Backflow Testing in Brandywine, MD

What happens when you call

You're connected with an independent plumber who covers Brandywine. Say whether the house is on WSSC water or a private well, what the device protects and whether a notice has arrived. On a WSSC home, the plumber tests each testable assembly with a gauge and sends the result in. A failing check or relief valve is rebuilt and retested; a damaged body is replaced under a WSSC permit and tested again. On a well home, the plumber looks at the irrigation or boiler connection and suggests suitable protection.

What affects the cost

• How many devices the home has, since some new houses have both fire sprinkler and irrigation assemblies
• The type: dual check, double check, vacuum breaker or RPZ
• Whether parts or a full replacement are needed
• Permits through WSSC for a replacement
• Access in finished basements and landscaped yards

Brandywine conditions

Brandywine is one of the newest places in Prince George's County. Its median home was built in 2011, and more than half of its housing went up since 2010, around the US 301 and MD 5 corridor and Brandywine Crossing. New homes are the most likely to have residential fire sprinklers and builder-installed irrigation, and WSSC lists the fire sprinkler double check among testable assemblies. Owners of new homes are often surprised the yearly test applies to them; it does, from the first year.

The area also sits in the county's rural tier, where Prince George's County's water and sewer plan says rural areas get water from individual wells. Rural parcels toward places like Cedarville and Baden may be on a private well and a private onsite wastewater system rather than WSSC, so service varies by address and the bill you receive is the quickest way to tell. Part of the 20613 ZIP code also lies in Charles County, outside WSSC's area; there, the utility on your bill sets the rules.

Before the plumber arrives

• Confirm whether you get a WSSC water bill
• Find the fire sprinkler riser, usually in the basement or garage
• Locate the irrigation shutoff and assembly
• Gather builder documents or past test reports
• Clear storage away from the riser and the yard device