Common Causes of Water Backflow

One of the most important parts of any sprinkler system is the backflow valve, which protects your drinking water from being contaminated by yard or other chemicals that may flow backward in the sprinkler system. At Greenside, part of our home sprinkler repair services include maintaining and upgrading backflow valves when needed.

What are some of the main causes of backflow that put strain on these valves, and how can you reduce these risks? Let’s take a look.

Pressure

A main water supply has a given pressure, and this is what causes the water to come out of the pipe at the rate it does. This also means, however, that if there’s another more powerful pressure force working in the opposite direction, this separate force could enter the water supply and push back.

As an example, say a wine brewery leaves their water faucet open after cleaning a tank with water. When the tank was used, pressure was greater than in the main water supply. This results in wine flowing back up the water pipes and into homes in the area. This is an extreme example, of course, but it shows how negative pressure can infiltrate the water system and cause backflow problems – and why you need a quality backflow prevention device.

Garden Sprinklers

Garden sprinklers in the ground can occasionally be a small risk for the home if they have backflow issues. These sprinklers are close to fertilizer and other potential chemicals, and these can flow back into a water supply that may feed into your drinking water. For this reason, many states make backflow preventers a legal requirement for installing a new sprinkler system.

Siphoning

Siphoning refers to a situation when water pressure drops quickly in a water supply. This creates a vacuum inside the pipe, and means that liquids can get sucked back up into the pipe and cause backflow problems.

To learn more about backflow, or to schedule repairs or sprinkler installation services, contact the experts at Greenside today.