Protection, with vacuum breakers, of the building drinking water network

Drinking water, this proecious and important resource, must be properly preserved and protected for the health of the public. This task becomes a shared responsibility, as many people would be affected by contamination of the drinking water network of a municipality or a building.

A simple way to provide quick protection for a potential contamination risk from a hose is to install devices called atmospheric vacuum breakers or hose connection vacuum breakers on the building's exterior and interior faucets.

A vacuum breaker is a backflow preventer device that prevents the back-siphonage of water from a hose into the water system. If, unfortunately, the upstream pressure, i.e. before the location of the vacuum breaker, is reduced, the water after the device escapes through a pipe on top pf the vacuum breaker. This conduit, called a vent, prevents water from returning to the water system. Without protection, this water, possibly contaminated, is now circulating in the building's drinking water pipes. If this water is ingested by an occupant of the facility, serious health consequences could ensue.

A simple example of a situation that clearly demonstrates the importance of a vacuum breaker is the following:

Imagine a tap, in a building, connected to the drinking water network. A hose is then connected to it to fill a bucket of water, containing a detergent product, with the aim of washing a car. A contaminated water solution is then created. If, at the same moment, a pressure drop occurs in the water supply system, either from a nearby pipe break or from heavy use elsewhere in the network, then water from the bucket could be drawn into the drinking water system.

Without a vacuum breaker installed, this contaminated solution could then end up in the building's water pipes or those of the municipality, thus endangering the health of the building's users or that of the public.