Backflow preventers protect the York Water Company distribution system — and your own supply — from contamination when pressure drops cause water to reverse direction. Installation, annual testing, and certification for commercial, residential irrigation, and cross-connection requirements across York, PA.
Certified Testing · York, PAScott's H Plumbing provides backflow preventer installation, annual testing, and certification in York, PA for residential irrigation systems, commercial properties, and any cross-connection that York Water Company requires to be protected. Testing reports are submitted directly to the utility. Call (717) 842-9770 to schedule testing or installation.
York Water Company requires annual testing for commercial accounts and residential irrigation backflow devices. A missed test can result in a service notice. Call (717) 842-9770 to schedule.
York Water Company, which has supplied the city and its municipalities since 1816, operates under Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission cross-connection control requirements that mandate backflow protection at any point where the public water supply could be contaminated by a non-potable source. For residential customers, the most common application is the irrigation system: a lawn irrigation connection creates a direct path between the treated York Water Company supply and the soil, fertilizer residue, and pesticide contact that outdoor water encounters. A pressure vacuum breaker or reduced pressure zone assembly at the irrigation connection is required for new installations and is increasingly required for existing systems during meter upgrades.
Commercial properties in York face more stringent requirements. Any facility with chemical handling, food processing, medical equipment, industrial processes, or fire suppression systems that connect to the potable supply must have an appropriately rated backflow preventer — typically a reduced pressure zone assembly — installed, tested annually, and documented. York Water Company maintains a cross-connection control program that tracks required devices and follows up with accounts that have missed annual testing deadlines.
Differential pressure testing of RP (reduced pressure zone) assemblies and DCVA (double check valve) assemblies per ASSE/AWWA standards. Test results are documented and submitted to York Water Company as required by their cross-connection program.
Testing, repair, and winterization of pressure vacuum breakers on residential irrigation systems — the most common backflow device in York's suburban and township properties. PVBs must be tested annually and winterized before the first freeze to prevent check valve cracking.
RP assemblies for commercial applications requiring the highest level of backflow protection — chemical handling, medical, and fire suppression connections. Installation includes proper clearance from the floor and drain requirements per current code.
Internal check valves, relief valves, and seat discs in backflow assemblies are serviceable components. A device that fails its annual test is often repairable with internal parts rather than requiring full replacement.
Pressure vacuum breaker or double check valve installation on new irrigation system connections, sized and positioned per York Water Company requirements and Pennsylvania plumbing code.
For commercial properties establishing service with York Water Company or undergoing facility changes, a cross-connection survey identifies all points requiring backflow protection and specifies the appropriate device type for each hazard level.
An irrigation system connected to the York Water Company supply creates a path where contaminated outdoor water — carrying fertilizer residue, pesticides, or soil bacteria — can be drawn back into the potable supply if supply pressure drops momentarily. A backflow preventer at the irrigation connection blocks this reverse flow. York Water Company requires it on new connections and increasingly on existing systems.
Annually, per York Water Company's cross-connection control program and Pennsylvania DEP requirements for commercial accounts. Residential pressure vacuum breakers on irrigation systems are also recommended for annual testing, particularly after winterization and spring startup when check valve damage from freezing is most likely to occur.
Not necessarily. Many failed backflow assemblies can be repaired by replacing the internal check valves, relief valve, or seat disc. We test after repair to confirm the device passes before submitting the certification. Full replacement is warranted when the body is corroded or physically damaged.
York Water Company tracks required backflow devices and follows up with accounts that haven't submitted test results by their due date. Repeated non-compliance can result in a service notice or, in commercial cases, service interruption. Call (717) 842-9770 to schedule testing and get the report submitted promptly.
Annual testing, device installation, and York Water Company report submission handled in a single call. Reach us at (717) 842-9770.
