In the late
1930s and early 1940s, a sectional committee on minimum requirements for
standardization of plumbing equipment realized the need for protection
of the purity of a potable water supply in building pipelines. A
technical subcommittee on air gaps and backflow preventers was
organized. After a number of reports and revisions, a draft was
submitted to over one hundred health supervisory officials, plumbing
inspectors, state plumbing associations and others involved in the
Industry.
Once additional recommendations, changes and refinements
were complete, a final draft was adopted. The final draft was forwarded
to American Standard and was designated an American Standard in January
1942. At the time, this standard dealt with water closets, fountains,
sinks, open tanks, vats and manufacturing. Water conditioning was still
in its infancy then, and I doubt anyone knew what was coming in terms of
advances in the industry. In 1991, the standard was revised to comply
with more current technology and is again under review.
Connection protection
An
air gap is the vertical distance through the atmosphere between the
lowest potable water outlet and the highest level of the source of fluid
contamination. In other words, it is the point of separation of potable
and non-potable piping.
A water treatment system installed with a direct
drain connection to a sewer system, a cross connection, has a risk of
contamination most anytime. It can happen when a sewer backs up, which
is the most common, or when there is a loss of pressure in the system.
One example is a loss of pressure due to a power failure,
where a system pump fails to run, that could result in a back siphon
causing water flow from the sewage to the house's potable water system.
Fire departments have also been known to cause vacuum situations in
municipal systems when fighting fires, a situation that can suck water
through sewers connected through an illegally cross connected treatment
system. This water could contain any number of pathogens that would be
introduced into the potable water supply.
Even though every state has some mention of cross
connection protection in their plumbing code books, the use of air gap
devices in the water conditioning installation is currently on a
voluntary basis in many, it seems.
The purchase and use of these devices or the lack of them
does not necessarily mean that the water treatment professional isn't
using some type of cross connection protection. Cross connection in this
case refers to a direct connection, in any building, between a potable
water system (fresh water plumbing systems including any connected water
treatment devices) and the sewer/waste water system (or, simply put, the
drainage system.)
System installers will typically dangle the end of the
softener drain line above a floor drain, laundry sink or stand pipe for
an open air gap without a device. This can allow over spray and
potential water damage. Some construct vacuum break tees out of a tee
and a series of fittings, but this method still doesn't allow a plumbing
connection with sewer pipe or floor drain, and it's all but impossible
to connect vacuum breaker tee to an overhead drain in a basement
installation.
Some codes allow for an "approved" double check,
"check valves" for the purpose of this discussion. This is a
mechanical device with springs and / or moving parts. Because of these
parts, these devices are likely to fail at some point. Air gaps I've
seen have no moving parts and are simply plumbing fittings that are
designed or sized to fit in the waste system in a home.
Providing code compliance
The
use of air gap devices is becoming more popular because it saves the
installer time when providing the minimum one inch protection required in
most codes. Chances are your state or local code enforcement agency
subscribes to such a standardizing organizations as Buidling Officials and
Code Administrators (BOCA), Conference of American Building Officials (CABO),
Universal Plumbing Code (PC), NSSF International, and the International
Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO).
Code enforcement varies locally and between states. Most
local inspectors don't have the opportunity to inspect installation sites,
or installs, because many are either replacement installs or performed
after the occupancy permit is granted. A few local inspectors require
installers to apply for a permit before installations, which is not only
expensive but time consuming. In some cases, occupancy permits are
withheld until the air gap is installed.
It's a good idea to get to know your local inspectors. Make
them your allies. Find out how they prefer to see air gaps and make sure
it agrees with the predominant national plumbing code in your area. The
procedure for how drains are to be installed properly is better to come
from you, than have them calling you on a suspected illegal cross
connection. Generally , health or building departments are understaffed
and the people doing the inspections don't have a lot of time to go back
for a re-inspection.
Dealers have said......
Before
we started our air gap business, I did a phone survey of dealers in my
state. I got the phone numbers from local phone books and Indiana Water
Quality Association membership directory. The responses were not what I
expected. Most knew of air gap devices, but because of a few extra dollars
in the cost per installation ($15 to $30), or the fact the inspector
overlooks the gaps, or they use floor drains or they stick the drain line
into stand pipes or washer drains, dealers didn't use them. Some have said
they used subcontractors for installations and didn't feel they were
liable. It's still the dealer's name on the equipment. Doesn't it seem
they would want to protect the very customers they work so hard to attract
and retain?
When sales representatives are in the home, especially if the
call is for a replacement unit, they can point out to the customer if the
drain is cross connected. The sales person can then report the fact that
your installers take the time to upgrade or install proper drains, as a
fixed part of the sales presentation. If you point out the fact that the
competition doesn't mention the air gap drain, this tells the prospective
customer you're concerned about their health and safety and you know your
stuff. The marketing value of your professionalism will make yours the
system of choice, even if you are a higher priced.
Additionally, the WQA Certified Installer's Home Study Guide
includes a section on safe drains; and , even though this section does not
specifically mention the use of air gap devices, it clearly shows the use
of air gaps in the illustrations and text. Again, many water treatment
professionals install air gaps without purchasing manufactured devices;
however, devices like these are time savers and professional sales tools
for the water conditioning dealer.
Conclusion
The
use of a safe drain is covered in the Water Quality Association's Code of
Ethics, which states, "Ensure that their products and services are
properly applied or installed when they are responsible for such
application or installation."
A person may say it's a one in a million chance for backflow
contamination due to a cross connection. It is my guess there are over
500,000 water softeners installed every year in this country. Therefore,
every other year someone has a problem. This problem, when it occurs,
could be on a private well system or municipal system. The media coverage
of just such an event has already occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when a
local television investigative reporter discovered a plumbing cross
connection directly to a sewer line underneath a manufactured home,
installed by a local systems dealer. With this type coverage comes more
investigation, and eventual regulation.
We all know we don't need more regulation. Make sure you use
a proper air gap. And remember that an air gap device may add to the cost
per installation, but also can be an additional marketing tool in your
belt, convincing customers of your professionalism and dedication to their
safety.
John Harding
President
J.H. Verneco Incorporated
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