Donald Hester
Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #647
WSDA#80050
InterNachi Member #NACHI10022401
509-670-9572
Contact Us
Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #647
WSDA#80050
InterNachi Member #NACHI10022401
509-670-9572
Contact Us
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Plumbing cross connections and condensate connections
Submitted by DonHester on Sun, 10/28/2012 - 18:34. Plumbing cross connections and condensate connections- Wenatchee Home Inspections
Why we should worry as Home Inspectors , safety!
So you may be asking what is a cross connection and what is the risk? A cross connection is any physical connection or arrangement between the potable water (drinking water) and any source of contamination.
The real issue is a cross connection puts at risk the buildings water piping and/or municipal water supply with harmful bacteria from waste water system or contamination. This puts the homeowner and public water system at risk.
Cross connection can happen at many areas that most people do not think about. The most common is at the exterior hose bibbs (sillcocks). All exterior hose bibbs need an anti-siphon device. The other areas are where faucets spouts are below the water flood rim such as with a sink or tub etc…
The most common one I see other than the exterior hose bibb is with water softeners. As you can see from this example this is a direct connection between your drinking water and your sewer system.
What about AC condensate lines? What is the issue here? The issue here is that if the condensate connection is not proper you can contaminate the air handling system with sewer gases and potential harmful bacteria. We all remember legionnaire’s disease don’t we? This was a contamination by the bacteria from a cooling tower that caused the outbreak.
Though it is not certain how much exposure to the bacteria is needed to cause disease, it has been shown that some people have developed infections after inhaling contaminated vapors for just a few minutes.
The legionella bacterium is different than most bacteria which are usually isolated to spreading within a small area. It has been possible that legionella bacteria may be capable of traveling as far as four miles through the air. The cases have nearly tripled over the past decade alone. We may need to think harder about cross connections as well as how hot we keep are water supply in our homes.
Proper evaluation of the potable water supply and any connections with potential contamination sources needs to be completed.
“You can't trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it. “
W. C. Fields
NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
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www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572
