The City of Escondido requires annual testing of every backflow prevention device, and testing, maintenance and repair of a private device are the customer's responsibility. Results go to the City's Cross Connection Control Department, which keeps a Certified Testers List. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Escondido.
Backflow rules in Escondido
Most Escondido properties buy water from the City of Escondido Utilities Water Division, which serves residential, commercial and agricultural customers. Its Cross Connection Control program is simple to state: every backflow prevention device gets tested once a year. Installing, testing, maintaining and repairing a private device falls on the customer, and results go to the City's Cross Connection Control Department, which keeps a Certified Testers List. Questions go to 760-839-4348 or [email protected]. If your bill comes from a different agency, follow that agency's rules instead.
Grove irrigation, landscape systems and commercial lines are the usual reasons a property has an assembly in the first place. City water is hard, averaging about 215 mg/L as calcium carbonate in its report, and mineral film on rubber seats and springs is one of the ordinary ways a device drifts out of tolerance between tests.
A new device or a relocated one is more than a small fix. The City of Escondido Building Division's permit-exemption guideline covers only minor repairs, such as clearing stoppages or fixing leaks in pipes and valves, so check with the Building Division before new work.
Common assembly types
| Type | Where it usually shows up | What the test looks at |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure vacuum breaker | Residential sprinkler systems, mounted above the highest head | The air inlet opens and the check holds |
| Double check | Lower-hazard lines and many fire sprinkler services | Each of the two checks holds tight |
| Reduced pressure (RP) | Chemical injection, commercial and higher-hazard irrigation | Both checks plus the point where the relief valve opens |
When to bring in a plumber
- The City's annual test notice came in the mail
- Water seeps from the relief port, a cap or a bonnet
- A fertilizer injector was added to a grove or landscape line
- A previous tester left a failed tag on the device
- You bought the property and no test records came with it
Timing notes
Book soon after the notice arrives instead of the week it is due. If the device fails, a rebuild and retest add a second trip. Late winter or early spring, before irrigation demand climbs, is a sensible time to look at an assembly that has been ignored. Inland valley nights can turn cold enough to damage an exposed brass body, so an insulated cover is worth having.
Backflow Testing questions in Escondido
How often does a backflow assembly have to be tested here?
Who is allowed to test my backflow assembly?
Who pays for testing, repairs and replacement?
Can I take out an old backflow device I no longer use?
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