Backflow Repair, Testing, and Prevention in Oklahoma | Champion Plumbing
Backflow prevention stops contaminated water from flowing back into the potable water supply. Champion Plumbing provides certified annual testing, repair, and installation of backflow preventers for residential irrigation systems and commercial properties across the OKC metro.
What Is Backflow and Why It Matters
Your property is connected to two separate water systems. The municipal supply delivers clean pressurized potable water. A separate system carries wastewater away. Under normal conditions these two systems never interact. Backflow occurs when that separation breaks down — when water reverses direction and flows back into the potable supply.
Back-Siphonage
Occurs when a sudden drop in supply pressure — caused by a water main break or nearby hydrant being opened — creates a vacuum that draws water backward from a connected non-potable source into the supply line.
Backpressure
Occurs when the pressure in a connected downstream system exceeds the supply pressure, pushing non-potable water back upstream. Most common in commercial settings with pressurised boilers, irrigation pumps, or elevated storage.
Backflow incidents have caused documented contamination events in water distribution systems across the country. Oklahoma’s water utilities require backflow prevention on specific connection types precisely because the risk is real and preventable.
Backflow incidents have caused documented contamination events in water distribution systems across the country. Oklahoma's water utilities require backflow prevention on specific connection types precisely because the risk is real and preventable.
Oklahoma City Backflow Testing Requirements
Residential Irrigation Systems
Commercial Properties — Annual Testing Required
Commercial properties in Oklahoma City with cross-connections are required to have approved backflow prevention devices and must have them tested annually by a certified tester. Oklahoma City Water Utilities enforces this requirement. Failure to comply can result in notices of violation and interruption of water service.
- Restaurants and food service operations
- Medical and dental facilities
- Properties with fire suppression systems
- Properties with irrigation systems above a threshold size
- Industrial and manufacturing facilities
- Multi-family residential properties above a defined unit count
- Properties with boilers, cooling towers, or recirculation systems
Champion Plumbing performs annual backflow testing for commercial properties throughout the OKC Metro, submits test reports directly to the applicable water utility, and repairs or replaces devices that fail testing — all documented for the property’s compliance records.
Call Champion Plumbing at 405-504-3649 to schedule backflow testing or installation throughout the OKC Metro.
Backflow Preventer Device Types
RPZ — Reduced Pressure Zone Backflow Preventer
The RPZ is the higher-protection device, required for high-hazard cross-connections where contamination poses a serious health risk. It consists of two independently operating check valves separated by a pressure-monitored zone, with a relief valve that opens to atmosphere if the pressure differential drops below a safe threshold. RPZ devices must be installed above grade, accessible for testing, and protected from freezing — a practical consideration in Oklahoma where temperatures regularly drop below freezing.
Required for: fire suppression connections, irrigation using reclaimed water or chemical injection, commercial boilers and cooling towers, medical facility water connections.
Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA)
The DCVA provides protection for lower-hazard cross-connections — lawn irrigation connected to a clean water supply with no chemical injection, for example. It consists of two independently operating spring-loaded check valves in series and is approved for residential irrigation in most Oklahoma municipalities.
Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PVB)
A simpler device approved for protection against back-siphonage only — not backpressure. Commonly found on residential irrigation systems installed prior to stricter cross-connection control enforcement. Must be installed at least 12 inches above the highest irrigation head.
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Certified backflow testers
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Commercial properties in Oklahoma City with cross-connections are required to have backflow prevention devices tested annually by a certified tester. Results must be submitted to Oklahoma City Water Utilities. Failure to comply can result in violation notices and, in some cases, interruption of water service. Residential irrigation systems are required to have an approved backflow preventer installed — testing frequency requirements vary by municipality.
Commercial backflow preventers in Oklahoma City must be tested annually. Residential irrigation backflow preventers do not always have a mandatory annual testing requirement, but Champion Plumbing recommends testing every one to two years — Oklahoma’s hard water, freeze-thaw cycles, and mineral buildup accelerate wear on check valve seats and diaphragms.
Annual backflow testing for a residential irrigation device runs $75–$150 per device in the Oklahoma City Metro. Commercial testing with a certified compliance report costs $100–$200 per device. Multi-device commercial properties are priced per device. Champion Plumbing submits test reports directly to the applicable water utility on behalf of the property owner.
A backflow preventer is a mechanical assembly installed on the water supply line at the point of connection between the potable supply and a potential contamination source. It allows water to pass through in the intended direction only and prevents reversal under either back-siphonage or backpressure conditions. Device types vary by hazard level — RPZ assemblies for high-hazard connections, double check valves for lower-hazard applications like residential irrigation.
A device that fails its annual test must be repaired or replaced and retested before it can be certified as compliant. Champion Plumbing repairs or replaces failed devices and retests in the same service visit whenever parts are available. The final compliance report is submitted to Oklahoma City Water Utilities only after the device passes the retest. A failed device that is not repaired leaves your property out of compliance and your water supply unprotected.
