Protect Your Murrieta, CA Home or Business from Backflow Preventer Theft

Did you know that theft of backflow preventers is on the rise in Riverside County, including areas of Murrieta, Menifee, and Temecula? It’s essential to be aware of this growing problem and understand what steps you can take if your backflow prevention device is stolen and needs replacement. At Pipeline Plumbing and Drain Specialists, we have the expertise to safely install the backflow prevention device you need to safeguard your property from contamination risks.

What Is a Backflow Preventer?

A backflow preventer is designed to protect clean water from contaminated water due to backflow, which is where water accidentally reverses in its intended direction. Without a backflow prevention device, non-potable water such as the water coming from a dishwasher or washing machine has the possibility of combining with your drinking water and lead to serious health consequences. In the most serious cases, this cross-contamination can also occur with toilet water containing human waste! Pipeline Plumbing and Drain Specialists have the skills and knowledge necessary to safely install the backflow prevention device you need to protect your home or business from these contamination concerns.

How Does a Backflow Preventer Work?

Let’s imagine for a second you live in a home with a sprinkler system. You water your lawn regularly and use fertilizer to help the grass grow better. One day, your city experiences an issue with the water main, and there’s an absence of flowing water. When this happens there’s a drop in water pressure:

That drop in pressure can result in backflow, where the water begins to flow in the opposite direction. Because the water main is not pushing water out, there is a vacuum of pressure (resulting in back siphonage) and water gets sucked back into the supply piping.

The back siphonage results in water, now contaminated with fertilizer, returning to the water main and possibly introducing foreign chemicals back into the city water system. As a result, your building and community could become exposed to hazardous water delivered to every faucet! Help prevent cross-contamination with a backflow preventer installation from the 5-star team at Pipeline Plumbing & Drain Specialists.

Why Are Backflow Preventers Stolen?

Backflow prevention devices are found in both residential and commercial sites, with commercial installations likely to be larger and much more expensive. Backflow preventers are a target for thieves because they are high value and are often located in an area of the home or business that is further removed from the main site. Thieves usually scrap the devices and melt them down for metal, such as copper. Alternatively, because the part is easily scrapped and reused, it is hard to trace as a stolen part and easy to exchange. As with most materials, scrap metal is only going up in value and as a result, backflow preventers are becoming hot commodities.

What to Do if Your Backflow Preventer Is Stolen?

If your backflow preventer is stolen, we suggest you give Pipeline Plumbing & Drain Specialists a call as soon as possible! At Pipeline Plumbing, we offer a kind-for-kind replacement, meaning we will locate your exact model for replacement, and perform the installation.

How to Prevent Your Backflow Preventer From Being Stolen?

It is always better to prepare for an emergency beforehand, rather than wait until after it’s occurred to brainstorm a remedy. Here are a few theft prevention tips to help save you time, hassle, and money down the road:

1. Consider painting your backflow preventer. Painted scrap metal will be harder to manage and turn around for profit.
2. Purchase a locked cage or enclosure to protect your backflow preventer. These are more common in commercial settings.
3. Consider installing other security prevention devices to protect your home or business. Security items can include cameras, motion-activated lighting, a fenced yard, or a security guard around your commercial business.

Contact Pipeline Plumbing for Your Backflow Prevention Needs.

The first step to preventing this crime from happening to you is awareness of the issue. We hope that this article has helped inform you about what backflow preventers do, how they help maintain the safety of your water, and why they have become a hot commodity for thieves. We also hope that the tips provided in this article help to prevent theft of your backflow prevention device. For backflow preventer replacements, please give us a call at (951) 289-5514. Our team of licensed plumbing technicians will be happy to discuss your replacement needs.