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Blue pipes running up the outside of a red building
Water lines running up the outside wall.

Home service

Aisle 7 · Supply

Backflow prevention for North York properties

Backflow is water running the wrong way, from a hose, boiler or irrigation line back into the drinking water. A small valve stops it.

  • We start at the fixture, valve or rough-in wall
  • On the van: differential test gauge and torch
  • You see the broken part before you hear a number
  • Every fixture on the run tested before we leave
Call nowTalk to a plumber(365) 990-1521
  • Licensed and insured (details on the call)
  • Price agreed before work starts
  • North York and next door

Where it happens

  • A garden hose left sitting in a pail of fertilizer or a pool
  • Lawn irrigation systems drawing from the house supply
  • Hot water heating boilers with a fill valve from the cold line
  • Commercial kitchens, dental offices and laundromats

Devices by job

DeviceWhere it goes
Hose bib vacuum breakerScrews on every outdoor tap
Dual check valveBoiler feed, some water treatment
Pressure vacuum breakerResidential irrigation
Reduced pressure zone (RP)High-hazard commercial connections

The City of Toronto has a backflow prevention program for industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential properties.

From the counter

Testing

The City of Toronto has a backflow prevention program for industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential properties. Testable devices need a certified tester to check them and file the report. Requirements and deadlines can change, so check the City's current rules for your property type. Single-family homes usually just need the right device in the right place.

Easy home fix: make sure every outside tap is a frost-free model with a built-in vacuum breaker, or add a screw-on one.

What installation looks like

  1. We identify the cross-connection and the hazard level.
  2. A matching device is chosen and installed with isolation valves.
  3. Testable devices get test ports facing out where a tester can reach them.
  4. Where required, the device is tested and the report filed.

In North York plazas along Yonge, Finch and Wilson, many small businesses share older buildings with mixed plumbing. Tracing which line feeds what is often the slow part of the job.

Questions

Does my house need a backflow tester?

Most single-family homes do not need annual testing. Commercial and multi-residential buildings often do.

Is a backflow preventer the same as a backwater valve?

No. Backflow preventers protect the drinking water supply. Backwater valves protect the basement from sewer backups.

How the job runs

  1. You callDescribe what is dripping, backing up or cold, and the cross streets.
  2. We ask questionsAge of the building, pipe type if you know it, where the shut-off is.
  3. We open it upTrap off, clean-out open or wall cut: find the actual fault before quoting the fix.
  4. We test itOpen each tap on that run, watch the joints dry and show you what came out.