Here's the manual for my BFP, which looks to be yours or very similar:
Here's the pertinent parts:
2. The Model 720A
must be installed in a vertical position (see Fig. 1) to provide proper operation of the air inlet valve.
3. Provide adequate space around the installed unit so that the test cocks will be accessible for testing and servicing.
5.
Install valve at least 12 inches above the highest piping or water outlet downstream of the Model 720A Pressure Vacuum Breaker.
7. The Model 720A Pressure Vacuum Breaker may be installed outdoors only if the device is protected against any freezing conditions...
So, IMO:
- it's 90° off from the correct orientation.
- Regarding #3 above, you not only have to be able to access the test cocks, so that a test unit can be attached to them (it's got a flexible hose for that), you have to be able to adjust the small set screws that each of those have, so the BFP is better facing one direction than the other. That'll make sense when you look at it.
- I'm of the camp that nothing,
especially PVC, should penetrate the pad. PVC is not even supposed to be above ground (exposed to sunlight, that is), so I'm with you on the copper. That's how I did mine, and only transitioned to PVC just under the dirt line. Painting the PVC with light, latex paint is a reasonable solution to the UV issue.
- It should all be insulated, regardless of material used for the pipes.
- It's probably higher than it needs to be (see #5 above). If it was lower, and installed vertically, and the water source pipe was copper and sturdy, that would solve most of your concerns. The out-flow pipe would then be horizontal, and would "elbow" into that existing PVC pipe, which would solve for the angle and stress issues, because there'd be no weight on that PVC pipe, and you could angle the elbow to accommodate the angle of the pipe.
You could then buy or build a small box to cover everything, if you cared to, which would protect everything from getting banged into, and provide some insulation and protection from UV.
If you wanted to go all Dirk on it, that pipe comes out from under the pad somewhere, they could retrench and relocated it to come up just outside the pad and then come up and back down with copper and solve everything that way. That's a bit extreme, but that's me, and I've pretty much done everything I'm suggesting, if you care to take a look. It's in the middle of one of my crazy build threads, but you can jump to the plumbing stuff
here.
