ANTI-BACKFLOW DAY: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Happy Backflow Prevention Day! With the mission of protecting your drinking water at the core of our business, it was only natural that the Darspec team would use this opportunity to discuss this event.

BACKFLOW PREVENTION DAY: THE HISTORY

Firstly, what is Backflow Prevention Day? Where does it come from, and why do we celebrate it on the 16^th of August?

The 2021 edition is the inaugural edition of this day, organized by Watts. This day is an opportunity to recognize the role of backflow prevention and cross-connection control, and celebrate those who recommend, install, maintain, and test backflow preventers all year. The date was chosen as a reference to the infamous incident of 1933, where a backflow occurred in two hotels close to the Chicago World Fair, causing the death of nearly 100 people. The incident led to the creation of the Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research and to new regulations for safer plumbing practices.

THE REASONS AND THE DANGERS OF BACKFLOW

The term “backflow” designates a phenomenon where we observe a reversal of the direction of water flow in a drinking water pipe. The potential causes are numerous, but we can identify for example a pressure fluctuation, a broken pipe, or a great demand for water during rush hours. To learn more, you can read our article “Causes of backflow in a drinking water distribution network”.

This backflow is a problem, since it can damage, through corrosion, your pipes, create leaks and cause problems in your water network. But the biggest danger of backflow is its consequences on your health. The water that goes back into your home’s water network can contain contaminants such as fecal matter or toxic chemical products, putting you and the other people in the building at risk.

HOW TO ACT?

The best solution when facing backflow risks is prevention. By law, the owners of a building are required to protect any cross-connection at risk through backflow prevention devices. The identification of these cross-connections in your water distribution network must be done by an expert in the building engineering domain. It is not only important to make an installation that follows the norms and regulations, but also to certify each device by a professional, and control and analyze your water network regularly, to ensure that it is always protected.

The Darspec team offers on its website several additional resources that cover in more depth the selection and installation of different backflow prevention devices:

DARSPEC’S ROLE

At Darpsec, we are water building engineers. We therefore have an advanced expertise in the protection and preservation of your water network, with stakes increasingly high. To protect your water network from backflow risks, our experts:

Do a complete analysis of yout water network, thanks to cutting-edge technology. Through 3D modelling and on-site inspections, we can find the vulnerabilities of your network, and work to optimize your water usage and preserve its potable nature.
Recommend your backflow preventers. We have the necessary expertise to conceive plans that will allows entrepreneurs to install protection in order to comply to the norms in place and guarantee an optimal protection.
Certify your devices every year and form your employees to increase their awareness of the importance and the stakes of water protection. Training is an essential aspect so that each employee knows the risks and the first signs of vulnerability in water network.

Backflow is only one danger for drinking water among many others. We work daily to ensure that the water you consume is safe. We invite you to read our other articles to inform yourself on the different means to protect your drinking water, and for this particular occasion, to share this article and inform yourself on backflow prevention !