Backflow Testing in Chevy Chase, MD

Chevy Chase is served by WSSC Water, which requires every testable backflow assembly to be tested each year and right after installation, repair or relocation, with irrigation devices tested at spring start-up. Only a certified cross-connection technician can do it, so call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Chevy Chase.

Signs you need a backflow visit

The sprinkler system is about to start for the season
Water pools around the device or drips from it
Your last test report shows a failure
A landscape renovation added zones, drip lines or a fountain
The device looks corroded or was damaged by frost

Local conditions in Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase grew as a streetcar suburb along Connecticut Avenue starting in the 1890s, and the housing reflects it: in the 20815 ZIP about two-thirds of homes predate 1980 and more than 2,600 were built in 1939 or earlier. Houses that old were built without irrigation, so any sprinkler system was added later, sometimes several times over, and its backflow device may sit wherever the installer found room.

WSSC Water supplies water and sewer, and its cross-connection program asks for a yearly test on each testable assembly, plus a test after installation, repair or relocation. Irrigation systems are tested at spring start-up and reported as WSSC's code requires. Only journeyman or master plumbers registered with WSSC who are certified cross-connection technicians may do the work.

Permits add a local wrinkle. Chevy Chase is a patchwork of an unincorporated area and several incorporated towns and villages. WSSC handles the plumbing permit for a new or replacement assembly. If the device is part of a larger landscape or construction project, the Town of Chevy Chase, for example, requires its own permit on top of the county one and won't approve it until the county permit is issued.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Chevy Chase.

(202) 915-7612

Cost considerations

Test only versus test, rebuild and retest
Assembly type: RPZ servicing takes longer than a vacuum breaker
A device buried in mature plantings or set in a deep box
Replacement and the permit steps that come with it
Commercial or condominium buildings near Friendship Heights with more than one assembly

When you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Chevy Chase. Plumber Washington DC Pros is not a plumbing company; the plumber quotes and schedules with you directly. Mention which town or village you are in, since that can affect permits, and whether the device is leaking right now so the plumber knows how quickly to come.

Backflow Testing questions in Chevy Chase

Why does a lawn sprinkler system need a backflow preventer?

Sprinkler lines run through soil, mulch and fertilizer. If pressure drops on the street side, that water could be drawn back toward the house supply; the device stops it.

Do I need a permit to install or move a backflow preventer?

WSSC Water Permit Services issues the plumbing permit. If the work is part of a bigger project in an incorporated town such as the Town of Chevy Chase, that town may need its own permit as well.

What happens if the assembly fails its test?

The plumber rebuilds or replaces the failed parts, then retests. A passing result is what closes the matter with WSSC.

How often does a testable backflow assembly need a test here?

Every year for each testable assembly, and right after installation, repair or relocation. Irrigation devices are tested at spring start-up.