Backflow Testing & Prevention in Littleton, CO
Annual certified testing for irrigation, boiler, and commercial backflow preventers, plus repair and new installation.
Got A Backflow Testing Notice?
If your water utility sent a notice that your irrigation system's backflow preventer is due for annual testing, that's not a suggestion, it's a requirement in most Colorado jurisdictions for any system connected to the potable water supply. Backflow testing and prevention in Littleton, CO covers that annual certified test, along with repair and new installation for the device itself.
What To Do If You Suspect Contaminated Water
Stop using tap water for drinking or cooking if you notice an unusual taste, color, or odor right after irrigation or lawn chemical application, and contact your water utility to report it. A backflow event is rare with a working preventer, but worth ruling out quickly rather than assuming it's unrelated.
What A Backflow Preventer Actually Does
A backflow preventer stops water from reversing direction and flowing back into the clean municipal supply. This matters most on connections like irrigation systems, boilers, and fire sprinklers, where the water on the other side of the device could carry fertilizer, chemicals, or stagnant water. A sudden pressure drop in the main line, from a water main break or heavy firefighting demand nearby, is exactly the situation a failed preventer would let contaminated water flow backward through.
Testing Notice From Your Water Utility?
We handle certified testing and any needed repair.
Who Needs This
Irrigation systems are the most common residential trigger, since any connection with fertilizer or chemical exposure downstream is treated as a contamination risk by code. Boilers, fire sprinkler systems, and commercial connections with chemical or process water also require backflow prevention devices, each typically needing its own annual certified test.
What actually changes the price: whether it's an annual test versus a repair or new installation, the device type (irrigation, boiler, or commercial), and physical access to the device's location. Devices and testing procedures follow your jurisdiction's adopted plumbing code, commonly UPC or IPC. Want your real number? Call (303) 552-3896.
Devices We Test And Service
Reduced pressure zone (RPZ) assemblies are the most common device on irrigation systems and offer the highest level of protection, since they actively vent to atmosphere if either internal check valve fails. Double check valve assemblies are common on less hazardous connections and are simpler to test, though they don't offer the same fail-safe venting an RPZ does.
Both device types wear over time, most commonly at the internal rubber seats and springs, which is exactly what an annual test is designed to catch before the device actually fails under real backflow conditions rather than during a routine check. Winterizing an outdoor device before the first hard freeze also matters in Littleton, since a cracked housing from freeze damage is a common and entirely avoidable cause of test failures every single spring.
Common Questions
Is backflow testing actually required, or just recommended?
In most Colorado jurisdictions, annual testing is required by code for irrigation systems and other connections with contamination risk, not just recommended. Your water utility typically sends a notice when it's due.
What happens if I skip the test?
Water utilities can restrict or shut off service for non-compliance, since an untested device is treated as an unverified contamination risk to the shared water supply.
How long does a backflow test take?
Most residential irrigation tests take under an hour. We file the certification paperwork with your water utility as part of the visit.
Do commercial properties need this too?
Yes, often with additional device types depending on the business, covered in more depth on our commercial plumbing page.
Can I test my own backflow device?
No, testing requires a certified tester with calibrated gauge equipment, and results typically need to be filed directly with your water utility to count toward compliance.
If your property is a business with additional plumbing needs beyond backflow, our commercial plumbing page covers the broader picture. For a home with a boiler that also needs a backflow device, our boiler repair page covers other common hydronic system issues. Irrigation-heavy properties in Chatfield Bluffs near open space commonly need this annual testing, covered further on our Chatfield Bluffs plumbing page.