Backflow Testing in Fort Lupton, CO

What happens when you call

An independent plumber who works in Fort Lupton will ask whether this is the yearly test, a failure, a leak or a new device. Fort Lupton's program covers residential users, not just businesses, so a home sprinkler device is squarely in scope. Ask whether the tester holds cross-connection control certification and can submit results to Aqua Backflow on TrackMyBackflow.com. If the device fails, the plumber can explain the repair options and retest it.

Cost factors

• Test only or repair. A passing test is quick; failed parts add time and a retest.
• Device type. Different devices take different test procedures and parts.
• Freeze damage. A split body means a replacement.
• Line work. If the service line on your property needs replacing, Fort Lupton requires a separate Public Works sewer/water permit with a site plan.
• Access. Devices behind shrubs or in tight enclosures take longer.

Fort Lupton's rules and conditions

The City of Fort Lupton's Public Works Department manages water mains, hydrants and service lines and bills monthly. Its Cross Connection Control Program is one of the broader ones in the region: every connection to the public water system has to be protected by a backflow prevention device. Devices, lawn irrigation devices included, must be approved, inspected and tested by a certified technician before use and every year after. Results go to Aqua Backflow, and noncompliance can lead to disconnection, fines or both.

Homeowners own the water line from the meter to the house and the sewer connection to the main, so devices on that side are theirs. The city also publishes frozen-pipe guidance, recommending dripping cold water on exposed lines and keeping heat at 55 F or higher when away. The same cold that threatens pipes can crack a sprinkler device left full of water along Highway 85's open farm country.

Because Fort Lupton's rule covers every connection, owners of older homes sometimes learn during a test that a hose or garden line was never protected. A plumber can add the right device and test it before use, which is what the city requires of new devices anyway.

Before the plumber arrives

• Have the reminder or account info from Aqua Backflow
• Find the device and clear around it
• Know where the irrigation shutoff and main valve are
• Write down the make and size on the device body