Cross Connection & Backflow Devices
Supporting Commercial Businesses and Multi-Residential Property Owners
A cross-connection is a plumbing piping arrangement that allows a potable water system to be connected to a source of potential pollution or contamination. This can be from other sources of water, fixtures, hoses, or appliances that require water.
EPCOR administers a cross-connection program to support commercial businesses and multi-residential property owners to see to this requirement. Hydro-Flo will install Apollo, Watts, and Ames devices and backwater valves in your business or multi-family residential property. In addition, we can put you on a yearly backflow testing schedule and submit our findings to EPCOR on your behalf.
Protect Your Business or Home From Sewer Backups
Installation of a mainline sewer backwater valve can reduce your insurance rates and protect your home and belongings – ensuring that sewage from the public sewer cannot enter your home during a storm or sewer backup.
Plain and simple, mainline backwater valves give you peace of mind. The City of Edmonton offers homeowners an incentive to install these devices. Contact us today to schedule an installation.
Why Is Backflow Control Important?
Backflow, or reversed flow, can potentially cause the contamination of the entire public water supply, posing a risk for anyone using water for drinking, cooking or bathing.
Something as simple as leaving your garden hose connected and unattended during a water main break can cause siphonage and pollute everyone’s water.
If there is an incident that results in the contamination of public drinking water due to improper or unprotected plumbing connections, the responsible owner or occupant of the property can be held liable for damages.
Property Owners’ Responsibilities
Property owners must prevent backflow by:
- Isolating your home or business water system from the public system through the elimination of unnecessary cross-connections.
- Protect cross connections that cannot be eliminated with approved backflow prevention devices or assemblies.
- Conduct timely annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies on your property.
- Use the correct cross-connection control device for the premises. The correct device to ensure isolation of a commercial, industrial or multi-residential property is based on the degree of hazard to the public drinking water.
How to Stay Safe
EPCOR provides great resources for commercial, industrial, and multi-residential property owners to get assistance with these devices.
You can contact us anytime to learn more about backflow and piping issues, or to schedule a consultation to ensure your plumbing piping protects you and anyone using the same water system. Annual testing must be completed by a certified EPCOR-registered tester – like the Hydro-Flo team.