Backflow testing is a yearly check that proves the device on your water line still stops dirty water from flowing back into the public supply. If a letter from your water utility landed this month, it probably names a device, a serial number and a due date. That is the whole job in one page.
Your device is one of a few types. Homes with lawn sprinklers usually have a pressure vacuum breaker (PVB). Apartment buildings and fire lines often use a double check valve assembly. High-hazard connections, like boiler feeds, car washes and dental offices, need an RPZ, a reduced pressure zone assembly with a relief valve between two checks.
A certified tester hooks a differential pressure gauge to the test cocks and reads each check. A double check has to hold at least 1.0 psid on each side. An RPZ relief valve has to open at 2.0 psid or more. The readings go on the report as found, pass or fail.
Most residential tests take about half an hour. Then the report gets filed with the utility, which is the step people forget.
Call (833) 990-5874 to book backflow testing near me with a certified local tester, anywhere across the US.