Spring River Drain & Sewer offers professional installation of backflow preventers, helping protect you from nasty sewer gases building up in your home. For some, backflow may be a new concept, but to plumbers, we are all too aware of what can happen when backflow preventers are not used. Unsure if you need a backflow preventer? Read on to learn more.

What Is Backflow?

When you think about your home’s plumbing or a fire protection system, water should flow to the property. When water flows away from the property, that’s backflow. Backflow is dangerous because it can become a pollutant. Contaminants can find their way into the water, making it unsafe.

Backflow is common when dealing with fire protection systems because the water sprays all over. That’s why you need a backflow preventer to keep the H2O flowing in one direction. Though it’s not enough to have a backflow preventer—the world isn’t that easy. You must also test these devices to ensure they’re working properly. The rest of this piece will explain what backflow testing is and why it is important.

Where Are Backflow Preventers Used?

Backflow preventers are commonly associated with fire protection systems. However, residential plumbing systems use them as well. These systems prevent contaminants from making their way into the water supply. Essentially, they ensure that water is safe to drink.

Along with residential plumbing and fire protection, irrigation also uses backflow preventers. Think about it: if the water feeding the plants is full of contaminants, the plants will never grow properly. For this reason, you need to test your backflow preventer to ensure that your greens stay green. Lawn sprinkler backflow preventers are very common in our area.

Backflow Testing

Backflow tests examine the backflow preventers to ensure they’re working properly. You should test backflow preventers regularly so people can rest assured that they’ll work in case of an emergency. Each backflow preventer should have specific dates marked on it, indicating when they need to be properly tested. So, why is backflow testing important? Here are some of the reasons below.

Health Concerns

The primary reason why backflow tests are essential is because of health concerns. If water travels backward, contaminants from the sewer system can pollute it. In a home setting, this is extremely dangerous because you could end up drinking polluted water, which poses a risk to your health.

Prevents Building Damages

Backflow preventers also stop buildings from getting damaged. Think about it: if the H2O travels backward, it’s likely to bump into the walls and get them all gross. This corrosion will lead to more substantial damage over time. If the water continuously hits the same spot, the walls will eventually crumble from the moisture. So, if you want to keep your buildings intact, test your backflow preventer today.

Environmental Concerns

Polluted water is never good for the environment. If contaminants are allowed back into the water supply, they re-enter the environment. Contaminated water goes back into the sewer system and eventually makes its way to our oceans and lakes. This is even more reason to test your backflow preventer regularly. Our oceans and lakes are contaminated enough as they are: you don’t need to add to it by putting polluted water back into them.

Community Reasons

Backflow preventers help create healthier communities, as well. A community is never prosperous if contaminated water burdens it. Several community members can get sick, and buildings may begin to fall apart from the excess moisture. As a result, you should regularly test your backflow preventers before the entire community gets sick. Cities that don’t test their backflow preventers periodically or take them seriously can receive government fines or other regulations.

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