Are you familiar with the concept of backflow? Backflow is when water flows in the wrong direction through your plumbing system. Instead of freshwater feeding through your home’s system and into the wastewater system, the wastewater flows up into your freshwater system.

This usually occurs when there is an increase in pressure on the wastewater side or a drop in pressure on the freshwater side.

Backflow is dangerous because it allows contaminated water loaded with dangerous bacteria into water used for household activities, such as drinking, cooking, and cleaning. For this reason, most businesses and some residential buildings have a backflow prevention device installed. The backflow preventer has a check valve in place that stops the water from moving in the wrong direction.

In most cases, your single family home doesn’t have a backflow preventer because there are few cross-connections where the potential for freshwater and wastewater to connect to each other. Your dishwasher is one of the few appliances where backflow can occur, and as such has a backflow prevention system built into them.

But that changes when commercial locations grow in size. With commercial locations, you have more activity. That means more conditions can create a backflow event, such as:

• An owner or worker draining out a portion of the building to make a repair
• A broken water main or distribution pipe
• Widespread power outages
• Fire fighters using large quantities of water
• Equipment utilizing large quantities of water that create pressure greater than those present in the distribution system

Because commercial locations are more at risk, it’s a necessity to have a backflow preventer in place. On a regular basis, the city sends out notification that the device requires testing. This is a job for professionals. For your backflow preventer to pass the test, you must have a certified professional plumber conduct the test. If it doesn’t, it’s either time to repair it or replace it.

Our plumbers can take care of both the testing and the repairing or replacement of your backflow preventer. We’ll make sure your business isn’t at risk, and that it doesn’t suffer being shut down because of a backflow prevention device violation.