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Backflow Prevention
A backflow preventer is a one-way gate that keeps dirty water — from a boiler, a sprinkler line or a hose — out of the clean supply. We repair RPZ assemblies and double check valves, install new devices and arrange the yearly test.
At your location in 60 minutes or you save $60.
The short answer
If the relief valve on your backflow device is dripping or pouring water, don’t plug it — that discharge is the device protecting your water. Keep the drain under it clear and call us: we find out why it’s discharging, rebuild or replace what failed, and arrange the retest by a certified tester. Due for the yearly test, or need a new device? We set up the test, and plan new installs around the water utility’s paperwork and approval they involve.
Is this an emergency?
Call now if…
- The relief valve is pouring water and the room is starting to flood
- The device or the pipe around it has cracked, split or frozen
- Tap water suddenly looks or smells like chemicals — stop drinking it
Can usually wait for a scheduled visit
- A relief valve that drips but isn’t flooding anything
- A yearly test that’s coming due
- A new device for a renovation, a new tenant or an outdoor spigot
Not sure? Call anyway — we’ll tell you honestly.
Do this right now
- Don’t plug, cap or tie off the relief valve — blocking it disables the protection.
- Keep the floor drain under the device clear, and move anything stored nearby.
- Never close valves on a fire sprinkler line yourself; it can leave the building without fire protection.
- If the tap water looks or smells like chemicals, stop drinking it and report it to your water utility.
Signs you need us
- Water spitting or dripping from the relief valve on an RPZ
- A relief valve that discharges nonstop
- Puddles or a wet floor around the device
- A yearly test that failed or is overdue
- Corrosion or green crust on the device body or test cocks
- A water heater relief valve that started dripping after a device went in
- Weaker pressure upstairs since a device was installed
- A boiler, soda machine or lawn sprinkler line with no protection you can find
How we handle the call
- 01
Check the hazard
We look at what the device protects — a boiler, a sprinkler line, kitchen equipment — and whether it’s the right type.
- 02
Find the failure
A discharging relief valve usually means debris or wear in a check valve or the relief valve itself — we open it up to see which.
- 03
Price before work
You get the price to rebuild or replace before we start, with both laid out when either would work.
- 04
Rebuild or replace
New checks, springs, seals and diaphragms for a sound device; a new assembly when the body is cracked or the parts are gone.
- 05
Arrange the retest
After a repair or a new install, we set up the test with a certified tester so the results can be reported to the water utility.
Know your building
Backflow devices in apartment buildings, restaurants and homes
Water utilities commonly require a backflow device on commercial, multifamily, irrigation and fire-sprinkler services, and each device is tested every year by a certified tester, with the results reported to the utility. In an apartment building, it usually sits just past the water meter in the basement or meter room, and it’s the owner’s responsibility — if you rent and see it dripping, tell the super or building manager. Higher-risk connections get a reduced-pressure zone assembly (RPZ), whose relief valve dumps water when something is wrong; lower-risk ones may use a double check valve. A tall building may have several — on the main service, the fire-sprinkler line and the boiler feed — and in restaurants, soda carbonators and dish-chemical dispensers need their own protection too.
In a one- or two-family house, protection is often just a vacuum breaker on each hose spigot, though a lawn sprinkler system usually needs a testable device of its own. In older buildings, space is the usual problem: an RPZ can put a lot of water on the floor when it opens, so it needs a drain that can keep up, and it can’t go in a pit or anywhere its relief valve could end up underwater. Devices in crawlspaces, unheated basements, garages and yards can freeze and crack in a cold snap. A new device involves the water utility’s paperwork and approval — and in a co-op or condo, the board will want the details too — so plan it well before a renovation or a new tenant needs it.
One visit, whole job
Everything covered on the call
- RPZ repairs and rebuilds
- Double check valve repairs
- Cracked and frozen devices replaced
- New device planning and installation
- Yearly tests arranged with a certified tester
- Devices for boilers, soda machines and lawn sprinklers
- Drains for relief valve discharge
- Expansion tanks for closed systems
- Hose-bib and service-sink vacuum breakers
Upfront price, every time
What backflow work costs
A repair depends on the device’s size and type and what failed. Rebuilding the checks or relief valve on a small device is a straightforward job; a large assembly on a building’s main service, an older model with hard-to-find parts or a device wedged into tight piping takes longer.
A new device is a bigger project: the assembly, the valves and drain around it, the piping changes to fit it in, the water utility’s paperwork and a test once it’s in. The yearly test is a separate, smaller visit. Either way, you have the price before we start.
Honest advice
Rebuild the backflow device, or replace it?
Most failures are wear and debris — a check valve that no longer seals, a tired spring, a worn relief valve diaphragm — and a rebuild puts a sound device back in working order. If the body is in good shape and parts are still made, rebuilding is usually the better value.
Replace it when the body is cracked, frozen or badly corroded, when parts for an old model are gone, when it keeps failing its test after repairs, or when a change in the building’s use calls for a different type of device. Either way, it’s tested afterward and the results are reported to the water utility.
Mistakes that make it worse
- Plugging or capping a dripping relief valve — it stops the leak by disabling the protection
- Letting the yearly test lapse because the device looks fine — a double check can fail without a drop showing
- Putting an RPZ in a pit or low spot where its relief valve can end up underwater
- Leaving a hose sitting in a pool, a bucket or a slop sink with no vacuum breaker on the spigot
Keep it from happening again
- Put the yearly test on the calendar, and keep a copy of every filed result
- Protect devices in unheated spaces from freezing, and drain outdoor ones before winter
- Fit a vacuum breaker on every hose-threaded spigot and service-sink faucet
- Ask about protection before connecting new equipment — a soda carbonator, chemical feeder or boiler feed
The 60-minute guarantee
The clock starts when our dispatcher confirms your job. If we’re late, $60 comes off your invoice. No forms, no fine-print games. Read the terms
FAQ
Backflow Prevention questions
What is backflow, in plain words?
Water flowing the wrong way. A pressure drop — a water main break, say — can pull dirty water back into the clean supply, and higher pressure in a boiler or pump line can push it back. A backflow preventer stops both.
Why is my backflow preventer dumping water?
An RPZ’s relief valve opens when the device senses trouble — usually debris or wear keeping a check valve from sealing, or swings in supply pressure. A brief spit during a pressure change can be normal; a steady drip or flow means it needs repair.
Does my building need a backflow preventer?
Many commercial, multifamily and fire-sprinkler services do — water utilities commonly require it — and so do connections to boilers, lawn sprinklers and soda machines. In a one- or two-family house without a lawn sprinkler system, it’s usually just a vacuum breaker on each hose spigot.
Can you do the yearly backflow test?
We arrange it. The test has to be done by a certified tester, with the results reported to the water utility — and if the device fails, we repair it and have it retested.
Why test a device that isn’t leaking?
Because it can fail without leaking. A double check has no relief valve, so a fouled check valve can let water through with no sign at all — the test is how you know it still works.
How long does a new backflow device take?
The plumbing is usually the quicker part. A new device involves the water utility’s paperwork and approval, which we can’t speed up, so start well before a renovation or a new tenant needs it.
More we handle
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