Backflow Testing in Ashburn, VA

Does my Ashburn sprinkler system really need a test every year?

Yes. Ashburn is unincorporated, so Loudoun Water supplies water and sewer, and its cross-connection program requires backflow preventers on irrigation systems and pools to be tested annually by a certified tester. The reason is simple: if pressure in a main drops during a break or heavy hydrant use, water sitting in sprinkler pipes or a pool fill line can be pulled back toward the public supply, and the assembly is what stops it. Loudoun Water's Central System draws mainly on the Potomac River, with Goose Creek and the Beaverdam reservoir as needed, and uses chloramine as its disinfectant.

My house is fairly new. Why would the device fail already?

Ashburn's housing is young. In ZIP 20147 only about 2 percent of homes predate 1980, and most went up between 1990 and 2019 in neighborhoods such as Ashburn Farm, Ashburn Village, Broadlands and Brambleton. Many sprinkler assemblies were installed when the house was built, which puts a large share of them at ten to thirty years old. Rubber discs, springs and seals inside do not last forever, and one hard freeze with water left in the body can crack brass on a device that is otherwise fine. A test that fails is usually fixed with a rebuild kit and a retest; a cracked body means a new assembly.

Who handles permits and paperwork?

Loudoun County Building and Development handles residential plumbing, gas and mechanical trade permits, filed as sub-records of a parent building permit through its LandMARC system or in person in Leesburg. Ask the plumber whether a new or relocated assembly needs one. For questions about which devices Loudoun Water tracks at your address and how it receives results, call Loudoun Water Customer Relations at 571-291-7880 and keep a copy of every report you are given.

A short local note

Ashburn's lawns get a lot of irrigation through hot summers, then sit through cold winters, so the best routine is to close the irrigation supply and drain the device each fall and test it in spring when the system is turned back on. If you are adding a pool or a backyard fountain tied to the water line, plan the backflow protection as part of the project rather than afterward. After hours, Loudoun Water's emergency line is 571-291-7878 for problems on its side of the meter.