Checklists by Category
Backflow prevention assembly maintenance checklists
Backflow prevention assembly maintenance checklists for the quarterly and annual rounds: 2 free lists, 27 items and 19 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo evidence it needs. Work is commonly verified against ASSE backflow prevention; the edition in force is the AHJ's call on each project.
The backflow prevention assembly rounds
Where each walk sits in the schedule
01quarterly
Backflow prevention assembly quarterly maintenance checklist
Every quarter, with extra attention to freeze protection when the assembly is exposed and winter is approaching.
Run by: The plumbing or fire protection service tech on the contracted quarterly visit.
02annual
Backflow prevention assembly annual maintenance checklist
Once a year, timed to meet the water authority's required test window for the assembly's certification.
Run by: A certified backflow tester, often a specialty subcontractor rather than the general service tech.
What most often fails on a backflow prevention assembly
- Test cocks left weeping for months because 'it's always done that' without anyone tracing the cause.
- Enclosure heater found unplugged or tripped going into winter, risking a freeze split.
- Shutoff valves found only partially open with no one noticing the reduced flow.
- Test performed but the report never actually submitted to the water authority, leaving the certification lapsed.
- Relief valve tested for opening but not confirmed to reseat and stop dripping afterward.
- Gauge used for the test out of calibration, invalidating the result even though it passed.
Verified against
Families only, never clause numbers. Adoption varies by jurisdiction; confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
Related units and trades
Common questions
5 answers
- Which backflow prevention assembly maintenance rounds do these checklists cover?
- Backflow prevention assembly quarterly maintenance checklist (quarterly): Every quarter, with extra attention to freeze protection when the assembly is exposed and winter is approaching. Backflow prevention assembly annual maintenance checklist (annual): Once a year, timed to meet the water authority's required test window for the assembly's certification.
- Who runs the backflow prevention assembly maintenance round?
- The plumbing or fire protection service tech on the contracted quarterly visit. A certified backflow tester, often a specialty subcontractor rather than the general service tech.
- What most often fails on a backflow prevention assembly?
- Test cocks left weeping for months because 'it's always done that' without anyone tracing the cause. Enclosure heater found unplugged or tripped going into winter, risking a freeze split. Shutoff valves found only partially open with no one noticing the reduced flow. Test performed but the report never actually submitted to the water authority, leaving the certification lapsed.
- Which standards is backflow prevention assembly work verified against?
- ASSE backflow prevention, published by the American Society of Sanitary Engineering. Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 2 lists (27 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.
Run these lists with the Photo Gate.
Tag one area, scan it, and the submit stays locked until the photos exist.
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