Ace Plumbing

Backflow Basics: Why It's so Important to Protect Your Home and Family from Non-Potable Water

Your home plumbing system is designed to remove wastewater and deliver uncontaminated water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. These types of water should never mix. Unfortunately, your home could be vulnerable to cross-connections and water contamination if you don’t have a professionally installed backflow prevention device.

The Basics of Backflow

At its most basic, backflow is the contamination of potable water by wastewater. Without a prevention device, pressure from backflow can cause gases, odors, or even contaminated wastewater to back up into your home drains. The result is a smelly, unsanitary mess than can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Cross-Connections

Cross-connections of wastewater and clean, potable water occur when direct intersections of plumbing are subject to backpressure. When the pressure in a drain line overcomes the pressure in a home’s plumbing, wastewater can move back up the line and enter other pipes directly connected to the drain line. This is common in recirculating systems. For safety’s sake, you should have a plumber determine if any of your lines are vulnerable to cross-connection contamination.

Prevention

The best way to prevent backflow is to have the appropriate devices installed in your home plumbing. A plumber can install a large backflow prevention device outside your home, or several smaller devices throughout your indoor plumbing system to prevent cross-connection formation. Unfortunately, homeowners can’t always control backflow—for example, backflow sometimes occurs due to extremely high demand, such as localized firefighting. This is why prevention devices are essential.

In 2003, a study from the University of Southern California found more than 90 percent of surveyed homes were not adequately protected against backflow and cross-connection contamination. Ace Plumbing wants to keep you and your family safe. Let us analyze your system and install backflow and cross-connection prevention devices. Call us at (866) 999-4703 to take action today.

Learn More About Your Sewer Line And Gas Line Repairs And Installations With The Help Of These Resources

Choose Ace Plumbing for professional help with all of your household plumbing, heating, and cooling repairs. For more information on our recent blog topics, look through the following resources.

• The American Gas Association explores how gas line accidents happen in this informative guide.
• You can learn more about the consequences of a gas leak explosion by reading this Boston.com report.
• This article reveals how a single grease clog problem can impact an entire community.
• Visit OSHA.gov to educate yourself about the risks of untrained gas line repair.
• CBSNews.com explains how an aging gas pipe could put your entire household in danger.

Looking to have your plumbing or HVAC system inspected or repaired? Then call the professionals at (866) 999-4703 to get in touch with one of our Ace Plumbing's experienced plumbers today. 

Why You Should Leave Your Hazardous Gas Line Repair or Installation to a Professional

You should never attempt gas line work on your own. DIY-installation of these important home utilities can be dangerous and costly. Instead, leave gas line work to trained professionals. Keep reading to learn why only a certified, professional plumbing company should handle gas line repairs.

Plumbing Damage: The task of safely locating a gas line is one of most challenging parts of gas line repair. Unguided digging can lead you to damage your gas line on accident and increase your repair costs. Even worse, damage from digging can create an expensive gas leak. Consider hiring a trained professional to locate and solve your gas line issues. Plus, professional excavation methods can greatly reduce your overall repair costs.

Explosion Risks: Explosions often occur when a gas line is damaged by random digging. In fact, the American Gas Association reports that over a third of gas explosions are initially caused by “damage by outside force” to the gas line. These explosions can be deadly and have enough force to completely destroy your home. Thankfully, you can avoid these risks by letting a professional handle your excavation and repair needs.

City Fees: In the state of California, you must notify the Regional Notification Center before you begin any digging work. In fact, you can incur fees of up to $50,000 for digging without permission. On the other hand, plumbing professionals are experienced with these government-mandated digging rules. You can protect yourself from governmental disciplinary action by simply hiring a professional to do your gas line repairs.

The professionals at Ace Plumbing are fast, professional, and courteous. Call us at (866) 999-4703 to speak with the friendliest plumbing team in Sacramento. We can help you solve your gas leak problems with ease and are available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week

Choosing the Right Type of Filter for Your HVAC System

Changing your HVAC system’s filter is an easy way to improve the air quality of your home and save on your energy bills. This video from the Alliance to Save Energy will teach you how to properly change your filter.

You’ll learn to check your HVAC filters for debris and how often the filters should be replaced. You can also learn more about how different types of HVAC filters can benefit your home’s air quality. Apply these tips in your own home and you’ll be sure to see a boost to your energy efficiency and air quality. 

We Couldn't Be Happier