Service
Backflow Prevention
Installing backflow prevention assemblies where the supply needs protecting, with the device type matched to the actual level of hazard.
- Licensed and insured
- Price agreed before work
- A plumber who works your area
What the device is actually for
Backflow sounds abstract until you consider the mechanism.
Water in a supply main flows because of pressure. If that pressure drops sharply, during a main break, or a heavy draw for fire fighting, the differential can reverse, and water is drawn back out of connected premises into the main.
Whatever it has been in contact with comes with it. Irrigation systems draw from ground that has been treated. Boilers contain additives. Food service equipment holds everything a kitchen puts through it.
A prevention assembly makes that reversal physically impossible. It is a small device guarding against an uncommon event with serious consequences, which is why it is mandated rather than recommended.
Two things to get right at installation
The class of device. Assemblies are rated for hazard level, from simple check assemblies through to reduced pressure zone assemblies for serious contamination risks. The requirement is set by what is on the far side of the connection. Fitting a lower class because it is cheaper fails inspection and leaves a real gap.
Where it goes. This device will be tested every year for as long as the building stands. It needs correct orientation, room for a tester to fit gauges, and access without dismantling. Reduced pressure devices also discharge water when they relieve, sometimes a substantial amount, which needs a planned drain rather than a floor and a hope.
Both decisions take minutes at installation and cause difficulty at every annual test if they are wrong.
Does this sound familiar?
Problems this service solves
- A new commercial connection requiring protection
- An irrigation system with no backflow device
- Food service equipment connected directly to the supply
- A device that has failed and needs replacing
- A requirement raised by an inspection or the water authority
Signs you need backflow prevention
If more than one of these is true, the problem is usually past the point a plunger or a store-bought cleaner will fix.
- The water authority has required a device
- An inspection has flagged an unprotected connection
- New equipment is being connected to the supply
- The existing device has failed beyond repair
What to expect
How the visit works
Assess the hazard
The level of risk on the far side of the connection decides which class of device is required, and fitting the wrong one fails inspection.
Site it for testing
The assembly has to be reachable, at the right orientation and with clearance for a tester's gauges, or every annual test is harder than it needs to be.
Install with drainage in mind
Reduced pressure devices discharge water when they operate, which has to go somewhere deliberate rather than onto a floor.
Commission, test and register
The device is tested on installation, certified and registered with the authority so it enters the annual cycle correctly.
What's included
What you get on every job, whoever we send.
- Device class matched to the actual hazard
- Positioned so annual testing is straightforward
- Discharge from relief valves planned for
- Certified and registered on installation
Questions
Backflow Prevention questions
What is backflow and why does it matter?
It is water flowing backwards through a connection, from a premises into the public supply. It happens when supply pressure drops sharply, during a main break or heavy fire service draw, and the pressure differential pulls water back the way it came. Whatever that water has been in contact with, irrigation chemicals, boiler additives, food equipment, comes with it into the main. Prevention devices exist to make that physically impossible.
Are all backflow devices the same?
No, and using the wrong class is a common failure. Devices are rated for different hazard levels: a simple check assembly may suit a low-hazard connection, while a reduced pressure zone assembly is required where the potential contamination is serious. The requirement is set by what is on the far side of the connection, not by convenience or cost, and an inspection will check that the class matches the hazard.
Where should the device be installed?
Somewhere it can be tested easily every year, which is a consideration people rarely think about at installation. It needs the correct orientation, clearance for a tester to fit gauges, and accessibility without dismantling anything. Reduced pressure devices also discharge water when they relieve, sometimes a lot of it, so they need a planned drain rather than a floor. Getting the position right once saves difficulty at every annual test afterwards.
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Get it fixed
Backflow Prevention, handled locally
Call with your ZIP code and what you are seeing. We route you to a licensed plumber in your area who does backflow prevention every week.
- Licensed and insured
- Answered 24/7
- Price before work