Backflow Testing in Superior, CO

Backflow in Superior

Superior's Water Division serves homes and businesses inside town limits under the rules of Superior Metropolitan District No. 1, the registered public water system. Its cross-connection program covers non-single-family connections: commercial and multifamily owners need their backflow devices tested every year by a certified technician the District has approved, and they have to submit the reports. Single-family detached homes are exempt from that program.

Being exempt from annual testing doesn't mean a house has no backflow device. Many homes in Rock Creek Ranch, Original Town and Sagamore have irrigation systems with devices on them, and those still wear out and freeze. The Town also ties backflow to water heaters: its building rules require an expansion tank when backflow prevention is on the system, because a closed system can't push expanding hot water back to the main.

Ownership is clear in the District's rules. Homeowners own the water line from the meter pit outlet to the house. Superior also runs a separate purple-pipe reclaimed water system for commercial landscape irrigation, which must never be cross-connected to drinking water lines.

Homes versus commercial properties

Signs you need help

• A test notice for a commercial or multifamily device
• Your water heater's relief valve drips and there's backflow protection on the line
• A sprinkler device leaks after start-up
• A failed test needs a rebuild and retest
• Frost damage after a cold night

Seasonal timing

Superior sits on open ground off US-36 where winter wind adds to the cold. Drain irrigation devices before the first freeze and check them in spring. Commercial owners should schedule tests early enough to allow for repairs. For after-hours water emergencies, the Town's hotline is 303-554-9086.

For homeowners, the most overlooked backflow issue is the water heater. When a backflow device or check valve closes the system, heated water has nowhere to expand, and the temperature and pressure relief valve may start to drip. The Town's expansion tank rule addresses exactly that, and a plumber can check the tank's charge while looking at the heater.