Backflow Testing in Glendale, AZ

Does my Glendale property need a yearly backflow test?

For businesses, yes. Glendale Water Services runs the cross-connection control program under Chapter 33 of the city code, which requires approved backflow prevention assemblies to be installed, tested and maintained at service connections, and commercial customers' assemblies must be inspected annually. For a house, the city pages reviewed don't spell out a residential schedule. If you have a testable assembly on irrigation, a pool line or a home fire sprinkler system and aren't sure whether the city tracks it, call the program at (623) 930-4177 or email [email protected]. It's easier to confirm before a notice arrives than after.

Who can test or repair a backflow assembly here?

Only a certified tester the city recognizes, and that applies to repair work on the assembly too, not just the test. Glendale publishes a certified tester list, so you can check a name before booking. When you call through this page, ask the plumber whether they're on that list. A tester who isn't recognized can't produce a report the city will accept, which means paying twice.

Housing in Glendale has a median year built around 1985, so many assemblies, from Downtown Glendale to the neighborhoods along 51st Avenue, are on their second or third rebuild. Scale and worn rubber are the usual causes of a fail.

What about Hedgepeth Hills and lots on SRP irrigation?

The Hedgepeth Hills area, from Loop 101 to Mohawk Drive between 47th and 51st Avenue, has had water delivered by Glendale but billed by the City of Phoenix, and Phoenix's system is now connected directly. Those addresses are Phoenix water customers, so ask Phoenix about its backflow rules rather than Glendale.

Some downtown lots also receive non-potable Salt River Project irrigation water through urban irrigation. That water must never be tied into household plumbing, and a hose or pump that links the two is a cross-connection. A plumber can make sure the systems stay physically separate.

A note on permits

Glendale's Building Safety, Codes and Services handles permits. Its Q&A says replacing drain or waste piping or any gas piping needs a permit; ask the counter about a new or relocated backflow assembly before work starts.