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Exposed water service pipe in a trench before a backflow tie-in

Commercial · water protection

Backflow Assemblies: Tests, Repairs, Installs

Backflow assemblies keep the water inside your building from being drawn back toward the town supply. They protect nobody unless they pass their test.

Talk to a plumber

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  • Licensed & insured trade work
  • Scope agreed before we start
  • Urgent calls triaged first

Signs you need this

  • Floor sinks rising during busy service
  • Washroom fixtures running on or failing to flush
  • Odour from cleanouts or interceptor lids
  • Test date for a backflow device coming due

Kit on the van, and the method

  1. Sectional drain machine and jetter
  2. Calibrated backflow test kit
  3. Flush valve and sensor faucet parts
  4. Drain camera with locator

Before we leave: Run every affected fixture under normal load and confirm full flow and no leaks.

Where backflow devices are usually required

  • On the main water service of many commercial and industrial buildings.
  • On boilers, chillers and closed heating loops.
  • On irrigation and lawn sprinkler connections.
  • On carbonators, coffee equipment and chemical dispensers.
  • On fire sprinkler supplies, coordinated with fire protection contractors.

What testing involves

  • Closing the downstream valve for a short, planned window.
  • Connecting a calibrated test kit to the device test cocks.
  • Reading check valve and relief valve pressures against the standard.
  • Recording results on the tester's report.
  • Submitting or supplying the report as the municipality requires.

Why the devices fail

Reduced pressure assemblies and double check valves rely on rubber seats, springs and small relief ports. Sediment, scale and debris from water main work can hold a check open, and a relief valve that spits water constantly is a sign of an internal fault. Devices in unheated rooms can also crack in a hard frost. Regular testing catches these faults before a pressure drop in the street pulls contaminated water back into the system.

Our process

  1. On the phone, tell us the assembly make, its diameter and the room it sits in.
  2. Agree a short water-off window with the occupants.
  3. Test, record and, where possible, repair on the same visit.
  4. Retest after any repair and restore water.

Check the current rules

  • How often you test, and where reports go, is a local decision that gets revised.
  • Check with the Town of Whitby or Durham Region for the current programme.

Asked on the phone

Will staff lose water for long during a backflow check?

A single small assembly is normally tested in less than an hour, and the water stays off only while gauges are attached.

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