# Leak/Air and Brown Water After Blowout



## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

So I know I probably won't get any responses before I call the irrigation company in the AM, but I had my system blown out today. I used some water to take a shower but then the next person had air and brown water. Then all the faucets started doing that. I went to the sprinkler shut off and after moving mud, it sounded like a leak but I can't tell because of the water. Also, there is no backflow or anything. Just simply a shutoff that is split off the main. I can't tell where the sound or bubbles is coming from, it could be from the sprinkler ball valve area or the main. I can't se the main because the smart people who installed it two years ago covered it up.

Thoughts?


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

City or well?


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Sorry to hear this. I guess this is why backflow preventers are used.
I think you're going to want professional advice from a good plumber on this one, and then install a backflow preventer next Spring.

Did the dirty water end up running out, or is it still coming?


----------



## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

It's city. 
I'm currently digging in the dark to try to find the problem. Long way to go! 
It has to be from the irrigation company when they blew the system out, but I can't figure out how it could've happened. It can be a coincidence that they were here and then we have a leak all of a sudden.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

City is under constant pressure pushing stuff out. It will be hard to get the inside of your house supply dirty. Do you have good pressure right now? Is your meter measuring flow when there is no water being used in the house?


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

Call a licensed plumber now to install a backflow preventer and replace the valve to the irrigation system.

Call a good irrigation contractor in Spring to find the leak that allowed mud to get in the irrigation lines.

Assuming you have a typical irrigation system, and it was blown out in the typical way, what had to have happened was there was mud in the irrigation lines from a leak in the irrigation system. The ball valve shutting off the irrigation system is faulty. The pressure used to blow out the lines exceeded the city water pressure. The blowout forced some mud in the irrigation lines along with air into your domestic water lines. In technical terms, that is "bad."

Given the symptoms you describe on moving the irrigation ball valve, something more must be going on, but as a start, you need a backflow preventer and while that's being installed you might as well replace that ball valve. On second thought, the bubbling you hear might just be the water refilling the irrigation main through the bad ball valve so another reason it needs to be replaced.


----------



## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

Delmarva Keith said:


> Call a licensed plumber now to install a backflow preventer and replace the valve to the irrigation system.
> 
> Call a good irrigation contractor in Spring to find the leak that allowed mud to get in the irrigation lines.
> 
> ...


You were exactly correct. The ball valve was not seated well. It appeared to be, but was not. So when hey blew he lines out, it got air into our main system and dirt from the irrigation lines came through the main. I guess the plus side is that we got dirt out of the irrigation lines! I think this summer I may place a backflow in the ground and use one of the large valve boxes to cover it. Would that work?


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

The backflow needs to be behind (on the supply side of) wherever the blowout connection is.

Mud in irrigation lines means there's a leak. Mud can contain bacteria and parasites from local wildlife leaching into the soil. Also keep in mind that the "air" from an air compressor is more than just air. All the crap in the hoses plus oil from the air pump crankcase plus some old condensed water vapor growing who knows what inside the hoses is in the "air." You might want to flush all of your water lines for a good while before drinking any of it.

I'd still recommend calling a licensed plumber if you're not sure of what you're doing. A few bucks is cheap insurance so your family doesn't get sick. If you can afford a lawn with irrigation, you can afford a pro to install a proper backflow. I'm not saying the sky is falling or mud and air are doomsday hazardous waste, but people do get sick from it and there's a reason backflows are required.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^+100. If your fridge has a connected ice maker, throw away the ice. Contaminated water could make your family and your neighbors sick.

Also most backflows have to be around 12in higher than any downstream pipe.


----------



## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

I won't be doing any installing myself, that's for sure. Main problem is to put the backflow above ground, it'll have to be by the house which means new pipes will have to be ran. I'll call and see what they can do. 
Thanks everyone.


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

A check valve type backflow can be installed in the basement or underground. A vacuum breaker type or an RPZ type has to be mounted above the outlets (so above ground). Local codes differ and some codes specify one or the other or both. The plumber will know.


----------



## Smokindog (Jun 20, 2018)

Flush all your lines in the house and flush the hot water heater when this is all said and done. Also change all filters in refrigerators and other areas.


----------



## Jayray (Aug 8, 2018)

g-man said:


> ^+100. If your fridge has a connected ice maker, throw away the ice. Contaminated water could make your family and your neighbors sick.
> 
> *Also most backflows have to be around 12in higher than any downstream pipe.*


I hear people say this a lot but I've never seen this documented on any valve I've installed. I've done a couple sprinkler installs and usually use something like this:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/Watts%20-%200063230-%20Install.pdf

I haven't done a lot of research into local codes, that might be a different story but the instructions for most of those valves say they are okay to mount inside, in a vertical position which would be hard to get 12 inches above the highest pipe in most installations. I'll see if I can find anything in the code book here.


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

A double check valve can be installed just about anywhere. In some places, it is not code approved for "hazardous" use (check the Watts application chart - cross connection to domestic supply is a "hazardous" use). There is an exception for "sprinklers" but I'm pretty sure they meant fire sprinklers. Different codes interpret it differently.

A PVB does have to be installed 12" above the highest downstream piping. https://damcore.watts.com/Dmm3BWSV3/assetstream.aspx?assetid=20401&AssetOutputIdent=44&accesskey=bd076c39-882c-4715-a052-7fbe74e8725f&download=true

An RPZ should be installed above the highest downstream piping but I think that requirement can be met with a vent pipe that extends from the valve upward. Again, different codes seem to handle it differently.


----------

