Preventing Backflow

There are lots of applications in the water and wastewater industry that need backflow prevention. Stormwater drainage systems are a perfect example.  As Mike Duer, Chief Engineer with Red Valve Company explains in this Water Online Radio interview, “water will backflow through the drainage pipe at high tide, come up through the inlets and cause flooding.”

As Duer explains, traditional backflow prevention has involved a flap gate consisting of a metal disc with two hinges. Although simple in design, the hinges can corrode, the gate can freeze open and without regular maintenance and replacement they can simply corrode away and disappear with the flow.

To solve that issue, Red Valve received an EPA grant in 1983 to develop an all-rubber check valve and launched the TideFlex. Since then the Company has introduced its next generation CheckMate inline check valve. To learn more about the Company’s recent R&D backflow prevention developments and some of the unique features of its latest valve, listen here: