Check Valves

Chester Water Authority has an ongoing program that requires the installation of check valves on all new and retrofitted water service connections. This program is part of a public health precaution to provide what is called cross-connection control. This will ensure that once water enters a property or a customer’s home, it will not be allowed to reenter Chester Water Authority’s distribution system.

We want to make you aware that this check valve could exacerbate a problem that may occur if your hot water heater ever malfunctions by overheating. If your hot water heater overheats with the check valve in place, the expanded water will not be allowed back through the meter and back into CWA’s distribution system. The water will have to be released into an expansion tank, which should be part of your hot water plumbing system.