The city’s water main is designed to direct clean water into your home and/or business. In NYC, backflow prevention devices are mandatory for some properties to protect the public water supply from contamination. These devices prevent the reverse flow of water that could carry pollutants or hazardous substances back into the city’s water system. Skaggs-Walsh’s local teams offer backflow preventer testing, repair, and installation, but customers need to know whether their property even needs one first.
What Properties Need Backflow Preventers in NYC?
Residences
Backflow preventers are required for the following residential properties:
- Multi-unit residential buildings
- Mixed-use buildings
- Homes with swimming pools
- Homes with in-ground irrigation systems
While residences are pretty straightforward, the businesses that must have backflow preventers include far more specificity.
Businesses
Backflow preventers are required for all of the following business properties:
- Properties with in-ground irrigation sprinklers
- Properties with swimming pools
- Premises with multiple water service lines
- Metal plating, cleaning, processing, or fabricating facilities
- Photo-processing facilities
- Laundries and dry cleaners
- Commercial car washes
- Greenhouses
- Hospitals, Clinics, and Laboratories (including veterinary hospitals)
- Medical and Dental Offices
- Funeral Parlors
- Food processing plants and meat/fish packers
- Dye Plants
- Paper processors
- Auto Repair Shops
- Breweries
- Tanneries
- Exterminators
- Residential dwellings with water boilers that use rust inhibitors or other water treatment chemicals, (“treated water boilers”)
- Sewage treatment plants or handling facilities
- Premises with roof tanks and elevated storage lines
- Canneries
- Slaughterhouse/Live Poultry Processing Facilities
- Ice Manufacturing Facilities
- Printing Facilities
- Supermarkets
- Premises with large boilers or chemically treated boilers
- Warehouses (with toxic chemical storage)
- Premises with Commercial or Public Kitchens
- Premises with water-cooled equipment or chillers
- Premises with Groundwater Wells
- Premises that Reuse or Recycle Water
- Shipyards and Marinas
- Schools and Colleges
- Food Preparation Facilities
- Nursing Homes
- Barber Shops and Beauty Salons
Every business on this list must use a backflow preventer unless they receive a specific exemption from NYC DEP. This is a long list, and it includes a wide variety of businesses, so don’t be afraid to call NYC DEP to ask about your specific business. They also offer a Risk Assessment Guide for engineers and architects working on new builds to help them determine whether a backflow preventer is needed.
Installation & Testing
Installation
To install a backflow preventer, property owners (POs) will need to hire a professional engineer or registered architect to create a backflow prevention plan for the property. That plan will need to be sent to the DEP, and they will send an approval. The PO can then hire a licensed master plumber, like the professionals who lead Skaggs-Walsh’s local teams, to install the preventer. If they want the process to happen as quickly and easily as possible, they should simply call Skaggs-Walsh and allow us to contract the entire installation and inspection process from beginning to end.
Testing
When your backflow preventer is first installed, you’re required to have a New York State-certified tester test it to ensure it was correctly installed and working correctly. If you get your backflow preventer installed with a Skaggs-Walsh team, we can also do the initial testing for you, as we are certified testers.
After this initial test, your backflow preventer will need to be tested every 12 months by a certified tester. Notifications are sent in the mail by the DEP when your annual backflow preventer testing is required. If you don’t get these annual tests performed on time, you could get fined or get your water disconnected by the city. If you think it will help you keep up with inspections, you can sign up for NYC DEP email notifications here.
FAQs
| Q: How often does my backflow preventer need to be tested? |
| A: Every 12 months |
| Q: Can any plumber install and test a backflow preventer? |
| A: No, in NYC, a licensed Master Plumber must install the device, and a NY State certified Backflow Tester must test the device. This can be the same person, or two different people, depending on their certifications. |
| Q: Does Skaggs-Walsh have both a Licensed Master Plumber for Installation and a certified tester? |
| A: Yes, we can install and test your backflow preventer |
For any questions we may have missed, refer to the NYC DEP page on NYC backflow prevention requirements, where we sourced and double-checked all of this information.
Comply with NYC Backflow Prevention Requirements with Skaggs-Walsh
If you need a provider that can install a new backflow preventer, test it on the spot, and repair it if it breaks, you are in luck. Skaggs-Walsh operates in NYC and Long Island, and we’re your one-stop-shop for all your backflow prevention needs.
To cater to customers in different areas, Skaggs-Walsh has local expert teams that specialize in the equipment our customers need. The team assigned to your service needs may vary based on your location, utilities, and current demand. You can expect the same great service from all of our plumbing teams, including:
To install, test, or repair your backflow preventer and comply with NYC backflow prevention requirements, please give us a call.
