What is Backflow Testing?

If you are on city water, your plumbing is connected to the water supply of all your neighbors in your town. Keeping that water clean and healthy is a top priority for everyone, which is why backflow devices are often required. Backflow prevention is key to ensuring that toxins from your home and property do not go back into the community water, helping protect against contamination. Using a backflow prevention device and having backflow testing are part of ensuring safe water for you and your neighbors.

Backflow devices, referred to as RPZ or Reduced Pressure Zone devices, ensure that if something causes a change of pressure in your plumbing, it does not result in backflow into the main water pipe or supply. A leak in your plumbing, use of hydrants for fires, boiler problems or other issues can cause a pressure difference that sucks water from your plumbing into the main line. RPZ devices protect against this from occurring, stopping contaminated water with bacteria, minerals and chemicals from your property from entering the water supply.

Annual Backflow Testing

If you are required to have a RPZ due to a boiler, irrigation system or hydrant on your property, the device needs to be regularly tested for quality. Many municipalities or states require backflow testing at least once a year to ensure the RPZ will work if a water pressure fluctuation occurs. This testing needs to be preformed by a licensed plumber and you may need to submit the results to avoid fines or penalties in your area.

Clean, healthy water is important to everyone. If you have a backflow device at your home or business, make sure you schedule annual backflow testing to protect your local water supply.

Posted on behalf of:
Kiddco Plumbing, Inc.
106-M Oakgrove Road
Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 435-4441

Backflow Testing Protects Our Drinking Water

Many Loudoun County residences and businesses are required by law to have an approved backflow prevention device installed in their water supply system.  If you are required to have a backflow prevention device installed at your home or business, you are also required to have it tested annually.

A backflow prevention device is a mechanism that is designed to protect our public drinking water supplies from contamination.  Installation of a backflow prevention device at your home or business can help prevent accidental contamination of the water in your home and in every other home or business connected to the municipal water system.

Contamination of the water supply can occur whenever the normal direction of water flow in the municipal water supply is disrupted.  Normally, your water utility pumps water through the water main and into your home or business.  It flows through your faucets, toilets, shower heads, and other appliances and fixtures and then into your sewer line or septic system.  Under normal circumstances, contamination of the water supply is not a concern because the water flows from the water company through the water mains into your home and then into the sewer or septic system.

However, if the water pressure at the utility drops due to a broken water main, unusually high demand, or some other reason, the water can flow backwards from your home or business into the public water main.  When this happens, it is possible that the water supply is contaminated by chemicals from a sprinkler system or from an industrial or other business application.  This may sound unlikely, but every year there are thousands of instances of public water contamination due to backflow problems.

A backflow prevention device prevents these problems from occurring.    Many Loudoun County plumbers are certified to test, repair and install backflow prevention devices.  Help protect the water supply and avoid potential fines by having your backflow prevention device tested as required.