat common for them to malfunction. This is why it’s so important to have a professional check the device.

Those homeowners that aren’t sure whether they’ve had their backflow device tested recently should call their local professional plumber to schedule a test. Knowing that the backflow preventer is working can give homeowners confidence in the cleanliness of their water supply and the safety of their family from dangerous backflow.

About Heidler, Inc.

The friendly folks at Heidler, Inc. have been serving Annapolis, MD since 1947. They offer local expertise and flat-rate pricing on every job. They’re a family-owned and operated company that’s happy to provide emergency service any time of day. Call them today for backflow testing in Annapolis, MD.