That backflow test notice? Handled in one visit.
Virginia requires a certified annual test of the backflow preventer on irrigation systems, fire lines, pools, and commercial connections. We test it in about 30 minutes, take care of the paperwork, and fix it on the spot if it fails.
One visit, paperwork handled
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You’re not in trouble. It’s a yearly requirement, and it’s quick.
Every water utility in Northern Virginia runs a cross-connection control program because Virginia’s waterworks regulations make them. If your property has a device that can push or siphon water backward into the drinking supply, that device gets tested when it’s installed, after any repair, and once a year after that.
Who gets these notices
Homes with in-ground sprinkler systems, properties with fire sprinkler lines, pools and hot tubs connected to the supply, and just about every commercial meter. If you have one of those, the annual notice is part of owning it.
The clock is real
A failed device has 30 days to be repaired and retested in Loudoun, and needs a passing report within 15 days in Leesburg. Ignore the notices long enough and every area utility reserves the same endpoint: water service disconnection.
The way out is easy
One visit. The test takes about 30 minutes, we handle repair or replacement if it fails, and we take care of the report so the utility closes your file.
The test, start to finish
Book a window
Online or one call. Tell us how many devices you have; commercial properties with a whole list are welcome.
The 30-minute test
Your tester connects a calibrated gauge, shuts your water off for a few minutes, and verifies every check valve and relief valve holds the line.
Pass: report filed
We submit the passing result to your water authority (in Fairfax County that filing is due within 14 days of the test) and leave you a copy for your records.
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.
PVB, RPZ, or double check, in plain English
PVB (pressure vacuum breaker)
The above-ground device on most home sprinkler systems. It stops backsiphonage, and because it lives outside, winter breaks more PVBs than anything else does.
RPZ (reduced pressure zone)
The highest level of protection. Its relief valve dumps water on the ground rather than let anything reach your supply. Standard for commercial, medical, and other high-hazard connections.
Double check assembly
Two independent check valves for lower-hazard lines, often installed underground or on fire services where the county allows it.
Putting in a sprinkler system, pool line, or fire service? We install it right.
A backflow preventer only protects you if it’s the right type, in the right place, installed to your county’s code. We size it, pull the permits, set it up so it can actually be tested, and protect it from the freeze that kills so many of them.
One local detail worth knowing: in Prince William County, if your irrigation system gets winterized with antifreeze, an RPZ is the only approved device. We’ll tell you what your county requires before any metal gets cut.
Installed by the same licensed Class A contractor who can test it every year after, so the device, the paperwork, and the reminders all live in one place.
Who requires what across Northern Virginia
All of these programs come from the same state regulation, but each utility runs its own paperwork and deadlines. We work with all of them.
Fairfax Water + Fairfax County
Joint program with the county. Annual testing on irrigation, fire suppression, pools, and other testable assemblies; the testing company files your passing report with the county within 14 days.
Loudoun Water
Annual test by a certified tester. A failed device has 30 days to be repaired and retested, and irrigation devices pulled for winterization must be retested when they go back in.
Prince William Water
Annual notices when your device comes due. County code allows a PVB or RPZ on irrigation, and if the system is winterized with antifreeze, an RPZ is the only approved device.
Virginia American Water (Alexandria)
Annual tests reported through BSI Online. Non-testable residential dual checks are on a 5-year inspect-or-replace cycle.
Town of Leesburg
Residential irrigation results are due to the Town by June 1 every year. A device that fails needs a passing report within 15 days.
City of Manassas
Annual minimum on every testable device, plans approved before irrigation installs, and device internals overhauled on a 5-year cycle.
The Arlington exception. Arlington County runs its own inspections: commercial checks are done by county inspectors, and residential irrigation only needs the initial inspection, with third-party testing optional after that. If you’re in Arlington and unsure, call us and we’ll tell you straight whether you need anything at all.
Backflow FAQ
Do I really have to test it every year?
If the device is testable and you’re on Fairfax Water, Loudoun Water, Prince William Water, Virginia American Water, Leesburg, or Manassas water, yes. Virginia’s waterworks regulations require a test at installation, after any repair, and annually after that. Arlington County is the exception: the county handles its own inspections and residential irrigation only needs the initial one.
What happens if I ignore the notice?
The notices escalate, and every area utility reserves the same endpoint: disconnection of water service until the device is tested and passing. A failed device also runs on a short clock, 30 days to repair and retest in Loudoun and 15 days in Leesburg.
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.
Backflow testing near you
Each county’s utility runs its own deadlines and paperwork. Pick yours for the local rules, the towns we cover, and the questions that come up there.
Fairfax County
Fairfax Water notices, the county’s 14-day report filing, and every town from Vienna to Lorton.
Loudoun County
Loudoun Water’s 30-day repair clock, the winterization retest rule, and Leesburg’s June 1 deadline.
Prince William County
Dale City, Woodbridge and Manassas: the antifreeze-means-RPZ rule and the Manassas 5-year overhaul.
Property manager or HOA? Whole device lists, RPZs, fire lines, and multi-site routes are their own page: commercial backflow testing.
Backflow, in plain English
What is backflow?
Backsiphonage, backpressure, where the cross-connections in a house are, and which device stops what.
Signs of a backflow problem
Nine tells, the innocent look-alikes, and what to do in the first hour if you suspect it.
Backflow preventer leaking?
Every PVB and RPZ leak pattern, which are normal, which are a rebuild, which mean a cracked body.
What happens during the test
The gauge, the test-cock sequence, and the pass thresholds, step by step.
Inspection vs. test
The difference, which one your notice wants, and the honest pros and cons of each device.
What it costs
Attributed national numbers, what moves the price, and why the test is the cheap half of the story.
One visit. Tested, fixed if needed, filed.
Book the test before the deadline on your notice and be done with backflow for the year. Homes, commercial properties, and multi-device lists all welcome.
Licensed Class A #2705192276 · Based in Chantilly, serving all of Northern Virginia