Advantages Of A Backflow Bag

Allowing your backflow to freeze is bad. If this happens, you’ll be buying a backflow repair kit, possibly a new backflow, probably installing it in really cold weather when you’d rather be sitting by the fire or paying an irrigation professional to fix it. You’ll get to pay for all that water that spewed out so gloriously like the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas but without the choreographed music.

Introducing the Backflow Armor insulated pouch. We highly recommend this pouch for its outstanding features. We’ve shown you in a previous video how to insulate your backflow, and that still applies when using a pouch. An insulated pouch is not an alternative to properly winterizing your system. You still need to do that. I recommend you check out “Winterizing Your PVB” to learn more.

Installing An Insulated Backflow Bag

To add an additional layer of protection, an insulation pouch is an outstanding way to go. They take all of a few seconds to install the added protection they provide makes them well worth the price.

To install it, open it up and slide it over the backflow. Close up the Velcro. In this grommet here, you can put a zip tie to close it up or you could put a lock through the grommet to give it a little added weight to help keep it in place and to prevent someone from stealing your bag.

The insulated backflow bags come in various sizes:

Sixteen by Twenty-one inches

Twenty-four by sixteen

Twenty-four by Twenty-four

Thirty-four by Thirty-four

The first number is the length and the second number is the height. It opens along the length, not the height. The length measurement is the measurement of the pouch not the measurement of the backflow device and piping. So you’ll need to add a few inches to the length to make sure it’ll fit.

Measuring An Insulated Backflow Bag

Let’s measure this backflow. I’ll use a cloth tape to measure how wide an opening I need. From the halfway point on this elbow all the way to these test cocks. And keep in mind it’s gotta go over this bell as well. This is roughly XX inches and I’ll add 2 more inches to that to make sure I purchase a bag that will fit. So a 24-inch wide bag will fit.

For height, it’s of primary importance that we cover all of the PVB. The insulation I’ve already installed on the PVC pipe will protect the pipe. So, I could go with a sixteen-inch tall bag but it doesn’t hurt to go with the twenty-four-inch bag and it may provide a little more protection.

Insulated Backflow Bag Features

Let’s talk about the features of the insulated backflow bag and why I love them so much. I’ve got a competitor bag here as well, to compare features.

The insulated backflow bag arrives in this vacuumed sealed bag. Why? Because that saves on our shipping and storage costs, which means we can pass those saving on to you, offering you a superior product at a lower cost.

The material on the insulated backflow bag is a thick fiber-reinforced material that is tear and crack-resistant, and it’s waterproof. This material also has three-year UV-rated protection, and it’s mold and mildew-resistant.

Compare this with this competitor’s plastic outer shell that is not fiber-reinforced. While it is a thick material, it’s not nearly as thick as an insulated backflow bag. The seams on this one are stitched. These are not. These appear to be plastic heat-sealed. Both the seams and the material will last longer on the insulated backflow bag and that’s incredibly important. If the seam splits or the material cracks, then water can get in and freeze. Instead of insulating your backflow, you’re surrounding your backflow with a block of ice.

The insulation on this one is thicker. The grommet on this is brass and will last a very long time. One of the most important features is this heavy-duty Velcro. It will close up to help keep out cold airflow and prolong the antifreeze time. The competitor bag does not have Velcro.

All around, this is an outstanding bag. Order one today on sprinklerwarehouse.com and give that backflow device some added protection.