Backflow is a term in plumbing for an unwanted flow of water in the reverse direction.  It can be a serious health risk for the contamination of potable water supplies with foul water.

Backflow occurs for one of two reasons, either back pressure or back siphonage. Back pressure is the result of a higher pressure in the system than in its supply. This may occur in unvented heating systems, where thermal expansion increases the pressure. Back siphonage is the result of supply pressure being lowered below that of the system. This may occur when a supply is interrupted or drained down.

Backflow prevention devices are an important component of the drinking water protection program and are legally mandated under the New York State Sanitary Code and the Rules of the City of New York for those businesses identified as posing a risk to the public water supply.

Properties with in-ground irrigation sprinklers

Properties with swimming pools

Premises with multiple water service lines

Metal plating, cleaning, processing or fabricating facilities

Photo-processing facilities

Laundries and dry cleaners

Commercial car washes

Greenhouses

Hospitals, Clinics and Laboratories (including veterinary hospitals)

Medical and Dental Offices

Funeral Parlors

Food processing plants and meat/fish packers

Dye Plants

Paper processors

Auto Repair Shops

Breweries

Tanneries

Exterminators

Large residential dwellings with water boilers that use rust-inhibitors or other water treatment chemicals, (“treated water boilers”)

Sewage treatment plants or handling facilities

Premises with roof tanks and elevated storage lines

Canneries

Slaughterhouse/Live Poultry Processing Facilities

Ice Manufacturing Facilities

Printing Facilities

Supermarkets

Premises with large boilers or chemically treated boilers

Warehouses (with toxic chemical storage)

Premises with Commercial or Public Kitchens

Premises with water cooled equipment or chillers

Premises with Groundwater Wells

Premises that Reuse or Recycle Water

Shipyards and Marinas

Schools and Colleges

Food Preparation Facilities

Nursing Homes

Barber Shops and Beauty Salons

To determine whether or not your property requires a backflow prevention device, just give us a call. Our professional engineer will examine your property and determine if it is posing a health risk, and propose the right backflow prevention assembly for your building so you can get compliant asap.