Commercial Backflow Prevention in Phoenix & Scottsdale, priced before we start.
We’ll admit it: backflow testing is the least dramatic thing we do. Nothing is leaking. Nothing smells. A technician attaches a gauge to a brass assembly near the curb, opens and closes a few test cocks, writes down some numbers, and leaves. Most business owners learn the assembly exists when the water provider sends a reminder, generally with a deadline already in sight and a tone that suggests they have sent one before.
What it does is worth knowing. Water is supposed to flow one way, from the city main into your building. Under the wrong conditions it can run backward. A main break or a hydrant being flushed can drop pressure in the street and siphon whatever is connected to your plumbing toward the public supply. Your own pressure can also exceed the city’s, from a booster pump or a boiler, and push water the wrong way. A backflow assembly is a set of check valves that closes when either happens.
Commercial buildings carry more of them because they connect to more things worth keeping out of drinking water: irrigation lines with fertilizer in them, boilers treated with chemicals, carbonated beverage dispensers, equipment in medical and dental suites. Carbonated water is a good example. If it backs into copper supply pipe it can dissolve copper into the water, which is why soda systems carry their own protection.
The devices come in a few types. A double check assembly uses two check valves in series. A reduced pressure zone assembly, usually called an RPZ, adds a relief valve between them that dumps water when something is wrong, which is why a dripping RPZ is often a working RPZ asking for attention. The type you need is set by the hazard your water provider assigns to the connection, not by preference.
Many Valley cities require these assemblies to be tested annually and the results reported. The test is short and needs a brief water shutoff, which we schedule around your business hours. When an assembly fails, it gets repaired or replaced and retested, and you get the paperwork your provider asks for. Irrigation at home has a residential version of this service.
When the assembly needs attention
A reminder letter from your water provider
The most common sign and the easiest to act on. Providers can escalate missed deadlines, in some cases as far as shutting off service to the connection.
Water dripping or dumping from the RPZ
The relief valve opens when a check valve isn’t sealing. A steady discharge means the assembly needs repair, not a bucket under it.
New irrigation, a new boiler, or a new beverage line
Adding equipment can change the hazard classification and the assembly your connection requires.
Weak pressure past the assembly
Debris or failing internal parts can restrict flow. If the building side runs weak and the street side is fine, look at the device.
Bent test cocks, a cracked body, or fresh paint
Landscapers, delivery trucks, and the occasional winter freeze all damage assemblies. So does a coat of paint over the test cocks, applied by someone tidying up.
No record of the last test
New ownership or management often inherits an assembly with no paperwork. Test it now and start a clean file.
How testing and repair work
- 01
Assembly and requirement confirmed
We identify the device type, size, and location, and check it against what your water provider requires for that connection.
- 02
The test itself
Gauges on the test cocks measure how each check valve and relief valve performs. Water is off briefly, outside your busy hours.
- 03
Repair on the spot where parts allow
Worn seals, springs, and check components can often be replaced on the same visit, and the assembly is retested afterward.
- 04
Replacement when rebuilding doesn’t pay
Old or discontinued assemblies sometimes cost more to rebuild than to replace. You see both prices.
- 05
Results on paper
Test results are documented in the form your provider asks for, and you keep a copy for your own records.
How it’s priced
Quoted flat, before we start
What changes the price: the number of assemblies on the site, their size and type (double check or RPZ), how easy they are to reach, and whether any need repair. Repairs depend on parts and are quoted before any work begins.
Financing is available on larger jobsBackflow testing is the rare plumbing service that goes best when nothing happens. We intend to keep it that way.
Backflow Prevention: questions we get asked
Straight answers, the same ones we give on the phone.
