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Belleville, Illinois: What Is Backflow Testing and How Does It Affect Me?

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What is Backflow Testing?

“Backflow” is a term that is used to describe the process of how contaminated water finds its way into your home. This method takes place when clean water begins to reverse in the direction of the tainted water. Essentially the clean water begins to flush out, while the polluted water flows into the water tank within your home.

It is obvious why potentially ingesting contaminated water is dangerous to say the least. In fact, it can even be deadly with the amount of chemicals, feces, and fertilizers that continue mixing as more waste is being produced. If you are a new homeowner and have never heard of backflow testing, it is important that you get it done immediately as it is required by law in Illinois.

Contact Morrison Plumbing, Heating, and Air  in the Belleville, Illinois area to schedule a licensed plumber to conduct your backflow test immediately.

Why is It Important?

If you live in an area where you are susceptible to contaminated water, like those living on farms or in the country, then it is important that you get a permanent backflow testing device installed in your home. This will ensure a piece of mind knowing that your water is constantly being filtered and tested for harmful bacteria.

If you do not have a backflow testing device in your home, it may not always be easy to identify when your water may be polluted. It could take weeks of you washing your hands, taking a shower, cooking, cleaning, and washing your clothes in tainted water to finally realize that something is off. This type of slow infiltration is a health hazard that can eventually get you, your children, and your pets sick.

How Does It Affect Me?

Not getting a backflow test done on your home can not only cause you to receive huge fines from the government, but it can also recklessly endanger the health of those in your community. Water pipes connected to your home are also connected to dozens and even hundreds of homes in the area surrounding you. If your water is contaminated, so are theirs. Only when the issue is discovered by a homeowner can a licensed plumbing company come to fix it.

If a homeowner refuses to get the testing done, this can result in their water being shut off until they meet the requirements of the water company. It is safe to say that backflow testing is essential to the health and operation of you and your community.

Belleville, Illinois: How to Find Your Sewer Line

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So, you need to dig up your sewer line but have no idea where to find it. Don’t worry! Instead of destroying your backyard, there are many simple ways to locate your central drainpipe without any hassle. Here are 4 ways to help you find your sewer line!

Contact a Plumber

Professional plumbers can do more than just unclog or fix broken drains. They are trained to use modern technology to find, locate, and analyze damage taking place in your sewer lines without having to dig them up.

Many plumbing companies have small, flushable, and biodegradable cameras that track the location of your sewer drain all the way to the city in a matter of minutes. There is also radar technology available that can be placed into a shallow part of the ground to detect the exact location of your sewer line.

Contact City Hall

If you’re not interested in calling a plumber right away, you can always call your local city hall building to ask for a map of your property that details the location of your sewer lines. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell just how long this step could take, but they should have a sewer department that keeps track of where and how deep every sewer line is in your city.

Use Welding Rods

You might be wondering, “Welding rods? What does that have to do with my sewer line?” Well, it has been proven that if you take two metal welding rods and bend them to create a 90 degree “L” shape, you can use them to locate your sewer lines.

By holding the two rods at one end, making sure one end is pointing towards you, the metal rods will start to cross each other into an “X” shape once you have walked directly over your sewer lines. Of course, this is an ancient technique and can be susceptible to a fault, but it may be worth a try!

Call the Previous Owners of Your Home

If you have built your home, then you can skip this step and try all the ones prior! For those who have purchased their home from previous buyers, try contacting them to ask if they know where the sewer line is on your property. Chances are if they had lived there long enough, they have replaced them or dug them up at some point in the past.

If you have no way of contacting the previous owners, try asking your neighbors to see if they have any clue where the lines are located.

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