No one wants to deal with the sewage that leaves their home once it has gone down the drain, but there are certain situations in which there is a risk for this to happen. It is a phenomenon called backflow, and it happens when the water pressure upstream suddenly drops drastically. The situation could be caused by a large leak in a water main or when firefighters use a fire hydrant nearby, but that drop in pressure creates a vacuum that can lead to sewage being sucked back up the line, possibly ending up in someone’s home.
Raw sewage is not just disgusting, it is also very harmful to your health, so there is a device that is made specifically to prevent the situation just described called an atmospheric vacuum breaker. You might be able to find one of these near your home, and you will recognize them from an oddly shaped pipe that comes up over the surface of the ground.
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