It order to understand the use of back flow valves, it is first necessary to understand why they are needed, and to do that we need to understand the phenomenon known as backflow.

Under normal conditions in a normal water supply system, potable water flows from the city’s water supply to the individual homes and businesses using water pressure.  The water pressure is supplied at the source, or the main water system, and it “pushes” water through the pipes to homes and businesses.  This is how it should work and how it works 99% of the time.  It’s that other one percent that cities are concerned about, and that brings us to backflow.

If there is a sudden drop in water pressure from the source (say water mains are opened to fight several fires) then the water pressure reverses in the pipes, meaning that contaminated water from homes and businesses can flow back towards the potable water supply. This, obviously, must be avoided at all costs.

Enter the back flow valves.

Back flow valves shut down the flow of water in the pipes when a drop in water pressure occurs or when there is back-siphonage.  Back flow valves are remarkably efficient at protecting the water supply, but like all mechanical devices they can wear out and become obsolete.  Thus, they must be checked periodically.

Under the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1971, the Environmental Protection Agency established standards for safe drinking water.  Each state is required to enforce those regulations that maintain those standards.  In 1996 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality made a new state law that requires public water suppliers to enforce rules and regulations regarding cross connection situations, and part of that law says that homeowners and business owners are required to have their backflow devices and back flow valves checked, tested, maintained and repaired once each year by a licensed backflow testing company.

City Backflow Testing is one such company.  City Backflow Testing is a registered tester in accordance with Texas State Law, the Federal regulations and laws and many of the cities in the state of Texas.  If you’ve got backflow problems or you simply need to have your back flow valves inspected, City Backflow Testing is the place to call.

We all want safe water, and the only way to ensure that we will always have safe water is to make sure our backflow system is working properly.  Don’t put this one off.  Have your backflow devices inspected now rather than later.