The ABC's of Plumbing - Backflow Preventer

Backflow occurs when there is a pressure change in a plumbing system that causes the dirty water to be siphoned back into the clean water supply. A backflow preventer is an important plumbing device that is designed to prevent this potentially harmful backwards flow into the fresh water supply. There are several types of backflow preventers, the three most common are pressure vacuum breakers (PVB), reduced pressure zone (RPZ), and double check assemblies (DCA). In the home, backflow devices are required for hand-held showers installed in bathtubs, faucets with pullout spouts and kitchen sprayers.

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