Annual Omaha Backflow Testing for MUD

One of our most precious, necessary, natural resources for human survival is fresh water. Here in the states, it is assumed that cities, municipalities, counties and special districts within our governing agencies will provide clean fresh water to the citizens residing in these places. We use fresh water for several uses such as drinking, washing, and commercial or industrial purposes. It is our duty as citizens, neighbors and engineers to be educated and protect this valuable resource as much as possible. One way to protect our fresh water system is to provide backflow prevention devices in our commercial and (though not required) residential buildings. Today’s building codes, plumbing codes and city ordinances require the installation of backflow prevention device to be installed on domestic water service piping and fire protection piping in all new commercial buildings. It is also required to retrofit such building water services with a backflow prevention device in existing buildings. Backflow preventers are installed in plumbing and fire protection systems to protect the city water supply or they can be installed to protect the water supply within a building from cross connection. There are numerous types of backflow prevention devices available and it’s the plumber’s responsibility to determine the severity of the possible backflow condition and design a device that will protect the public drinking water system in the best possible way and hazardous to your health.

Backflow occurs when contaminated (non-potable) water flows the wrong direction in a plumbing system and enters drinking water. MUD explains that back flows prevent cross connection. Cross connection is an actual or potential connection between the safe drinking water supply and source of contamination or pollution. Backflow can come from just about anywhere, including the sewer, a pool, and even sprinkler system. If you have a boiler heating your property, this can also be a source of backflow. If you think for a moment about what this means, if you have a backflow problem, you could realistically be drinking water that was just intense in chlorine from the pool or even sewage. As you can imagine, this is not a sanitary situation. In fact, your local Omaha Plumbers and MUD of Omaha would consider this a plumbing emergency .

In a normal functioning plumbing system, backflow should not happen. However, sometimes the pressure downstream in the plumbing system becomes higher than the pressure upstream. This pushes dirty, contaminated water back into the clean water. This situation is known as back-pressure backflow. Backflow can also occur when a problem somewhere down the line occurs, like a broken water main, if the city flushes their main, or from water that is redirected to fight a fire near you. This can create a vacuum in the system that causes unsafe water to be sucked into the clean water lines.

If backflow is happening, you may not have any way of knowing it. This is why an annual Backflow inspection is required by MUD and the City of Omaha. Backflow inspections test all water lines for this serious problem. Omaha Plumbers such as American Rooter Plumbing offers annual inspection and maintenance of your plumbing system. During a backflow inspection, your Licensed Omaha Plumber will inspect the assembly that connects your home to the public water supply. This assembly has valves that can become damaged, especially due to exposure to the weather, allowing backflow to happen. A thorough inspection will determine if there is any problem, so you can take measures to ensure the water you are drinking is clean.

If you have questions about backflow prevention or testing for your property, give your Sweet Plumber a call today.