As a business owner, you’re responsible for ensuring the health of your employees in the workplace. Part of this means keeping their drinking supply clean of contaminants. Commercial back flow testing is a technique that identifies whether your building has a back flow problem and provides solutions. If you’ve never heard of this issue before, you may have many questions about it. To help you maintain a safe workplace, here’s a guide to this service and why it’s necessary.

What Is Back Flow?

If you have a burst pipe or exceedingly high water usage, the resulting loss of pressure in your plumbing can cause clean water to reverse course. This will suck water from other pipes into the delivery unit to continue supplying liquids. Unless a back flow prevention device has been installed, some of the water entering the delivery pipe could include wastewater from your sinks or toilets, compromising water quality.

Why Is Commercial Back flow Testing Important?

Wastewater contains potentially harmful bacteria, food particles, chemicals, fertilizers, and human waste. Contamination of your business's drinking supply could lead to illnesses, which cause loss of productivity and even liability lawsuits.

Scheduling annual commercial back flow testing will ensure your water is untainted to protect you and your staff. This way, you’ll also know whether you need installation or repair of back flow prevention devices. In many jurisdictions, yearly testing is mandatory and failure to comply will result in fines or citations. 

What Is the Testing Process?

Commercial back flow testing takes about 30 minutes, during which the water supply will be shut off. A plumbing technician will attach a device to your water system before opening and closing a series of gate and relief valves. This will ensure proper gauge movement and identify potential leaks. The technician makes sure the system's check valves don't allow back flow and that air ports open when and as they should. 

If your business needs commercial back flow testing, contact ES Systems, Inc., an experienced commercial plumbing contractor in Rochester, NY. They have served the Monroe and Ontario counties for over 30 years. They also specialize in HVAC, commercial fire protection, and sprinkler inspections for companies. Visit their website to learn more about their plumbing work or call (585) 473-9300 to schedule testing.