Edison Water Utility

Much of the equipment we use to provide water is located beneath the ground, and it can be difficult for customers to determine what equipment is their responsibility and what equipment is EWU's responsibility. The following descriptions explain the facilities and equipment used to provide water service from the company’s water main to your property. The diagrams below detail the homeowner's and Aqua's responsibility.

• Company Service Line. Owned and maintained by the company, this service line extends from the water main to the curb stop or curb line.
• Curb Stop. Owned and maintained by the company, the curb stop is a valve that can be opened and closed to control the supply of water to the property.
• Meter. Owned and installed by the company, this device is used to measure water consumption at the customer’s property. Although the meter is owned by the company, the customer is responsible for providing an adequate location for the meter, making it accessible and assuring that it is protected from damage, including damage caused by freezing.
• Customer Service Line. Owned and maintained by the customer, this service line extends from the curb stop or curb line to the building.
• Meter Pit. Owned and maintained by the customer, this structure is constructed by, or for, the customer to house the water meter outside of the customer’s home at an underground location. Customers are responsible for keeping the pit visible and for all the plumbing within the pit. The illustration shows a meter in the home, so the meter pit is not shown.
• Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV). Owned, installed and maintained by the customer, this device is designed to reduce water pressure within the customer’s home if the pressure of the company’s distribution system exceeds a certain threshold set by the plumbing code (typically 60 pounds per square inch). Installing a PRV might increase the life of internal plumbing fixtures and piping. A plumber can verify the pressure in your home and determine whether a PRV should be installed as part of your household plumbing.
• Backflow preventor: Customer owned. When installed, this device is designed to prevent a potential backflow of contaminants from the customer’s property into the company’s distribution system.

A cross-connection is a point in plumbing systems where drinking water might come in contact with, and be contaminated by, hazardous materials — solid, liquid or gas.

If you leave a hose in non-potable (not fit for drinking) water such as soapy or pool water, you could contaminate your drinking water. For example, if the pressure in the water main feeding your property drops while your hose is submerged in non-potable water, the non-potable water could be sucked back into your pipes or into Aqua’s distribution main.

The Safe Water Drinking Act requires that backflow protection devices be installed on all non-potable water services.

Here are some plumbing tips to help you avoid backflow: 

• Install backflow-prevention devices on threaded faucets in your home, especially outdoor hose faucets. Inexpensive backflow preventers, like hose connection vacuum breakers, can be found at many local plumbing supply stores.
• Keep the ends of hoses clear of any possible contaminants. Never leave a hose in a sink, bucket, drain or tub. Also, keep water levels in such items below faucets and inlet valves.   
• Don’t use spray-device attachments that contain chemicals, such as weed killers, on your hose without a backflow prevention device.

If you’ve been away from your home for a long time, you might want to check your water heater when you return.

Manufacturers recommend periodically flushing sediment from your storage-type water heater. Residents in areas with high mineral content in the water should flush more often.

Most sediment in water heaters develops when minerals settle after the water heats. Sediment in water heaters also can contain sulfur compounds that can cause odors in the water.

Here’s how you can flush sediment from a water heater:

• Be cautious — the water in the heater might be extremely hot and capable of causing burns.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for specific procedures on how to flush the water heater. These instructions are generally found in the manual included when the heater was purchased. You might also find them on the manufacturer’s website. If you are unable to find the manual or information on the website, the procedures that follow might work.
• If you have a gas water heater, set the gas valve to“pilot” to prevent the burners from coming on while you are flushing it.
• If you have an electric water heater, be sure to turnoff the circuit breakers to the heater. If the water level drops below the heating elements and the thermostat turns them on, the heating elements could be damaged.
• Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. The water could be very hot — make sure the outlet of the hose is in a safe area away from pets and children.
• Close the shut off valve on the cold water inlet to the water heater.
• Carefully open the temperature/pressure-relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever. Leave the valve open.
• Open the drain valve at the bottom of the heater to allow the water to flow out through the garden hose. If sediment is clogging the drain valve, try closing the temperature/pressure-relief valve and turn the cold inlet valve back on to “power-flush” the sediment.
• In some cases, the sediment hardens into large chunks that can block the drain valve. If this occurs, wait until the water in the heater has cooled, remove the garden hose from the drain valve, remove the valve if necessary, and use a long screwdriver to break up the clog.
• When the garden hose runs clear, you’re finished.
• Close the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and remove the garden hose.
• Close the pressure-relief valve at the top of the tank if it is still open, and open the hot water faucets in the highest part of the house. Slowly turn on the cold inlet valve for the hot water.
• Let the hot water faucets run in the house until the air bubbles stop coming out, then fully open the cold water valve to the hot water heater. Make sure your pressure relief valve and drain valve aren't leaking.
• Turn the heater back on. With a gas heater, relight the pilot light if it has gone out.