Backflow Testing in Sterling, VA

Signs a Sterling property needs backflow service

• The sprinkler or pool assembly has no test record from the past year
• Water trickles from the relief port or vent while irrigation runs
• The device was installed decades ago and looks corroded
• A pool, fountain or hot tub fill was added to the household line
• Winter cold cracked the body or a test cock
• A business along Route 28 or Route 7 is adding equipment fed by the water line

Local conditions in Sterling

Sterling grew up next to Dulles International Airport, starting with the early-1960s Sterling Park development on former farmland. Its housing is older than most of Loudoun County: about 43 percent of homes in ZIP 20164 predate 1980, many from the 1960s through the 1980s. Older houses often had irrigation added later, so devices can be undersized, poorly placed or simply worn out. Newer subdivisions toward Algonkian Regional Park and Claude Moore Park tend to have assemblies installed with the house.

Sterling is unincorporated, so Loudoun Water supplies its water and sewer. Its Central System draws mainly from the Potomac River, with Goose Creek and the Beaverdam reservoir as needed, and uses chloramine as its disinfectant. The cross-connection program exists to keep pools, irrigation and other non-drinking-water connections from pushing or pulling water back into the system, and annual testing by a certified tester is the core requirement. Plumbing permits come from Loudoun County Building and Development, filed as sub-records of a parent building permit through LandMARC or in person in Leesburg.

What affects the cost

• Pass or fail. A passing device is a short visit; a fail adds a rebuild and a retest.
• Assembly type. A reduced pressure unit has more parts than a vacuum breaker.
• Age. Older models may need a full replacement if parts are scarce.
• Placement. Moving a badly located device adds labor and permit time.

What happens when you call

The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who works in Sterling. Say what the device serves, whether it leaks and when it was last tested. Ask the plumber to confirm their backflow tester certification. Loudoun Water Customer Relations, at 571-291-7880, can answer questions about your account; for a leak right now, close the irrigation shutoff or main valve.