Backflow testing in Jacksonville
Florida requires a backflow preventer on residential irrigation and a test every two years by a certified tester; JEA schedules it through its Checkup Program. Call a plumber who does the test and the repair.
A backflow prevention assembly keeps water on your property from flowing back into the public main if the pressure in the street drops: irrigation water with fertilizer in it, pool water, well water, reclaimed water. Florida has required one on residential irrigation systems since 1990 and requires it tested every two years by a certified tester, and JEA reports its customers' compliance to the state every year.
When you call, say which utility the water bill comes from, what the assembly serves (irrigation, pool, reclaimed water, a well), and whether you have received a test notice.
Need a plumber? Call 904-750-4911
The JEA rules
From JEA's residential backflow requirements and its cross-connection control program.
- Every two years, by a certified backflow tester, for a residential irrigation system on JEA water; the customer installs, operates, tests and maintains the assembly at their own expense and keeps the records.
- JEA's Backflow Preventer Checkup Program coordinates the test for customers with JEA residential irrigation service; the tester leaves a notice at the door. A failed assembly is the owner's to repair and retest, and JEA publishes a list of qualified vendors.
- An irrigation system fed from the regular water service or from a well, without a separate irrigation meter, still needs the assembly.
- Minimum protection: an RP (reduced pressure) assembly for irrigation service, wells and other auxiliary sources, pools with a piped fill line, and reclaimed water; a DC (double check) is allowed below grade only where a higher-hazard use is absent. JEA also inspects residential reclaimed-water systems periodically under DEP rules.
St. Johns, Clay and Nassau
The two-year residential rule is the state's, so it applies everywhere; the utility that bills you runs the program: St. Johns County Utility, Clay County Utility Authority, Nassau County / JEA's Nassau service, and the Beaches cities' own utilities. The notice you receive names the utility and the deadline; the tester files where that utility requires.
What the test involves
The tester shuts the water briefly, connects a test kit to the assembly's test cocks, and measures whether each check valve and the relief valve hold. It takes under an hour. A failed assembly is usually repaired with a rebuild kit on the spot or replaced if the body is corroded; a new assembly is a permitted installation. On JEA's hard water, scale inside the checks is the usual reason an assembly fails after ten or fifteen years.
Ask whether the contractor holds the tester certification the utility requires and is on JEA's vendor list, whether the fee includes filing the report, and whether they will send you a copy.