Backflow Testing in Rockwell, NC

How the call goes

When you call, you're connected with an independent plumber who covers Rockwell and eastern Rowan County. Be ready to say whether you need the annual SRU test, a fix for a device that failed or leaked, or a new installation for sprinklers. If you want the plumber to file the result, ask whether they're on SRU's tester list.

On site, the tester hooks a differential gauge to the assembly, closes and opens its shutoffs in sequence, and reads whether each check valve is holding. A pass gets filed. A fail usually means a dirty or worn check, a tired spring or a torn rubber part, and the plumber can usually rebuild those with a repair kit and test again the same visit.

Factors in the cost

• Test only, or repair and retest
• Device type, from a vacuum breaker to a reduced pressure assembly
• Whether winter damage means a whole new device
• Whether the meter's check valve calls for an expansion tank at the water heater
• Any Rowan County permit for a new installation

What applies in Rockwell

Rockwell is one of the towns Salisbury-Rowan Utilities lists as a water and sewer customer community. SRU's cross-connection program is specific about homes: if you have a backflow assembly on an irrigation system, it gets tested every year, by a tester on SRU's list, with the report filed through BSI. BSI has charged $15.95 per filed report since July 1, 2023.

SRU also sets meters for new customers with a check valve, as it has since 1988, and recommends a thermal expansion tank wherever a check valve is added. That's worth knowing in a town with plenty of recent building alongside older homes (median build year 1986). On the ownership side, SRU maintains the line from the main to the meter, and the customer owns everything from the meter to the house.

Beyond town limits, the 28138 ZIP is largely rural. About half of Rowan County residents used private wells as of 2015, though no Rockwell-area figure exists. A well-only home isn't in SRU's program. Plumbing permits for Rockwell go through Rowan County Building Inspections in Salisbury, with zoning approval from the town first.

Quick checklist

• Confirm your bill comes from SRU and not a private well
• Locate the irrigation assembly and clear access to it
• Find last year's test date or report
• Know how to shut off irrigation if the device is leaking
• Check whether the water heater already has an expansion tank