The City of Chandler requires backflow prevention devices to be installed, maintained and inspected throughout the city, and residential lawn irrigation must have its own protection. If a device is leaking, failed a check or needs to go in with new sprinklers, call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Chandler.
Local conditions in Chandler
Chandler runs its own water and sewer utility, so its rules are the ones that count here. The city's water quality report describes a program that requires installation, maintenance and inspection of backflow prevention devices across Chandler, to keep contamination from customer properties and temporary connections out of the distribution system. For homes, the report is specific about irrigation: residential lawn systems need backflow protection, either an atmospheric vacuum breaker or a pressure vacuum breaker, and a reduced pressure principle assembly where chemicals are injected into the line.
The city's homeowner permit manual lists irrigation systems among the work that needs a permit, so a new sprinkler install with its backflow device goes through Development Services at 215 E. Buffalo St. The City pages reviewed don't state a testing interval for single-family homes, so ask the city or the plumber whether your particular device is on a test schedule.
Chandler's water is hard, with the city reporting about 5 to 20 grains per gallon and a citywide average near 16.5. With a median year built around 1997, plenty of yards from Downtown Chandler to the Loop 202 neighborhoods have devices that have spent decades collecting scale.
Common irrigation protection compared
| Device | Where it fits | Testable? |
|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric vacuum breaker | Individual valves on simple residential zones, mounted above the highest head | No |
| Pressure vacuum breaker | The whole irrigation system from one point, also above the highest head | Yes, has test cocks |
| Reduced pressure assembly | Lines where fertilizer or other chemicals are injected | Yes, with a relief valve |
Signs to call
- Water bubbles from the vent cap of a vacuum breaker when zones start
- An injector was added to the drip system without upgrading the device
- The device is lower than the sprinkler heads it serves
- A cracked bonnet or body after a freeze or a bump from a mower
- No device at all on a system you inherited
Timing and seasonal notes
Spring and early summer, before watering schedules lengthen, are a sensible time to have a pressure vacuum breaker checked. In the hottest months, exposed plastic and rubber parts age faster, so a shaded cover helps. The rare hard freeze is the other risk; a device that sat uncovered on a cold night should be looked at before the next watering cycle.
Backflow Testing questions in Chandler
Why does a lawn irrigation system need backflow protection?
What is the difference between a PVB, a double check and an RPZ?
Do I need a permit to install or replace a backflow preventer?
Where should the assembly sit on my property?
More plumbing services in Chandler
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