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Backflow Testing, Repairs & Replacements

Backflow testing done by plumbers who actually open the box, test it, fix it, and explain what failed.

Bizzy Bee Plumbing tests and repairs backflow preventers for homes, restaurants, shops, offices, irrigation systems, medical buildings, and commercial properties. We work on RPZs, double checks, pressure vacuum breakers, leaking shutoffs, failed checks, relief valves, and devices that already failed the annual test.

Call 919-423-7595 Schedule Backflow Testing
Annual Tests
Failed Device Repairs
Commercial + Residential
RPZ / Watts / Wilkins / Febco

Not every failed backflow needs to be replaced.

A lot of calls start the same way: the customer gets a utility notice, another company says “replace it,” or the test fails and nobody explains why. Sometimes the device is shot. Sometimes it is just trash under a check, a bad rubber, a leaking shutoff, or a relief valve that needs to be rebuilt.

How our techs look at it

We test the assembly, write down the readings, open the device when repair makes sense, clean the seats, check the rubbers and springs, rebuild what needs rebuilding, then retest. If the brass body is cracked, frozen, too old, or not worth rebuilding, we tell you that before we start throwing parts at it.

What we handle on backflow calls

Annual backflow testing

Certified testing for irrigation, domestic water, commercial spaces, restaurants, offices, and facility accounts.

Failed backflow repairs

Check valves, relief valves, discs, springs, seats, leaking test cocks, bad shutoffs, and devices that will not hold pressure.

Backflow replacement

Replacement for cracked, frozen, undersized, corroded, obsolete, or non-repairable RPZ and double check assemblies.

Irrigation backflows

Outdoor devices that leak after winter, fail startup, spray from the bonnet, or need annual testing before the system is used.

Commercial backflows

Restaurants, salons, medical offices, retail buildings, apartment sites, churches, and light industrial properties.

Paperwork and retesting

Testing forms, retesting after repair, and compliance help when the utility notice is already sitting on your desk.

Recent backflow calls from our field notes

These are the kinds of backflow jobs our plumbers run into around the Triangle. We are not writing fake “perfect” stories. Some are simple tests. Some are wet, muddy, and annoying. That is usually how backflow work goes.

Field note Jan. 21, 2026

Andrew found a cracked Febco irrigation backflow after a freeze.

A homeowner called after water started spraying from the irrigation backflow box when they turned the system back on. Andrew pulled the cover and found a Febco 765 pressure vacuum breaker with a split in the brass body near the shutoff side.

That one was not a rebuild. Once the casting is cracked, new rubber parts will not fix it. Andrew replaced the assembly with a new Febco unit, checked the shutoffs, pressurized the irrigation line, and tested it before leaving.

Febco 765 Freeze Damage Irrigation Backflow
Field note Mar. 12, 2026

Carlos rebuilt a Wilkins RPZ instead of replacing the whole thing.

Carlos was sent to a medical office after the annual backflow test failed on a 2-inch Wilkins 975XL RPZ. The relief port would not stop dumping and the first check was not holding. The office thought the whole assembly was going to have to come out.

He opened it up, found mineral buildup on the check assembly and a worn rubber disc, cleaned the seat, rebuilt the check, serviced the relief valve, and retested it. The RPZ passed on the second test, and the office avoided a much bigger replacement bill.

Wilkins 975XL RPZ Repair Commercial Medical Office
Field note Apr. 8, 2026

Juan and Stewart cleaned debris out of a restaurant backflow.

A restaurant had three assemblies due for annual testing: one for the domestic line, one tied to kitchen equipment, and one serving the soda and ice machine area. Two passed. One 3/4-inch Watts device failed because the check would not seat.

Juan opened it up and found small grit sitting right where the check needed to close. The building had a water interruption a few weeks earlier, and that junk likely moved through the line. They cleaned it, flushed the line, retested, and got the restaurant back in compliance.

Watts Assembly Restaurant Debris In Check
Field note May 6, 2026

Brandon replaced leaking shutoffs before the backflow could even be tested.

Brandon went out for a standard test, but both shutoffs on the double check assembly were leaking around the stems. You cannot get a clean test when the shutoffs will not isolate correctly.

He explained it to the property manager, replaced the bad shutoffs, bled the line down, then tested the assembly after the repair. The backflow itself passed, but the valves around it were the problem.

Double Check Bad Shutoffs Property Manager Call

Backflow brands our plumbers see all the time

We run into a lot of the same devices on irrigation lines, restaurants, medical offices, commercial buildings, and older properties. Some are simple to rebuild. Some are not worth spending money on because the body is too far gone.

Watts
Wilkins
Febco
Apollo
Ames

Commercial and residential backflow work is not the same call.

A homeowner usually needs an irrigation test or a leaking outdoor device fixed. A restaurant or commercial building may have multiple assemblies, utility deadlines, tenant schedules, kitchen equipment, water shutoff restrictions, and paperwork that has to be handled correctly.

Homeowners usually call us for

  • Irrigation backflow tests when the annual notice comes in.
  • Water spraying from the backflow after cold weather or spring startup.
  • Leaking shutoffs that make the box stay wet.
  • Old pressure vacuum breakers that need repair or replacement.
  • Failed test notices when the first test did not pass.

Businesses usually call us for

  • Annual compliance testing for one or several assemblies.
  • RPZ repairs on domestic, kitchen, equipment, or specialty water lines.
  • After-hours planning when shutting water off affects customers or staff.
  • Backflow replacement when the device is obsolete, damaged, or no longer passing.
  • Report follow-up so the utility notice does not keep coming back.

What happens during a backflow test

We identify the device

Our tech checks the size, brand, serial number, location, and type of assembly before testing.

We test the checks

The assembly is tested with certified equipment to see if the checks, relief valve, and shutoffs are doing their job.

We explain failures

If it fails, we tell you what failed: debris, rubber, spring, relief valve, shutoff, cracked body, or something else.

We repair and retest

When repair makes sense, we rebuild or clean the part, then retest the assembly before reporting the final result.

Questions people ask before scheduling

Backflow testing sounds simple until the device fails, the water has to be shut off, or the utility deadline is already close. These are the questions we hear all the time.

Do you test irrigation backflows?

Yes. We test irrigation backflows, pressure vacuum breakers, and other lawn sprinkler assemblies. We also repair leaking or frozen irrigation backflow devices.

What if my backflow already failed?

We can inspect the failed assembly, repair it if the device is repairable, and retest it. If it is cracked, obsolete, or not worth rebuilding, we can quote replacement.

Can you repair RPZ devices?

Yes. We repair RPZ assemblies when parts are available and the brass body is still in usable condition. We commonly see relief valve issues, check valve failures, and debris inside the assembly.

Do you work on commercial properties?

Yes. We handle backflow testing and repair for restaurants, offices, retail buildings, medical offices, commercial properties, apartments, and facility accounts.

Will water need to be shut off?

For some testing and most repairs, yes. The tech will explain what has to be shut down before the work starts, especially on commercial properties where water affects staff or customers.

Do you replace backflow assemblies?

Yes. If the device is cracked, badly corroded, frozen, missing parts, or no longer worth rebuilding, we can replace the assembly and test the new one.

Need backflow testing or a failed device repaired?

Call Bizzy Bee Plumbing for annual testing, failed backflow repair, RPZ service, irrigation backflow replacement, commercial backflow testing, and retesting after repairs.

Call 919-423-7595 Schedule Service
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