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Do-it-yourself Installation info

We are Seminole County Environmental Services' backflow contractor.

DO IT YOURSELF!

For various reasons, many water customers choose to install the required backflow devices themselves. In fact you can save quite a bit of money if you are willing to spend the time required to do it yourself. This page is intended as a guide to help you understand what an installation entails, what tools and materials you will need, and how to do it. This guide can prevent some mistakes and save you time and money.

Step1: What kind of backflow device do you need?

    If you are installing a backflow prevention assembly (BFPA), chances are that you received a letter from your water utility asking you to do so. Often the letter will include some instructions as far as what type of device you need, reduced pressure zone (RPZ) or a pressure vacuum breaker (PVB).

If not, find out which case you fall under by working through the following flow chart. Note, that some utilities have special rules for special situations; it is your responsibility to find out what they are. In our experience our chart is valid for all water utilities in Seminole County.

Step2: Identify the location where the device should be installed.

There are basically 2 points on the water lines where the devices may be installed, depending on your situation. Consider the 4 Configurations below and determine where you need to install your device.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Where to install your device is usually a compromise between how much you are willing to dig and how close to the ideal location you want it to stand. This is because the underground water line rarely runs were you need it. Also, finding out were the line actually is can be tricky. We recommend to follow it by digging a trench to expose it, from the meter or a shut off valve, until you are near a convenient spot to splice away to the future location of your BFPA.

Note that for some configurations, if you would like the BFPA to be near the house, you will need to dig a long trench, because the splice is near the front of the property and you will need to lay down the main  line to the BFPA and a return line to the splice point.

For RPZ installations on the main line, it is necessary that the device is no more than 50 feet from the water meter (Seminole county code). Most of our customers settle for a device installed right at the meter, because a professional installation requires to expose the entire line form the meter to the  location of the device, to ensure that there is no underground water line teeing off from the main line between the BFPA device and the meter; the additional trenching can raise the cost significantly.

You are now ready to proceed to the actual installation: go to step 3

 

Home | Updated 5-14-2007