Backflow Testing in Salisbury, NC

When a Salisbury owner usually needs backflow help

• The yearly test on the sprinkler assembly tied to your SRU account is coming up
• A tester marked the device as failed and it needs new checks, springs or rubber parts
• The brass body split over the winter and water now sprays from the valve instead of the heads
• You're adding an in-ground irrigation system to an older lot
• The water heater's relief valve drips after heavy hot water use
• You bought the house and the seller left no test paperwork

How Salisbury-Rowan Utilities handles cross-connections

Salisbury gets its water and sewer from Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, the same system that serves Spencer, Rockwell, Granite Quarry, East Spencer, China Grove and parts of unincorporated Rowan County. SRU puts the duty on the customer: a home with a backflow assembly on its irrigation line must have that assembly tested once a year. The tester has to be on SRU's list, and the result is filed online through BSI, the outside vendor SRU uses for tracking. Since July 1, 2023, each filed report carries a $15.95 fee.

SRU maintains the pipe from the street main to the meter. Everything from the meter to the house belongs to the owner, and an irrigation assembly sits on that private side, so fixing or replacing it is yours to arrange.

A second part of SRU's program surprises people. New customer meters have come with a check valve since 1988. That valve stops house water from flowing back into the main, but it also closes the system, so water heated in the tank has nowhere to expand. SRU recommends a thermal expansion tank wherever a check valve is added. In a city where more than half the homes were built before 1980, many water heaters were set long before anyone planned for that.

What moves the price

• Test alone or test plus repair. A clean pass is a short visit; a rebuild followed by a retest takes longer.
• Device style and size. Reduced pressure assemblies have more internal parts than double checks.
• Condition. A body cracked by a freeze usually means replacement rather than a repair kit.
• Access. Assemblies buried in shrubs or set low in a box add labor.
• Expansion tank. Adding one at the water heater is separate work from the test.
• Permits. New installs may need a Rowan County Building Inspections permit, with zoning approval from the city first.

What to expect on the call

You'll be put in touch with an independent plumber who works in Salisbury. Say whether you need the yearly test, work on a failed device or a new installation, and ask whether they're on SRU's tester list if you want them to file the report. If the assembly is leaking, close the irrigation shutoff until someone gets there.