One vital aspect of our plumbing systems that so many of us take for granted is the backflow preventer. In fact, a lot of people might not even know what it does or that it existed in the first place.
What It Is:
Backflow prevention is the piece of your plumbing system that is in charge of making sure that your freshwater and wastewater is kept completely separate, ensuring that your clean water stays clean and ready for use.
Why It’s Important:
This tends to speak for itself, but without your backflow preventer you have no guarantees that your freshwater and wastewater aren’t mixing and contaminating your entire water supply. This also protects your water from contaminants surrounding your outdoor water sources such as garden hoses and sprinklers. If fertilizers or other foreign chemicals make their way into your water supply, the backflow preventer is absolutely essential to keeping those contaminants out of your clean water. Without the backflow preventer, your home and the health of you and your family could be in serious jeopardy!
How It Happens:
How wastewater and contaminants gets into your water supply can happen one of two ways: either back siphonage occurs in which the water is contaminated due to a decrease in pressure in a certain area, or back pressure which means water is pushed in where it shouldn’t be. Either cause could spell some major trouble for the safety of your home’s water, and should be addressed as soon as possible upon discovery.
