Backflow Testing and Repair in Troy

Backflow testing Troy NY buildings need checks that the backflow preventer stops dirty water from flowing back into the city supply. Most commercial buildings, sprinkler systems and irrigation lines need a yearly check by a state certified tester, and the results must be filed. Call us to schedule your test and any repairs.

Restaurant owners, landlords, churches and property managers use our Troy plumbing team for yearly tests. It is part of our wider commercial plumbing service, so other building repairs can be done during that visit too.

• Annual testing. RPZ, double check and pressure vacuum breaker devices tested with a calibrated differential pressure gauge. Each check valve and relief valve is measured against the passing numbers, and the readings go on the report.
• Repair or rebuild. A device that fails gets a rebuild kit with new springs, seats and rubber parts. Most rebuilds are done on the spot.
• New device installs. Where a device is missing, worn out or the wrong type, a new one is installed to code.
• Report filing. Test results are filed with the water supplier, and you get a copy for your records.
• Reminders. Many owners like a note before next year's due date so tests are not missed.

• State rules. New York requires backflow protection on many commercial, multi family and fire sprinkler connections, and devices are tested yearly by a certified tester.
• Missed tests bring notices. Water suppliers track due dates, and an overdue test can lead to letters, fines or, in some places, a shutoff.
• Old buildings, old devices. Many devices in older Troy buildings are decades old and fail more often. Rubber parts harden, springs weaken and debris from old mains wears the seats.
• Busy kitchens and boilers. Restaurants and buildings with boilers or chemical feeds are the most common places devices are required.
• Insurance and sales. Insurers and buyers may ask for proof of current tests, so a filed report saves time later.

• Reduced pressure zone (RPZ) assemblies. RPZ testing Troy buildings need covers the highest risk connections, like boilers and chemical lines.
• Double check valve assemblies. Common on fire lines and lower risk commercial connections. They have two check valves and four test cocks.
• Pressure vacuum breakers. Used on lawn sprinkler systems. An irrigation backflow test is usually done in spring when the system is turned on.
• Fire sprinkler backflow devices, where the buyer's license and scope cover them.
• Boiler feed devices that keep boiler water out of the drinking supply. Boiler water carries treatment chemicals you do not want in the tap.

These are the backflow jobs that come up most often.

• Overdue test notice for a restaurant, tested and filed the same week.
• Failed RPZ on a boiler line, rebuilt with a kit and retested to pass.
• Spring irrigation test for a church lawn system before the season started.
• New RPZ installed on a restaurant soda and coffee line after an inspection noted it was missing.

Water in city pipes is under pressure. When pressure drops, water can be pulled backward.

• Pressure drops happen. Water main breaks and firefighting can lower pressure in the street. In older cities with old mains, this happens more than most people think.
• Back siphoning. Without a working device, water from boilers, sprinkler pipes, chemical feeds or lawn systems can be drawn back into the drinking water.
• The device stops it. A backflow preventer holds the line so that water only flows one way.

Who needs backflow testing? Any building with a required device, which includes most restaurants, many apartment buildings and many lawn systems.