The problem of backflow can impact homes of all types and in all kinds of neighborhoods. The issue isn’t related to the quality of the building, which is what confuses many people. Instead, it has to do with water pressure. When water pressure weakens, it allows water normally pushed through pipes by municipal pressure to retract and come back deeper into the home’s core plumbing. That means that contaminated water can go deeper into the home’s plumbing, creating problems throughout the entire network. In serious conditions, water contamination can be a serious risk; it can result in sicknesses such as dysentery or cholera, and worse, for those with weakened immune systems, it can even result in death.
Normally, municipal regulations maintain compliance of water supply with constant pressure requirements. However, this isn’t perfect. The response to a backflow problem comes in the services provided when a repair team comes in to fix the issue correctly. It’s a multi-step approach to make sure that the backflow damage is remediated and solved as well as making sure it doesn’t come back, another common problem with incorrectly handled backflow incidents.
Testing the Waters
The first step in any qualified response involves testing the water of the home to confirm the backflow situation actually did occur. It will become apparent when the test shows the presence and harmful levels of dangerous bacteria, like e.coli, for example. Many times the contamination comes about because residual water was already compromised and, with a weakening momentary pressure, the bacteria traveled with the residual water back up the feed pipe. Then the bacteria sets in and becomes extremely hard to flush out without cleaning the entire system. Because backflow remediation can be an extensive cleaning approach, testing is needed to confirm for sure what’s going on. Testing is also applied at the end to make sure the job was done right.
Cleaning the System
Once the initial test confirms the presence of backflow damage, the house’s system has to be flushed. This involves a disinfecting cleaning of the system that pushes out the contaminated water as well as kills any presence. The service also involves pressure testing the home network to determine where the weakness occurred so it can be addressed. Many times, that involves the installation of backflow valves that prevent the backflow from occurring again by literally blocking the flow of water back into the plumbing grid.
Confirming the System Works
As mentioned earlier, a backflow repair isn’t complete without confirming that the water supply is good again. That means testing the water on both the input and output sides at every connection. Once complete, then the home system can be certified as safe to use again. Why so much caution? Again, water-borne illnesses can result in very serious health problems. The only way to be sure that the backflow problem is resolved is to confirm it proactively.
Backflow services are not unique, nor do they mean that a home is now untouchable in terms of its water system. A home can be restored effectively and safely, even if a backflow service has to respond to a significantly serious situation.
