All Your Questions About Backflow Testing Answered

Owning a home is amazing. It’s a big part of the American Dream, and it’s a point of pride for anyone who has worked hard to keep their home looking good and its systems operating properly. But for many homeowners, there are things that may come as a surprise. Every homeowner knows the importance of keeping the plumbing system healthy, but not every homeowner is familiar with why this entails backflow testing. They may not even know what backflow testing is and why it’s important.

Luckily, this article will go over these and other questions about the importance of backflow testing.

What Does Backflow Mean?

Backflow is a term for a type of flooding that can happen to a plumbing system that causes water that’s flowing out of the home to flow back into it. As most homeowners can guess, the water that’s flowing out of the home is doing so for a reason: because it’s dirty. So when dirty water is allowed to flow back into the home, it can contaminate the entire plumbing system, making incoming water dangerous.

Backflow happens when there’s a sudden and drastic change in water pressure in the plumbing system. This is often caused by a break in the main water line or a fire hydrant that has been opened nearby. Too much rain can actually cause backflow too.

Why Is Certification Required?

Backflow certification is required because backflow is so dangerous. It can be sneaky because it’s not always apparent that backflow has even occurred. This means that homeowners could be drinking and bathing in contaminated water, not realizing it until it’s too late. This is why many areas require backflow certification by law.

In fact, if backflow happens, it can end up contaminating the water supply for multiple houses or even an entire area. And fixing this issue – decontaminating all that water and those systems – is a costly and involved process. And it’s not just sewage that can cause contamination with backflow. Other dangerous substances, such as herbicides, fertilizer, and pesticides, can also contaminate clean water through backflow. This is why backflow testing and certification are incredibly important.

Who Can Perform Backflow Testing and Certification?

Backflow preventers can’t be tested and certified by just anyone. Even those hand DIY homeowners can’t do their own testing and certification. These important devices need to be tested by a certified plumbing professional. These backflow prevention devices don’t often get used, so it’s somewhat common for them to malfunction. This is why it’s so important to have a professional check the device.

Those homeowners that aren’t sure whether they’ve had their backflow device tested recently should call their local professional plumber to schedule a test. Knowing that the backflow preventer is working can give homeowners confidence in the cleanliness of their water supply and the safety of their family from dangerous backflow.

About Heidler, Inc.

The friendly folks at Heidler, Inc. have been serving Annapolis, MD since 1947. They offer local expertise and flat-rate pricing on every job. They’re a family-owned and operated company that’s happy to provide emergency service any time of day. Call them today for backflow testing in Annapolis, MD.

Did You Know Plumbing Superheroes Can Save Your Family From Unclean Water?

Your family relies on the clean water in your house for many different things, including drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, swimming, gardening, and much more. And when it comes to getting clean water from the natural or municipal source to your house, this couldn’t happen without the knowledge and expertise of experienced plumbers, who install and maintain the pipes and plumbing systems that bring clean water to your house, and transport wastewater away for treatment.

The Importance of Having Clean Water

There are a number of reasons why clean water is vital to life, and at the top of the list is the fact that humans must drink water in order to survive. Water that’s contaminated with the wrong things can kill you.

There are many things that can contaminate water, including pesticides, herbicides, bacteria, viruses, nitrates, and heavy metals.

The health effects of drinking contaminated water can range anywhere from mild (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea) to severe (seizures, respiratory problems, cancer, organ failure, and death).

The Role of the Plumber

A plumber may not be the first person you think of when you consider the clean water flowing freely from your taps, but without plumbers, that water would never get from its source to your home. Because plumbers take care of the pipes and systems that bring clean water into your home and then remove wastewater, they’re an integral part of the system.

Without plumbers, pipe problems like leaks, blockages, and corrosion would go unaddressed, and that could lead to water that becomes contaminated from outside sources, water that can’t get to where it needs to go, or even clean water that’s unsuitable because it’s been mingled with wastewater.

Doing Your Part to Help

Conserving water is one of the best things you can do here in Annapolis, MD to help plumbing superheroes to provide clean water. There are so many ways that water gets wasted in homes, and taking steps to reduce this waste will help your family, your water bill, and the environment. Here are some ways you can help:

In the garden: Add a layer of mulch around plants, water in the morning or evening, water only when necessary, reuse greywater from the kitchen, catch water with a rain barrel, and plant drought-resistant crops.

At the faucet: Don’t leave the water running when you don’t need it, and turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth, lathering up, or washing the car. Instead of leaving the water running when you’re washing or rinsing dishes and cleaning vegetables, fill the sink or a bowl with water.

In the bathroom: Install water-efficient showerheads, take shorter showers, and turn off the water when you’re lathering up. You can also replace old faucets with low-flow fixtures, install water-saving toilets, and never use your toilet to flush food, garbage, or other waste.

Around the house: Inspect all your faucets, toilets, pipes, fittings, and hoses for leaks regularly, and have problems addressed by a plumber as soon as you discover them.

Water is necessary to live on Earth, but it also makes life cleaner and more convenient. There are millions of people around the world who don’t have access to safe water, and everything you can do to help conserve the clean water you do have will make you a part of the solution to the water crisis. Your local plumber is an integral part of the clean water process, and you can chip in by reducing water use at home, at school, at the office, and elsewhere.

Useful Info About History of Indoor Plumbing You Should Know

It’s not something that most homeowners will devote a lot of thought to, and in truth, that’s exactly the way it was designed to be. Indoor plumbing is an almost invisible feature of modern homes, with pipes, pumps, heaters, filters and other components hidden from view.

People don’t need to see or understand how these things work; they just need them to work. But the march towards a typical American home enjoying instant, safe, clean drinking water, and an easy sewage management system was far from easy.

Indoor plumbing at this level of convenience is a relatively recent thing. And for many thousands of years, it was a struggle to reliably get a hold of any water.

The Road to Civilization

Civilization needs water to prosper, and that need came from one of the harshest environments imaginable, the deserts of ancient Egypt. Because water was so scarce, the Egyptians were forced to live around the Nile River as the only reliable water source.

But once they realized they could shape clay into waterproof pipes, they invented the first plumbing networks to carry water away from the river to larger areas that needed it for crops. Eventually, they figured out how to do the same thing with metals and created the first copper pipes.

The next civilization to have a breakthrough was the Romans. Their aqueducts are now famous in history as marvels of architecture, but their primary function was to carry huge volumes of water across great distances to the populated settlements that needed it.

They first pioneered indoor plumbing when they created branches in these aqueducts that carried water right to individual homes. They even created early versions of sewage systems when they learned to hollow out elm logs, and use them to carry waste away.

The Age of Stinky Royalty

Indoor plumbing, quite surprisingly, didn’t always steadily advance. For example in the 18th century, often known as the “age of reason,”the royalty of French court, like Marie Antoinette, actually lived in worse plumbing conditions than a Roman citizen centuries before.

In fact, her famous use of perfume was a necessity in order to hide her stink, and that of the rest of the court, because French nobility usually bathed only once a month. The reason for this was the location. French palaces were built far inland, usually for reasons of a beautiful location, rather than logistical practicalities.

This meant that indoor plumbing did not exist in the highest courts of France, and that meant no easy way to bring in water for bathing. It also meant no sewage system in place. So French royals lived in palaces soaked with urine, and piled with solid waste in corridors, on rugs, and even in royal chambers, since it was so difficult to manage.

Plumbing Today

Thankfully, today’s average American does not live like the kings and queens of 18th century France. Homeowners can take baths anytime they like, with modern showers that feature both hot and cold water. And the toilets built into every home and public building ensure safe, clean sanitation processes for everyone.

People don’t even have to be concerned when problems occur, because there are companies like Heidler Inc. ready to look out for people in Annapolis, MD that need help. That means that even when something as important as water and sanitation infrastructure have problems, there are experienced professionals readily available to quickly repair any damage.

Have Fun this Summer While Being Water Conscious

Summer means sunshine, more time with the kids and finding ways to beat the heat. The higher the temperature rises, the more tempting it becomes to take a dip in the pool or splash ourselves down with a hose.

It’s a big reason water usage jumps during summer. Most days, an average family uses about 320 gallons of water per day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That number can rocket up to 1,000 gallons per day during summer, and some families even use up to 3,000 gallons per day.

This has an impact on both public resources and your water bill. Good thing there are a number of ways you and your family can enjoy the hot weather and stay cool without using too much water.

Here are a few ways to have fun this summer while being water conscious:

Teach Your Kids to Garden

It’s never too early to teach your kids valuable lessons when it comes to maintaining the home and its surroundings. Gardening provides a way for children to acquire these skills while learning about water conservation.

A sneaky way to do this is by planting flowers that are native to your area. If they can grow naturally where you live, it’s a good sign, these plants can handle the weather and therefore don’t need to be watered often.

All the while, your kids will learn the value of starting and finishing a project and gain good habits when it comes to upkeep.

Two-For-One: Water Your Lawn and Stay Cool

A lot of the extra water used during summer is for landscaping. After all, keeping grass green and flowers looking beautiful requires regular watering. If you want to hit two birds with one stone, you can stay cool on a hot day while watering your lawn and garden.

Install a sprinkler and give yourself a way to simultaneously distribute water across your property while giving your family a fun way to find relief while under the sun. Your family can jump through the water jets while the sprinkler takes care of the yard. Don’t have a sprinkler? Use a hose and have your kids take turns jumping through the stream.

Take Advantage of the Local Pool

Another way to reduce water consumption at home is to take a trip to the local pool to cool off on a hot day. Make use of a public resource instead of using your own water.

These pools are always staffed during operating hours by well-trained lifeguards who will always be at hand to help with any problems. You and your spouse can kick back while your children play with other kids from the neighborhood. Public pools are designed to be used by locals, so you might as well enjoy them.

 

A Water Leak Detection Guide for Homeowners

A leak might seem more like a minor blemish on owning a home than the actual problem that needs to be quickly dealt with.

The truth is, that ignoring a leak and letting it continue can mean a more expensive repair down the road. We explain why that is, and how you can stop it.

A Hint of Things to Come

A leak may appear small, but in some cases, a leak can be the start of a much more serious problem.

Leaks definitely cost you money.

Having a leak means that you are paying for wasted water, that can range between 2,000 to 20,000 gallons.

A leak in a pipe that runs through a wall or, worse yet, a ceiling, can mean water damage to the actual home that you will need to pay for if you want to keep your home in good condition.

Worst of all, a leak can mean that your pipes are undertaking damage, and the longer you ignore it, the worse and more expensive the repair to the pipes will ultimately be.

Locate Your Problem

You can’t deal with a leak until you know its location and understand the extent of it.

The very lucky will have no problems tracking down a leak if it’s on a faucet and just needs a tightening with a wrench to deal with it.

Other leaks can occur in toilets, water heaters, water pipes, or sewage pipes and each brings its own challenges.

Track down a leak as best you can, and try to gauge how much water is leaking.

If you can use your water meter to track how much water is being lost, even when you shut off the water, you, unfortunately have a very big leak.

Exercise Some Prevention

The best way to avoid an expensive repair is to not let a problem escalate to the point where it requires major intervention. Prevention is the best way to achieve that.

If you inspect your pipes occasionally, you may catch leaks that can then be addressed as minor problems rather than major ones.

If you want to keep your pipes “healthy,” then exercise a little care with how you use them.

Setting your water to be delivered at a higher pressure can actually shorten the lifespan of your pipes, causing them to fail earlier.

In the same way, using “hard water,” (water that has a high mineral content) can over time damage your pipes.

Compared to soft water, which is gentler and has fewer erosive or corrosive effects on your pipes.

Household Drains and Water Smell Terrible? Here Are 3 Reasons Why

The plumbing that makes up your drains is supposed to do just one thing; carry things away from your house. You are never supposed to see things come back up, especially not things that you can’t see or touch, like odd smells.

If you’re experiencing odors coming from your plumbing, there’s a problem, but fortunately, it doesn’t have to be an expensive one. Just ask yourself these three questions, then try to find the answers.

Is Your P-Trap Filled Up?

The p-trap is the unique bends that you find in plumbing pipes just under your sink. It’s designed in such a way that water is literally trapped there, and that’s a good thing!

That water acts as a cheap but incredibly effective “vapor barrier” that is intended to block out gases, such as sewage fumes.

Your p-trap can either dry out, or that water can be displaced by air pressure movement in plumbing in other parts of your home.

Once that vapor barrier is gone, there’s nothing stopping the smell from sewage from entering your home, so try filling up that stinky sink with water first before resorting to more expensive solutions.

This is often the most common cause of a smelly plumbing.

Is Your Water Heater Infested?

If you water itself is smelling bad, then it’s not a problem with the pipes, but probably your water heater. Unlike people, bacteria don’t need good food, plenty of sunshine and exercise to stay healthy, they just need a dark, moist, warm location.

Sometimes your water heater tank is it. Bacteria in your water isn’t just a smell hazard; it can be a health hazard as well. For example, Legionella pneumophila can cause Legionnaire’s Disease, and thrives in water tanks at a certain temperature.

You can deal with this problem by raising the temperature to between 135-140°F which is too hot for most bacteria to survive in. If you do raise the temperature and live in a home with older plumbing, you may need to take some precautions now to prevent scalding.

What Is The State Of Your Sewer Line?

It’s natural that since your sewer line handles sewage, this may be the source of a bad smell. However, there are many ways and places that a sewage problem can occur, and not all of them are easy or cheap DIY solutions.

You may have a ventilation problem where anything from rotting leaves to a bird’s nest may be blocking the proper escape of gases.

On the other hand, you may have a blockage in the sewage line itself, or worse yet, some kind of break in the pipes that has been slowly building up to a bigger problem for quite some time.

This is the type of problem that will require a professional to evaluate.

Easy Tips for Going Green

Earth Day is happening this year on April 22, and you might be wondering how you can go green to help celebrate. And if you’re worried that going green might take too much effort, or time, or money, then you’ll be happy to know that being eco-friendly only requires minor changes to your habits. It doesn’t take any more time than your current routine, and can actually save you money! Don’t believe us just yet? That’s ok, here are some easy tips you can use to go green, save the planet, and finish the year with more money in the bank.

Ease into Going Green by Reducing Water Use

Modern technology and innovations have made it easier than ever to save water, and you can conserve thousands of gallons annually withlow-flow toilets and water-saving faucets and shower heads.

And if you want to be more proactive with water-conservation habits around the house, try taking shorter showers, turning off the taps when you’re brushing your teeth and using lower water settings on appliances.

Transition into Energy Savings

Everybody wants to save energy because saving energy means saving the planet and saving money. And what if we told you that there’s a huge money pit sitting in your basement right now? Your conventional storage-tank water heater is an energy guzzler!

Not only does it waste tons of energy keeping water hot when you don’t need it, but it also loses about 20 percent of the energy it uses when heat escapes from the tank. By switching to a tankless heater, you’ll save energy, save money, have a longer-lasting water heater, and you’ll never have to worry about running out of hot water again.

Save the Planet by Saving the Bottle

Bottled water has become a hugely popular method of hydration, and many Americans buy bottles because they’re cheap, convenient, portable, and cold. But those same bottles that make this type of water so convenient are also what make bottled water so detrimental to the environment.

For one thing, millions of barrels of oil are used each year to produce the bottles alone, on top of the fuel needed to ship the bottles around the country. Moreover, most of those bottles don’t get recycled, which is why there are over 2 million tons of bottles in landfills around the country. So what’s the alternative? An even more convenient and affordable water filtration system for your house.

Make the Leap with a Reduced Carbon Footprint

If you want to lower your carbon footprint, the key is to wean yourself and your family off fossil fuels. There are three major categories of activities you can focus on to reduce your carbon footprint, and they are:

• Transportation: Opt to leave the car at home more often, and instead bike, walk, carpool, or bus to work, school, and outings
• Plastics: Stop using grocery bags and instead bring reusable ones to the store, don’t buy overly packaged foods, buy in bulk, and, of course, stop buying bottled water
• Energy: Save the planet and tons of money by switching to energy-efficient lights and appliances. Seal your house with insulation and weather stripping, install a programmable thermostat to keep your house warmer (summer) or cooler (winter), and turn off lights, gadgets, appliances, and electronics when you’re not using them

We’ll be happy to help with your transition to greener living and can come by your home at your earliest convenience for plumbing and maintenance calls.

To schedule an appointment for your Annapolis, MD home, call the experts at Heidler, Inc. today at 410-268-7191.