Why the test is required
- Restaurants with soda carbonators, clinics, car washes, buildings with fire sprinklers or irrigation, and anyone mixing chemicals into water all create a risk that non-drinking water could be siphoned back into the town supply. A testable backflow assembly is the safeguard. The town runs a backflow prevention program through its by-law; the town updates its deadlines and forms from time to time; ask Richmond Hill which version applies to you.
What happens during the test
- Our calibrated test kit hooks onto each numbered test port; close the downstream shut-off and check each part of the assembly in turn: the first check, the second check and, on reduced-pressure units, the relief valve opening point. The building loses water only for the minutes the test takes.
- If a check valve will not hold, we rebuild it with a repair kit for that make and size, then retest. Results go on the test report you submit, or that we submit where the program allows.
Signs you need this
- A letter from the town about overdue testing
- Water spitting from a relief valve port
- A new tenant adding carbonators or chemical feeds
- An assembly with no test tag or an old one
- Low pressure downstream of the device
Installing a new assembly
- Where a property needs a new or larger device, we size it to the line, install it with clearances for future testing and drainage for the relief port, and test it before leaving.
How the job runs
- 1
Call with the property address and device location.
- 2
We book a short test window with you.
- 3
Each check and relief valve is tested with a calibrated gauge.
- 4
Failed parts are rebuilt and the device retested.
- 5
You receive the completed test report.
For businesses: tell us your trading hours, the number of fixtures and where the cleanouts are, if you know. It lets us book the visit when it disrupts the least.
Want a second opinion on your own pipes first? Dial (365) 363-1575; the person answering holds the wrench.