The annual call
Backflow assemblies don’t fail loudly. Property managers find out something is wrong at the annual test, when our certified tester pressurizes the device and the differential drops in a way it shouldn’t. That’s exactly what happened here.
The repair path
We documented the failure, sourced the replacement internals (springs, checks, packing — whichever pieces failed the differential test), rebuilt the assembly, and re-tested. Passing differential. A clean TCEQ-compliant report goes to the AHJ, and the property’s compliance file is current for another year.
What property managers should know
A failed backflow is not a refusal-to-pass situation — it’s a repair-and-retest situation. The hidden risk is missing the deadline. A device that’s failed and not repaired within the AHJ’s grace window starts generating violation notices, and the property’s water service can ultimately be impacted. Catching it, fixing it, and getting the retest in window is the whole game.
