Manhattan, KS Backflow Prevention Services by M & S Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.

If you’ve ever been washing your hands, or taking a shower, and suddenly found a lot of disgusting water pouring up out of the drain, you’ve got a backflow problem. Backflow isn’t just gross and inconvenient, it’s actually harmful to your plumbing pipes and your home. It’s so bad for the home that most cities have made backflow prevention devices mandatory. Even if you aren’t legally required to have a backflow prevention device installed in your home, it’s still a very good idea. Call M & S Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., and schedule an appointment with one of our professional technicians. We’ll make sure that backflow in your home is a thing of the past. M & S Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning has several backflow prevention certified technicians who can install, repair, and replace your backflow prevention devices.

M & S Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. offers backflow prevention services in Manhattan, KS and the surrounding areas.

What Is Backflow?

Backflow is what happens when a sudden pressure shift sucks sewer water up through the freshwater plumbing pipes and out of your drains. This is obviously not anything anyone wants to deal with, but as mentioned above, it has some serious consequences. The sewer water from the backflow contaminates the pipes it moves through, which are supposed to only handle fresh water. This means that before you drink, wash, or bathe in any water after a backflow incident, you need to have your whole system cleaned out. This is obviously quite frustrating for those it happens to, and is the primary reason why so many cities make it mandatory to have backflow prevention devices.

A backflow prevention device is essentially a one–way valve that sits in the sewer line of your home. When water is flowing in the direction it should be flowing, the valve remains open to allow it to pass. When a pressure change forces sewer water back up through the line, though, the valve will snap shut and prevent it from entering the home. In this way, the prevention device can protect the pipes in the home from contamination by sewer water during a backflow incident.

Installing a backflow prevention device requires access to the sewer line, which is obviously something that should only be done by a professional. Installing the prevention device isn’t the end of the whole affair, though. Over time, the valve inside the backflow prevention device can become stuck open by waste build up. If the valve can’t close, it can’t protect your home against the effects of backflow. In order to prevent this from happening, you should schedule preventive maintenance for your backflow prevention device at least once a year. This allows us to open up the valve and clean it out, in order to make sure that there is nothing preventing the valve from closing if it needs to. That way, you can rest assured that your backflow prevention device will always be able to protect your home.
Call M & S Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. today if you don’t have a backflow prevention device installed in your home, or if you do have one and you need it serviced. We install and maintain backflow prevention devices throughout the area.