Hire a certified tester on your water provider's list and ask for their certificate number, test kit serial number and latest gauge calibration. In Phoenix, a valid report is on the city's form and shows the meter number, assembly make, model, size and serial, location, line pressure, readings, pass or fail and the tester's signature.
What to ask a backflow tester before you book
Start with the list, not the phone book. Your water provider decides whose reports it will accept, so a tester missing from that list can't give you a report that counts. Our page on who can test backflow assemblies in Arizona covers the certifications and city lists. Here we're after the practical questions that sort a good tester from a risky one.
Ask these five:
- 1Ask for the certificate number and renewal date. Phoenix's own tester application asks for both the "Tester Certificate Number" and the "Certificate Renewal Date." A tester who knows those off the top of their head keeps their paperwork current.
- 2Ask which test kit they'll use and when it was calibrated. Phoenix's tester application lists each testing instrument by manufacturer, model and serial number, plus the calibration company and date, with copies attached. Ask for a copy of the current calibration sheet. More on why in the gauge section below.
- 3Ask whether they repair, or only test. Testing and repair are separate credentials. Phoenix City Code 37-143 says "Assembly repair must be performed by a certified repairer," so a test-only tester will need to hand a failed assembly to someone else. Ask how that works before the test, not after.
- 4Ask who files the report, and when. Get a clear answer: who sends it, how, and by what date. Then ask for your own copy the same day.
- 5Tell them if any assembly is on a fire line. If the assembly protects a fire sprinkler system, a plumbing backflow tester may not be allowed to test it. In Phoenix, the test on a fire line must be done by a certified tester "who is also permitted by the City Fire Marshal to test fire lines or fire sprinkler systems" (City Code 37-143). Hire a fire-licensed contractor for that one.
Book the test with some room before your due date. Arizona's backflow rule says the water system's test notice "shall specify the date by which the testing must be completed and the results forwarded to the public water system." The report has to arrive by that date, not just the test. If the assembly fails, you'll need time for a repair and a retest too.
What a valid Phoenix backflow test report must show
A valid Phoenix report is on the city's form, filled in completely, signed, and backed by a certified tester and a calibrated test kit. Phoenix's New Test Companies Requisites say "All test results should be provided on the city's Backflow Prevention Assembly Test Report form." A tester's own company form, or a handwritten note, isn't the same thing.
The form's numbered boxes follow the instructions in TRT 00335. Here's what each group covers and what to look for when you get your copy.
| Box on the Phoenix form | What goes there | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Water purveyor and water meter number | The meter number matches the number stamped on the meter body |
| 3 | Plumbing permit number | Filled in for a new or replacement assembly |
| 4 | Manufacturer, size, model number, serial number | Serial matches the tag on the assembly itself |
| 5 and 6 | Management company and owner, with contacts | Current owner and a phone number that works |
| 7 | Assembly address, on-site location, primary business | Location is specific, like north wall by the gate |
| 8 | New or existing; serial of any assembly it replaced | The old serial is listed on a replacement |
| 9 and 9A | Containment or point of use; fire, landscape or potable | Right system is checked |
| 10 | Type: SVB, PVB, DC, RP or other | Matches what's actually installed |
| 11 | Line pressure; back pressure yes or no | A number is entered |
| 12 to 14 | Initial test, repairs, final test readings | Every reading box for your assembly type is filled in |
| 16 | Pass or fail, signatures, tester and test kit numbers | Signed, with certificate and test kit serial numbers |
The instructions add detail on a few boxes. For box 3, the tester must "Provide the plumbing permit number if this is a new assembly or replacement assembly." For box 8, "If this assembly is a replacement for another assembly, provide the serial number of the assembly that was replaced." Those two lines tie the report to the permit record, so a missing permit number on a new install is a red flag.
### Reading the test results
The middle of the form holds the readings, and they change with the assembly type. Different test procedures will require different information, as the instructions put it. On the Phoenix form:
- Reduced pressure (RP) assembly: check valve 1 gets a closed-tight yes or no and a reading in psid (pounds per square inch, differential). The relief valve gets an opened-at reading. Check valve 2 gets its own closed-tight answer.
- Double check (DC) assembly: check valve 1 and check valve 2 each get a closed-tight answer, with a psid reading.
- Pressure vacuum breaker (PVB) or spill-resistant vacuum breaker (SVB): the air inlet gets an opened-at reading, and the check valve gets a held-at reading.
You don't need to judge the numbers yourself. What you're checking is that the boxes for your assembly type are filled in, not blank. Blank boxes are exactly what gets a report bounced.
### Repairs and a failed first test
If the assembly failed and got fixed, the report should tell the whole story. The repair section lists what was cleaned or replaced, such as a rubber kit, disc, spring or guide, and the instructions say "Part numbers must be listed." Tempe's code asks for the same kind of detail: records "shall include the list of materials or replacement parts used" (City Code 33-107).
Box 16 on a failed-then-passed report carries three sign-offs. The first names who ran the initial test and the date it failed. The second names who made the repair and when. The third names who ran the final test and the date it passed. Each one has a certificate number, and the two tests also list a test kit serial number. The form also carries the line "THIS REPORT IS CERTIFIED TO BE TRUE." That's the tester's signature on the line, and it's why the numbers matter.
### What happens to an incomplete report
Phoenix doesn't fix gaps for you. Its instructions say "Inaccurate or incomplete reports will not be accepted," and the owner "will be notified that the backflow certification for their assembly is not acceptable for the stated reasons." Its penalty notice to testers lists the usual problems: "any blank information, incorrect information, lack of meter number, lack of tester's signature." Testers who keep sending bad reports face warnings and suspension from the city's list (TRT 00641), but your compliance date doesn't wait while they sort it out.
Gauge calibration: the line most owners never check
A test is only as good as the gauge that took the readings. That's why the test kit serial number goes on every report, and why cities track calibration.
Mesa spells it out in code. Recognized testers "must conduct a calibration of all backflow prevention test equipment annually through an agency accepted by the Department," and "An equipment accuracy report dated more than one year old will be considered expired" (City Code 8-1-12). A tester without a current report on file gets removed from Mesa's list. Phoenix asks for "Test Kit Calibrations" from every company that wants on its list, and its tester application records the calibration company and date for each instrument.
Here's the practical check. Compare the test kit serial number on your report to the serial number on the tester's calibration sheet, and look at the calibration date. If the serials don't match, or the sheet is more than a year old, ask before the report is filed. It takes a minute and protects a test you already paid for.
Who submits the backflow test report
In most Valley cities the tester sends the report, but the legal duty stays with you, the customer on the water account. Phoenix City Code 37-143 puts it on the customer: "The customer shall test and submit all testing results to the Planning and Development Director." Phoenix's instructions then tell the tester how to email or mail the signed original, which is how it works day to day.
Other cities split it the same way. Mesa's code makes the customer responsible for making sure the department has the report, and it treats a tester's record as late "if it is submitted more than seven calendar days after the test has been performed" (City Code 8-1-12). Scottsdale says "The user shall submit to the Division a copy of the records within seven (7) days after completion of the activity for which the records are made" (Revised Code 49-65). Tempe also puts record keeping on the user (City Code 33-107).
So a tester filing late is still your problem. Get a written confirmation of the date they sent it, and keep your own copy. For the addresses, portals and deadlines by provider, see where to send backflow test reports in the Phoenix area.
### When a new report is needed
A report isn't only a once-a-year thing. Arizona's backflow rule says "Each assembly shall also be tested after installation, relocation, or repair," and "An assembly shall not be placed in service unless it has been tested and is functioning as designed." Mesa is stricter on timing after a fix: a recognized tester must retest the assembly within 24 hours of an overhaul, repair or replacement (City Code 8-1-11). Each of those tests means a new report, with a new set of signatures.
If your test fails, what to do after a failed backflow test covers the repair and retest steps. For the yearly test cycle as a whole, read commercial backflow testing requirements in Arizona.
HQ Plumbing & Air tests, repairs and replaces backflow assemblies on domestic water and irrigation lines, and repairs underground fire lines. Free estimates, upfront pricing.
Before you hire, see what the certification exam covers. To read the finished report, see how to read a backflow test report.