Backflow is a serious issue in plumbing that can lead to contamination of a home’s drinking water. Unlike blockages, which simply stop the flow of wastewater down pipes, backflow is the active movement of wastewater up into the fresh water supply, which occurs either because of excess pressure on sewer side, or a drop in pressure on the fresh water side.
Backflow testing can determine if your plumbing is suffering from this problem, and the plumbers who perform the testing will have solutions to stop it. Call Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing: we care about your health, and we will send a plumber in Bethesda, MD to see if you need our backflow prevention services.
Why Backflow Might Occurring in Your Plumbing
Understanding backflow requires understanding some of the basics of home plumbing. Most sewage removal systems in homes rely on gravity and ventilation to carry wastewater from a home. However, the fresh water that enters your home is pressurized. Should the balance between these two change—pressure develops in the wastewater system, pressure drops in the fresh water system, or a combination of both—it will result in waste material forcing its way back up into the freshwater pipes.
A common reason for a loss of pressure on the supply side is due to an issue in the municipal system such as a break in a water main or a large amount of water used for firefighting. The pressure drop from this loss of water will suction up wastewater into the drinking water system. This is known as back siphonage.
If the pressure of the wastewater system increases above that of the fresh water system, it is called backpressure. This can occur because of problems inside the sewer system, or a break along the sewer line that leads from your house. If there is already reduced pressure from the supply side, it will not require much rise in pressure from the sewer system to cause backpressure backflow.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Backflow
Air gaps built into your plumbing helps prevent siphonage, but this is often not sufficient. If a technician determines that your plumbing is suffering from backflow, there are a number of methods to deal with it. The most effective is a backflow preventer that uses a check valve to make sure that wastewater can only move one direction and cannot force itself back up a pipe. A backflow preventer must receive professional installation so that it works with your plumbing; do not attempt to install a backflow preventer yourself.
Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing offers full services to install and maintain a backflow preventer if your house requires one. Give us a call and talk to an expert plumber in Bethesda, MD today to schedule backflow testing to see if we can assist you with protecting your drinking water.