Healthy Homes 8: Rural Water Supplies and Water-Quality Issues Course

This thread is dedicated exclusively for those students currently enrolled in InterNACHI’s free, online Healthy Homes 8: Rural Water Supplies and Water-Quality Issues Course.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to identify: urban and rural water supplies; systems and components comprising of dug and drilled wells; proper techniques and guidelines to disinfecting contaminated water supplies; and issues regarding backflow and back-siphonage and preventative measures.

Students are free to pose questions and comments here and join in the conversation with other students. The thread will be monitored by the course instructor.

Contact: Chief Academic Officer, Ben Gromicko ben@internachi.org

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

This is a photo showing a back-flow protection valve on an oil fired hydronic boiler heating system. The purpose is to prevent boiler water from entering the potable water in the home. There is a release point that should have a pipe attached that extends to within six inches of the floor. A consultation with a qualified boiler technician is recommended.

Research & Writing Assignment:

I looke at the diagram of a back flow prevention valve for a boiler. The diagram showed the spring and seal inside the valve that only allows the water to flow toward the boiler. If the house pressure is lost, water cannot enter the potable water piping.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The photo is typical of what a home inspector might find during a home inspection of a home with a private well. In this case the well has a cap protecting it and appears to be adequate in height and slope.

Research & Writing Assignment:

InterNACHI offers a real estate agent negligent referral program which protects agents. Essentially it provides $10,000 in protection for real estate agents when an action is taken against them after referring an InterNACHI home inspector who is in good standing.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

One of the many types of wells discussed was the cistern well. The difference between a well and a cistern is that a cistern has a waterproof lining and is normally used to catch rainwater. In many cases, cisterns were used because wells could not be dug deep enough.

Research & Writing Assignment:

I recently reviewed the article on water quality. It stressed the importance of having water that is not contaminated. It also told the requirements for the public water supplier to perform testing on a schedule and to maintain the test results in logs.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

This outdoor spigot is missing an anti-siphon device. Anti-siphon devices should be used to protect the potable water supply. If for instance a fire truck connected to the water main thus causing a significant drop in the main pressure, and a hose was connected to this spigot, with the other end in a soapy water car washing bucket, the main supply could be contaminated.

Research & Writing Assignment:

In any potable water supply system backflow preventers should be used whenever the possibility exists of creating a backflow in the system. Examples of possible backflow creating situations are water outlets extending below the rim of a laundry tub, a hose connected to an outlet without an anti-siphon device installed and a sprinkler system without a vacuum breaker or other anti-backflow device installed.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The attached photo is of a pressure vacuum breaker improperly installed on a sprinkler system. The purpose of the breaker is to prevent the back flow of potentially non-potable water into the public water supply. This unit should be installed at least 6" above the highest sprinkler head in the system and should be raised approximately 3’ to accomplish this requirement.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Water quality testing for the home inspector article outlines some good pros and cons of water testing while making the recommendation for adding it to the arsenal of services. It also recommends contacting the appropriate jurisdictions with authorization to determine what requirements may need to be met to do so. This would be a reasonable option to consider.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The photo shows the interior of a below ground lawn irrigation valve box. All outside irrigation valve boxes should have a back-flow valve to guard against accidental cross contamination between house water and water used for irrigation. Inspectors should be diligent about making sure back-flow valves are present.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

I am lucky to live in Eugene Oregon as we have very good water quality from a municipal source. The Cascade mountain range has lots of volcanic, lava soil. Our water comes from the McKenzie river, I have heard rain and snow melt passes through the lave rock for 15 years before entering a spring that feeds Clear, the headwaters of the McKenzie river. This water is very pure and clear. Unfortunately the river flows for 20 miles before the utility takes the water for our use, exposing the water to possible contamination from agriculture runoff, road runoff and septic systems of homes on the river. I have a water filter at my house but never use it anymore because I believe there is not much to filter out and the filters are costly.

Research & Writing Assignment:

I read the article “Water Quality Testing for Home Inspectors”. In my 15 years of inspecting I have occasionally performed water quality testing for rural homes, less than once a year on average. In my area there is a strong tradition that home buyers of rural properties have a well specialist inspect the well equipment and well flow for 4 hours and water quality. I have often said I want that job, write down the water flow every 15 minutes for 4 hours!

Research & Writing Assignment:

The article “Backflow Prevention” points out that backflow contamination can represent a serious health problem if house water is mixed with irrigation water. Communities across the nation take backflow prevention problems very seriously and require that an annual inspection be performed by a qualified licensed professional. The results of the backflow test are registered with the city or county and corrections must be corrected by a licensed backflow profession promptly and to the satisfaction of the city or county or a fine could issued.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

A common plumbing cross-connection problem found in many residential homes today is in the kitchen where the garbage disposal unit is not equipped with a “drip loop” where the drain line from the dishwasher is connected to the garbage disposal. Installing this simple piece will greatly reduce the occurrence of gray dishwasher drain water backflowing onto the kitchen sink.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Many of the older homes that you may inspect will have an exterior hose bib or spigot that does not have an anti-siphon device (vacuum break)attached or installed. This small devicess help prevents water around the home such as a pool or garden to be reintroduced back into the home’s main water supply. Always check for these safety features on the exterior water fixtures.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The top of this well appears to be watertight and the well is located over two hundred feet from the home and septic system. Surface water will flow away from the well. The owner of the home has shown documentation that when the well was drill to 160 feet and had a flow of 60 gpm.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Water Quality Testing. Some mortgage lenders require a water test for private water supplies. Home inspectors can offer this service by using test kits or taking samples to send to labs. Test kits may have an expiration date and be expensive. In some states the government supplies water testing facilities. In our state of New Hampshire there are private companies that samples can be sent to for testing.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Hard water. we all should know about that, that white film that be on the shower doors or what make itch after taking a shower or bath, also the bad tasting water in your glass to the point where you have to go out and purchase a water softener.