Huntersville, NCBackflowTesting

Who needs a backflow test, from sprinkler systems to Birkdale Village

At home, the trigger is irrigation. Any house with a sprinkler system connected to Charlotte Water must have a backflow assembly, and the assembly has to be tested. Most of the town's housing dates from 1990 or later, about 86 percent by Census estimates. If yours in Northstone, Vermillion, Cedarfield or Skybrook has in-ground sprinklers on public water, this applies to you.

Commercial property carries more. Charlotte Water requires commercial and industrial customers to keep an assembly on every connection, which means the domestic service, the irrigation and the fire line. Its guide puts veterinary clinics, dry cleaners, car washes, dental and medical offices and tenant-occupied buildings on the reduced pressure type. Birkdale Village sits off I-77 at Exit 25. It opened in 2003 with roughly 60 shops and restaurants, plus 320 apartments and 50,000 square feet of office space, and a development like that can mean many assemblies under one manager.

• Homes with in-ground irrigation on public water
• Restaurants, shops and offices
• Apartment and mixed-use buildings
• Properties with a fire line
• Irrigation meters at commercial sites

Charlotte Water's rules, including the 2003 irrigation change

Every assembly must be tested by a company on the utility's approved list, and the tester sends in the result. You do not file anything yourself. Since March 24, 2003, irrigation systems have required a reduced pressure (RP) assembly. A system installed before that date with an approved double check valve may keep it until the valve needs replacing, at which point an RP goes in. About one in five homes here dates from the 1990s, so some older systems may still be on a double check.

Commercial and industrial assemblies are tested when installed and every year after that. For home irrigation, the utility's published guidance says to test annually, while a state law passed in 2024 says residential irrigation with no chemical injection cannot be required to test more than once in three years. The simple rule is to go by the due date printed on your notice.

What happens on test day, and what happens if the assembly fails

Send us a photo of the notice or tell us where the assembly is. On the day, the tester shuts off water downstream of the assembly for a short time, connects a calibrated test kit to the test ports and measures each check valve and the relief valve against the required values. A test usually runs 20 to 30 minutes per assembly. The water goes back on and you get the readings on the spot. A passing report goes to Charlotte Water.

If it fails, we show you the numbers and explain which part is out of spec. Often the cause is a worn check valve or a relief valve fouled by debris, and a rebuild brings the assembly back. Backflow repair is quoted separately before any work is done, and repair labor carries a 1-year warranty. Once it is fixed we retest and send in the passing result.

$199 per assembly, tested within 30 days, with reminders

The test is $199 per assembly, report included. Our 30-Day Compliance Guarantee means your assembly is tested within 30 days, which keeps you ahead of the due date on the notice. Your assembly stays in our records, and a reminder goes out before the next test comes due, so the letter from Charlotte Water is not a surprise.

Property managers in Huntersville with several assemblies get one schedule and one contact. That holds for one building with domestic, irrigation and fire line services and for a group of addresses alike. We test them on the same visit where possible and send every report in. If a property also needs drains, fixtures or water heaters looked at, that falls under our commercial plumbing work. Buyers and agents can add a backflow check to a plumbing inspection.