When the direction of water or sewer is reversed in a home's or city's plumbing systems, this is known as a backflow. This quite happens to pause such a health risk to the users of these systems as there may be an end result in the contamination of the water thanks to siphonage or back-pressure. Siphonage occurs when there is a serious reduction in the water pressure causing the reversal of the direction of the water flow.
This is often a result of a break in the water mains supply. Looking at back-pressure, this is often caused where the downstream pressure is significantly higher than that of the supply chain. The cause of this is most commonly issues of there being some defects on the equipments such as the pumping systems being defective. If at all these remain undetected thanks to lack of inspections and prevention strategies, then you need to know that you are running the risk of contracting some serious illnesses and diseases as we have already mentioned above in part and on the extreme cases cause fatalities. Since these actually happen to be as so mentioned above, it is as such a fact that backflow testing can actually get to go such a long way in helping you prevent contamination and improve the health and quality of life in the home. So here's where you can find more information.
Talking of the health risks, you need to note the fact that there are several health related issues and problems that a homeowner can actually get to prevent by simply ensuring a procedure and routine for backflow testing. We have it from the past that a number of the major outbreaks that have afflicted cities populations have by and large been a result of backflow issues. In the modern society, insecticides and other agricultural and industrial chemicals such as sodium hydroxide have all gotten into the plumbing systems and into the water for domestic use thanks to issues of backflow. With all this said, the most common problems that have been attributed to backflow have been sewer backups.
Backflow testing will actually serve to ensure that the devices for the prevention of backflows, the backflow preventers, are actually working as they should be. Your backflow preventers will by and large be so strategically placed at the plumbing system's cross connections, which is essentially the point where the drinking waters actually happen to face the highest risk of getting contaminated. Nonetheless, you must as well be on your guard knowing that backflow can as well happen outside the home. You may get additional information by clicking this link.