Backflow Testing in Washington, IL

Who Is Allowed to Test Backflow Devices in Illinois?

A backflow tester in Illinois must hold a Cross-Connection Control Device Inspector approval from Illinois EPA, called a CCCDI. Applicants must also be authorized to do plumbing under the Illinois Plumbing License Law. The Illinois EPA program is coordinated by its Field Operations Section, with training through the Environmental Resources Training Center at SIU-E.

A test only counts if the person doing it holds the approval, so check before you book anyone, including us:

1. Ask the tester for the CCCDI number.
2. Ask for the plumbing license number, and check it in the Illinois Department of Public Health license lookup.
3. Call (209) 563-1400 to confirm who will do your test and what we can handle.

This page does not claim we hold that approval, so get the number before you book.

How Often Is Backflow Testing Required?

At least once a year, according to Illinois EPA. Its Cross-Connection Control page says facilities with backflow prevention devices must have them inspected and tested at installation and at least once a year afterward. State rules also require community public water supplies to run cross-connection control programs, and many Illinois suppliers require annual tests.

Your water supplier decides the details: the due date, the form and where results go. The notice may come with your water bill, so start there. In Washington, the City of Washington bills for water, so its water office is a sensible first call. For other towns, call the village or city that sells you water. Ask whether residential devices, such as a lawn sprinkler, are on its list too.

What Does a Backflow Test Check?

A backflow preventer is a set of valves that lets water flow one way. The tester closes the shutoffs on either side, attaches a test kit to the small test cocks on the device and reads pressures to see whether the check valves hold. On a reduced pressure assembly, the tester also confirms that the relief valve opens when it should.

• Reduced pressure assemblies protect against high-hazard connections such as boilers and some commercial equipment.
• Double check assemblies protect against lower-hazard connections.
• Pressure vacuum breakers guard lawn sprinkler systems.
• The report records the readings, device location, serial number and tester.

Water to the building or irrigation zone is interrupted for the length of the test. A single device test is usually short, but a building with several devices takes longer. We cannot say how long yours will take until we see how many devices you have and how they are installed.

What Happens During a Backflow Test, Step by Step?

Whoever holds the CCCDI approval should follow this order.

1. Identify the device. The tester records its type, size, location and serial number.
2. Warn the building. Staff and tenants hear when the water will go off.
3. Close the shutoffs. Water stops at the device for the length of the test.
4. Connect the kit. Hoses go on the test cocks, and air is bled out.
5. Read the valves. Each check valve and any relief valve is tested against its standard.
6. Restore and report. The shutoffs reopen, water returns, and the result goes to your supplier.

What Happens if the Device Fails?

The device is repaired or replaced, then retested. Common causes of failure are a worn rubber disc on a check valve, debris on a seat or a relief valve that sticks. Many repairs are a rebuild kit and an hour of work. Other times the whole assembly is worn out. The owner pays for repair. Ask for the failed test reading and a written quote before the work starts.

Repair is plumbing work, and Illinois requires a license for plumbing. The retest still has to come from someone holding a CCCDI approval. Keep the failed and the passed reports together.

What Paperwork Should You Keep?

Keep the test report from every year, with the date, the device location, the serial number and the tester's name and credentials. Illinois EPA says verification of inspection must be submitted to community public water supply officials, so send your report to your supplier by whatever method it accepts and keep a copy. For a rental building, give the property manager a copy and note the next due date.

How Do You Protect Devices in an Illinois Winter?

Exposed devices can freeze and crack. Washington's cold season runs about December 1 to March 1, with a January average low of 15.8 F (Plantmaps). Irrigation vacuum breakers should be drained and shut off in fall, and outdoor assemblies often need an insulated cover or an enclosure that your supplier or the manufacturer approves. Check the device for cracks in spring, before the test, since a cracked body fails for good.

What Does Backflow Testing Cost?

Prices vary by tester, and we do not have a published figure to quote. These are the variables to compare:

• Number of devices. A building with several assemblies takes longer than a single sprinkler breaker.
• Size and type. A large reduced pressure assembly is more work than a small vacuum breaker.
• Access. A device in a locked mechanical room or a pit needs more planning.
• Report filing. Ask whether the fee covers sending the result to your supplier.
• Repairs and retests. A rebuild kit, labor and a second test are separate costs.
• Timing. A test outside business hours may carry a different price, so ask first.

Ask each tester what the test includes and what a retest costs before you agree. Because Illinois EPA calls for a yearly test, compare the cost across several years, not one visit. Our commercial drain service page explains how we quote other business work.