Commercial backflow · RPZ · fire lines · HOAs

Commercial backflow testing, the whole list in one visit.

Restaurants, medical and dental offices, HOA clubhouses, office parks, and multifamily buildings carry several backflow assemblies each, most of them RPZs on a compliance clock. We test every device on your list in one scheduled visit, repair on the spot, and file with Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Alexandria, Leesburg, or Manassas.

VA Class A #2705192276
One visit, paperwork handled
5.0 on Google
SwiftPro plumbing technician checking a tablet at the open rear of a wrapped SwiftPro service truck outside a commercial building in Northern Virginia
Why you got the letter

Commercial properties don’t have a device. They have a list.

A typical commercial water service has an RPZ on the domestic line, a double check or RPZ on the fire line, a PVB or RPZ on irrigation, and one more on anything with chemicals, carbonation, or a boiler. Every one of them is tested annually under Virginia’s waterworks regulations, each one is tracked by the utility, and each one fails independently.

Who this is for

Property managers, HOA boards, restaurant operators, medical and dental practices, churches, schools, car washes, and anyone who gets a stack of notices instead of one. Multi-site portfolios welcome.

RPZ is the standard

High-hazard connections get a reduced pressure zone assembly, and RPZs are the devices that discharge water when a check fails. A constant discharge is a repair call, not a wait-and-see.

One visit, every device

We schedule around your tenants, isolate one line at a time so the building stays in service as much as the piping allows, test every device, rebuild what fails, and file every report.

What to expect

The test, start to finish

1

Book a window

Online or one call. Tell us how many devices you have and which utility sent the letter; commercial properties with a whole list are welcome.

2

The 30-minute test

Your tester connects a calibrated gauge, isolates the device for a few minutes, and verifies every check valve and relief valve holds the line.

3

Pass: report filed

We submit the passing result to your water authority and leave you a copy for your records.

4

Fail: fixed and retested

Most failures are rebuildable. We quote the fix before we start, repair or replace, retest, and file the passing result.

The number one killer of backflow preventers here is winter. An above-ground PVB that wasn’t drained in the fall can crack from the inside when trapped water freezes. If your sprinkler system skipped winterization last year, book the test now instead of waiting for the notice. How to winterize it.

Where we go

Backflow testing across Northern Virginia

Based in Chantilly, so Northern Virginia is home turf. Homes, HOAs, and commercial properties in and around:

Fairfax County
Loudoun County
Prince William County
Alexandria
Arlington (inspection support)
Leesburg
Manassas
Tysons
Reston
Herndon
Chantilly
Ashburn
Sterling
Woodbridge
Your utility’s rules

Who requires what in Northern Virginia

Every program comes from the same Virginia regulation, but each utility runs its own paperwork and deadlines. We work with all of them, and the full Northern Virginia grid is on our main backflow page.

Fairfax Water + Fairfax County

Joint program. The testing company files your passing report with the county within 14 days of the test.

Loudoun Water

Annual test by a certified tester. A failed device has 30 days to be repaired and retested.

Prince William Water and Manassas

Annual notices from Prince William Water; Manassas adds plan approval and a 5-year internal overhaul on every device.

Virginia American Water (Alexandria)

Annual tests reported through BSI Online.

Town of Leesburg

A device that fails needs a passing report within 15 days.

Arlington County

Commercial checks are done by county inspectors. We handle the repairs, replacements, and any testing your inspector asks for.

Questions we hear every week

Northern Virginia backflow FAQ

Can you test all of our backflow devices in one visit?

Yes. Send us the device list (or the stack of notices) and we schedule one visit, test each device, rebuild what fails on the spot, and file every report. Multi-site portfolios can be scheduled as a route.

Will our building lose water during commercial backflow testing?

Each device is isolated one at a time. A domestic-service RPZ takes the building off water for a few minutes during the readings; fire-line and irrigation devices don’t affect domestic water at all. We schedule around your tenants and hours.

Our RPZ is constantly discharging water. What does that mean?

Almost always a failed first check valve, which leaves the relief valve open. It’s protecting the supply, but it wastes a lot of water. Close the isolation valves and book the repair; the device is rebuilt and retested in one visit.

Do you install new backflow preventers for commercial connections?

Yes: RPZ, double check, and PVB installations for new services, fire lines, irrigation, and equipment connections, sized and located to your county’s code, then tested before they go into service.

How long does the test take?

About 30 minutes per device. Your water is off for a few of those minutes while the gauge readings are taken, and that’s the whole disruption.

Who is allowed to do the test?

Virginia is strict about this. Since January 1, 2023, the state only accepts tests performed by a certified Backflow Prevention Device Worker, a DPOR tradesman certification, and some counties add their own registration rules on top. A test that doesn’t meet those rules is void and has to be redone.

What if the device fails?

Most failures are rebuildable: worn check springs, debris in a seat, or a body cracked by a hard freeze. We quote the fix before we start, repair or replace it, retest, and handle the paperwork.

What does it cost?

A flat per-device price we quote when you book, no trip-fee surprise. Testing is the inexpensive end of plumbing work; the expensive path is ignoring the notice until the utility acts.

Two SwiftPro technicians in a Northern Virginia basement mechanical room next to a furnace and water heater
Mechanical rooms are home. Dedicated plumbing team, not cross-trained generalists.
Keep reading

More on backflow, in plain English

Send the list. We’ll send one invoice and every report.

Property managers and HOA boards: one scheduled visit, every device tested, failures repaired on the spot, reports filed with each utility. Reminders when next year’s tests come due.

Licensed Class A #2705192276 · Based in Chantilly, serving all of Northern Virginia