Why You Need To Install Proper Sprinkler Backflow Preventers?

How To Install Proper Sprinkler Backflow Preventers In Murrieta?

Sprinkler backflow can occur when the water in your irrigation system reverses flow, sending contaminated water back into the portable water supply. The basic assemblies or devices for preventing this are mechanical preventers which provide a physical barrier to backflow. Preventing backflow is an important part of maintaining a healthy water supply.

Preventing this is essential and your first line of defense is to install a backflow preventer. A basic method of preventing it is an air gap, which either eliminates a cross-connection or provides a barrier to backflow. These means of preventing this are very useful in preventing the all too common accidental event, but it should be noted that these devices are installed to prevent accidental backflowsPreventing backflow is important for the health of your family and the long term health of your investment in your home.

The Importance of Preventing Backflow

Backflow prevention is something landscapers and irrigation contractors often take for granted, but the installation of this device should be an integral component of any effective irrigation system. The official law of prevention goes back a long way. It was 1973 when The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established “The Safe Drinking Water Act” as a means of protecting public water systems from harmful contaminants and pollutants that may enter the water system through cross-connections, backflow and back-siphonage.

In most all states, anyone who connects a lawn sprinkler to a municipal water supply must have a preventer. Come spring, most states require annual testing of preventers with each utility company having slightly different regulations regarding types, locations and testing of backflow preventers.

Why backflow prevention matters
Backflow prevention is top of mind for Clint Allison, president of Rainscapes, Maryville, Tennessee, one of the few east Tennessee certified irrigation contractors. Rainscape’s services include commercial and residential irrigation installation, seasonal irrigation maintenance and landscape lighting and design. “At last count, there were 1,205 preventer devices in my county,” he says. “This means 1,205 opportunities for the local water supply to become contaminated.”Jeremy Mansell, senior technical trainer at Rain Bird, points out that backflow prevention can also be a life or death situation. “People can be injured or even killed with faulty irrigation systems,” he warns. Read more here.

While this is a serious issue, the good news is that contamination can be prevented and  the information below will help you accomplish this by explaining what backflow is and how it can be prevented.

How to Select the Proper Backflow Preventer

Backflow Preventer: A device that allows water to go through it in one direction, but prevents it from going backwards in the opposite direction. A preventer is like a one-way gate for water. Most preventers are used to keep unsafe water from reversing flow and entering the clean water supply. Preventers can be as simple as a single check valve that closes when water flow reverses. Using a simple check valve as a preventer might be considered the equivalent of a turnstile at a store entrance, it is not very reliable, even a small amount of effort will overcome it.

A more elaborate preventer can be a complicated device that consists of multiple check valves, water release valves, air vents, and/or systems to allow it to be tested to assure it is working properly. This kind of preventer might be the equivalent of an airport exit security checkpoint with one-way gates and a armed guard. A  preventer is like a one-way gate for water. Most preventers are used to keep unsafe water from reversing flow and entering the clean water supply. Preventers can be as simple as a single check valve that closes when water flow reverses.

Using a simple check valve as a preventer might be considered the equivalent of a turnstile at a store entrance, it is not very reliable, even a small amount of effort will overcome it. A more elaborate preventer can be a complicated device that consists of multiple check valves, water release valves, air vents, and/or systems to allow it to be tested to assure it is working properly. This kind of preventer might be the equivalent of an airport security checkpoint with one-way gates and an armed guard. See more here.

Preventing backflow can be particularly important in cities, where the mains cold water pressure can fluctuate, leading to dangerous situations where contaminants are inadvertently allowed to enter into drinking water services.

How to Install a Backflow Preventer

A backflow preventer is designed for use with irrigation systems and water pipes, preventing water from flowing back up the pipe as you might guess. Most backflow preventers are mechanical devices which create a physical barrier to accomplish this.

Step 1 – Get Ready
Before you begin, the most important thing that you should do is check the building code in your area. If you have any doubt, the local building code office, or your water supplier, will be able to tell you how deep you need to install your pipe, the dimensions allowed for the backflow preventer box, and the limits of installation. You should always check what is allowed in your neighborhood before commencing so you do not waste money on a project that won’t last. Conditions like low winter temperatures, for example, can affect how deep you need to dig.

Step 2 – Locate the Pipe
Once you are sure that your machine will not break the building code, then you can proceed. Dig down by the water main which is connected below your curb. You will find a one-inch copper pipe, which can be split into smaller pipes at the meter box. Everything which is on your home’s side of the meter belongs to you. Close by the meter will be a valve used to shut off the water during repairs in the home. There may also be a pressure reducing valve nearby, as well as small dimples near the valves known as meter nipples. You may have to dig up three to five feet away from the meter before you are clear of all this. Read full article here.

Backflow Can Have Many Undesirable Effects

Backflow is the undesirable reversal of the flow of water from its intended direction in any pipeline or plumbing system. This is dangerous because it can allow drinking water in plumbing systems to become contaminated and unusable. In the circulatory system is often called regurgitation or reflux, and various other types of biological backflow are called reflux.

Backflow is a reversal of the normal direction of water flow in a water supply plumbing system. The consumers who are at the greatest risk of causing this are those who employ underground water delivery operations, such as sprinkler or irrigation systems.  Our plumbers are certified in backflow testing, repair, rebuilding, and replacing backflow assemblies for residential and commercial applications, you may call us here: (951) 319-2353.

 

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