Don't Drink That Water!
This headline may be a little vague, so let me fill you in on what I'm talking about.
I don't plan on posting every Sunday, but today I just briefly wanted to talk about an issue that is of growing concern to me. This issue has to do with backflow prevention.
As you may know, many irrigation systems today are connected in with "city" or your local drinking water supply. Some people have their own private wells separate from their potable water supply, while other's use one well for drinking and irrigation.
Now their is nothing wrong with tapping off the city water or sharing a well, just as long as the proper precautions are taken to ensure the safety of our water supply.
So, what are the proper precautions and why do we need them?
Installing a backflow prevention device after the tap and before any valves is what needs to be done to protect your drinking and bathing water from becoming contaminated.
You see, after your sprinkler system runs and the heads are going back down into the ground, the heads tend to suck in water that is nearby them. Now this water is not the same clean water that came out of the heads.
This water now contains dirt from the ground, and possibly many other things. If you have recently fertilized your lawn this may now enter your sprinkler system. If you or your neighbors have any animals, and they go to the bathroom in your yard, their urine may enter the system and eventually mix back in with your drinking water...Pretty gross huh?
If you have a backflow preventer installed the irrigation water will never mix in with your potable water supply. During my time in the field, I haven't seen many, but I've seen a few systems that are supposed to have backflow preventers, but do not.
The majority of those systems were installed by homeowners who did not know they were supposed to have one (only one was from due to an unprofessional contractor)!
If you are going to be installing a lawn sprinkler system that is tied in with your drinking water, make sure that you take the time to find out what type of backflow preventer your city or county requires first. Then, make sure you properly install one on your sprinkler system...Please!
Scott Young
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
I don't plan on posting every Sunday, but today I just briefly wanted to talk about an issue that is of growing concern to me. This issue has to do with backflow prevention.
As you may know, many irrigation systems today are connected in with "city" or your local drinking water supply. Some people have their own private wells separate from their potable water supply, while other's use one well for drinking and irrigation.
Now their is nothing wrong with tapping off the city water or sharing a well, just as long as the proper precautions are taken to ensure the safety of our water supply.
So, what are the proper precautions and why do we need them?
Installing a backflow prevention device after the tap and before any valves is what needs to be done to protect your drinking and bathing water from becoming contaminated.
You see, after your sprinkler system runs and the heads are going back down into the ground, the heads tend to suck in water that is nearby them. Now this water is not the same clean water that came out of the heads.
This water now contains dirt from the ground, and possibly many other things. If you have recently fertilized your lawn this may now enter your sprinkler system. If you or your neighbors have any animals, and they go to the bathroom in your yard, their urine may enter the system and eventually mix back in with your drinking water...Pretty gross huh?
If you have a backflow preventer installed the irrigation water will never mix in with your potable water supply. During my time in the field, I haven't seen many, but I've seen a few systems that are supposed to have backflow preventers, but do not.
The majority of those systems were installed by homeowners who did not know they were supposed to have one (only one was from due to an unprofessional contractor)!
If you are going to be installing a lawn sprinkler system that is tied in with your drinking water, make sure that you take the time to find out what type of backflow preventer your city or county requires first. Then, make sure you properly install one on your sprinkler system...Please!
Scott Young
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
posted by Irrigationman at
9:15 PM
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