Backflow Testing in Sheridan, CO

What happens when you call

An independent plumber who works in Sheridan will ask what type of service the device protects, since Denver Water's rules differ for commercial, irrigation, fire and residential lines. Ask whether the tester holds ABPA or ASSE certification, plus the Colorado Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow certification if the device is on a fire line. Mention any Denver Water notice. If the device needs work, the plumber will repair or replace it and retest it before the report goes in.

Cost factors

• Service type. Fire and commercial assemblies are larger and more involved than residential irrigation devices.
• Season. Irrigation assemblies are tested May through September, when demand is highest.
• Repairs. Failed checks or relief valves add parts and a retest.
• Freeze damage. Cracked bodies get replaced.
• Auxiliary supplies. Properties with a well or pond need an assembly, which can mean new installation work.

Sheridan's water arrangement

Sheridan is a small, long-established city bordering Denver on its west and north sides. Denver Water lists the City of Sheridan as a Total Service distributor, meaning Denver Water owns the system, runs and maintains it, and reads and bills every meter directly. Don't confuse it with the South Sheridan Water and Sanitary Sewer District, a separate distributor.

Denver Water's Cross-Connection Control program requires approved assemblies on commercial, industrial, domestic, irrigation and fire line services. Single- and multi-family homes are assessed by site hazard, and any property with an auxiliary supply such as a well or pond needs an assembly. Tests happen at installation and every year, and reports go to Denver Water Cross-Connection Control at 303-628-5969. On Denver Water service, homeowners own the service line and the meter setting, so the device is theirs too. Businesses along South Santa Fe Drive and South Federal Boulevard are the likeliest to have required assemblies.

Since Denver Water reads and bills each meter directly in Sheridan, any test notice will come from Denver Water rather than the City. Sewer is separate: Sheridan Sanitation District #1 handles it, so a sewer question doesn't go to the same office as a backflow question. Water emergencies go to Denver Water at 303-628-6801.

Short checklist

• Have your Denver Water notice or account number
• Know what the device protects: irrigation, domestic or fire
• Clear access around outdoor devices
• For irrigation, make sure the system is on so it can be tested