Backflow testing and prevention in Fraser, MI

Who needs backflow testing in Fraser?

Fraser adopted Michigan's cross connection rules, R 325.11401 through R 325.11407, into its own code at Sec. 31-31. Under those rules every community water supply runs a cross connection program, and EGLE says it covers homes too. Sec. 31-36, amended November 13, 2025, requires each testable assembly to be tested when it's installed, relocated or repaired, then every year or as the city requires.

In a house, the testable device is usually on the lawn sprinkler system. EGLE also names sinks, toilets and hose bibbs as residential backflow risks, though those are usually covered by simpler devices that aren't testable assemblies. In businesses, testable assemblies sit on fire sprinkler lines and equipment connections that could push or siphon something back into the supply.

The city runs its program with HydroCorp, which mails test-due notices to owners, and public works inspects industrial and commercial sites. City code lets Fraser shut off water to a property with an uncorrected cross connection, and refusing access for an inspection is treated as evidence that one exists.

What happens during a backflow test?

Fraser's ordinance requires an active ASSE 5110 tester certification. Since August 7, 2023, EGLE has also required, based on a Bureau of Construction Codes decision, that the tester be a master or journey plumber, or an apprentice under one's direct supervision.

Identify the device

The tester records the type, size, serial number and location, and checks that it's installed correctly, reachable and intact.

Connect the test kit

Hoses go on the test cocks, and the shutoff valves are closed in the order the procedure sets. Water to the protected line stays off while the test runs.

Read each check and relief point

On a pressure vacuum breaker, the tester confirms the air inlet opens and the check holds. On a double check assembly, each of the two checks has to hold tight. An RPZ needs both checks to hold and its relief valve to open at the right pressure difference.

Restore water and record the result

Valves go back to open, and the readings and a pass or fail result are written up.

File the report

The tester files it on HydroCorp Online. A failed device is repaired or replaced, then retested.

Irrigation backflow test season and fall shutdown

Fraser's odd-even watering schedule runs May 15 to October 1. With the system charged and running in that window, an irrigation backflow test is easy to fit in. Hose bibbs need their own vacuum breaker.

Fall is the risky part. Code won't allow a backflow preventer where it can freeze unless it can come off at its unions or is protected by heat or insulation. A pressure vacuum breaker left full of water through a January night can crack, and then it's a replacement plus a retest. Our winter pipe freeze guide for Michigan homes covers shutting down outdoor lines.

Test reports, online filing and the records you keep

Fraser accepts test reports only electronically, through HydroCorp Online at gethydrosoft.com, and testers have to register there before filing. Mailed, faxed or hand-delivered reports aren't accepted. Fire sprinkler inspection, testing and maintenance records are filed electronically as well, by the third-party fire protection contractor.

Ask for your own copy of every report. It should show the device type, size, serial number and location, the readings, pass or fail, the date, and the tester's certification number. Keep it with the house records; a repair, relocation or sale goes easier with the history in one folder.

County-wide rules are in backflow testing and who in Macomb County needs it. Neighboring systems run their own programs, so rules in Mount Clemens, Eastpointe, Clinton Township and Roseville can differ from Fraser's.

Backflow preventer repair and RPZ valve replacement

When a device fails its test, the usual culprits are debris on a check seat, worn rubber parts, a stuck relief valve or freeze damage. Many assemblies can be rebuilt with the manufacturer's repair kit. A cracked body or a model whose parts are no longer made gets replaced.

A water-powered backup sump pump draws on drinking water too, so it needs backflow protection; ask the building department how Fraser's program treats yours, and see our sump pump page for backup options. Devices at the meter tie into main water line work.

What changes the cost of a test or repair

The device sets most of it. A pressure vacuum breaker on a sprinkler riser is a smaller job than a large RPZ on a fire line or boiler feed. After that come rebuild versus replacement, whether parts are still made for an older model, and access: a riser beside the foundation or a cramped ceiling space. Freeze damage usually turns a rebuild into a replacement. Grouping several devices into one visit saves return trips, and a business may need the work timed around opening hours or its fire contractor. Fraser's plumbing fee schedule lists a water pressure backflow preventer up to 4 inches at 15 dollars and a sprinkler system vacuum breaker at 15 dollars, and every repair or replacement needs a retest. EGLE notes that installation and testing costs usually fall on the water customer.

Scheduling tests for a business or several devices

Commercial buildings fall under the 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code. The model code behind it requires testable assemblies, RPZ, double check and fire protection types included, to be tested at installation, after repair or relocation and at least yearly, with air gaps inspected yearly too.

For a restaurant, shop or apartment building, keep one list of every assembly with its location, size and due date, and coordinate fire line tests with your fire protection contractor. Commercial plumbing covers grease interceptors and restrooms in the same buildings.

Why call us about a backflow device in Fraser

We're on Janet Ave in Fraser, and the conversation starts with your HydroCorp letter: which device it names, where that device sits and when it's due. Call (207) 419-2600 to confirm testing availability for your device. If it failed its test or split over the winter, we can repair or replace it and explain the retest it needs before the city counts it as passing. Before work starts you'll hear whether a rebuild kit will do or the assembly has to go, plus how to drain a sprinkler device each fall.