Backflow Testing in Bahama, NC

What happens when you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in northern Durham County. Expect a few questions first. Is the house on a well or on City of Durham water? Is there an in-ground sprinkler system, a pool fill or a chemical injector on any line? Is there an existing assembly, and has it ever been tested? With that, the plumber can tell you whether the visit is an annual test, a repair, a new device or simply adding vacuum breakers to the spigots. If a device is leaking now, close the valve feeding the irrigation before they arrive.

What goes into the price

• Testing an existing assembly versus repairing or replacing one
• The type of device, with reduced pressure assemblies having more parts
• Whether an old well line has to be found and cut off from City water
• Freeze damage, which often means a new body
• Permit requirements through Durham City-County Building & Safety for new plumbing work
• How far the property is from the plumber's other work that day

The Bahama situation

Bahama is an unincorporated crossroads along Bahama Road, Stagville Road and Old Oxford Highway, close to Lake Michie. Lake Michie supplies City of Durham customers, but most homes around it don't get that water: the City generally extends water or sewer only after annexation and a Utility Extension Agreement. So most Bahama households draw from private wells, which Durham County Environmental Health permits and tests.

That splits the backflow picture in two. A well-only house has no utility tracking a backflow assembly. It should still have vacuum breakers on the spigots and proper protection on irrigation or chemical feeds, because a pump cycling off or a pipe break can reverse the flow inside the home. A property that has been annexed and connected to City water is a City customer, and the City's cross-connection program expects backflow assemblies to be retested every year by a certified tester.

The handoff between the two is where trouble hides. Owners with a failing well are among those who petition for annexation, and once City water arrives, the old well can never stay tied into the same plumbing.

Before the plumber arrives

• Find a recent water bill, or confirm the home is on a well
• Locate the irrigation shutoff and any existing assembly
• Note any old well piping still near the pressure tank
• Gather past test reports if the seller left them