Butner's water comes from the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority, and SGWASA's cross-connection ordinance requires backflow prevention on lawn irrigation and chemically treated pools or spas. Those assemblies must be tested within 10 days of installation and every year after by a state-certified tester. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Butner.
Backflow rules on SGWASA water
The Town of Butner doesn't run water or sewer; SGWASA does, from its offices on Central Avenue, treating water from Lake Holt. Its Cross-Connection Control Ordinance covers every user on its system. For a homeowner, the triggers are a lawn irrigation system or a pool or spa that uses chemicals. Fire sprinkler lines need at least a double check assembly, and multi-family buildings sharing one meter need protection too. The customer owns the assembly and pays for it and for every test.
What to do now
- Find the assembly. It's usually near the irrigation tap or in a box close to the meter. Note the brand, size and serial number on the tag.
- Check your deadline. A new assembly has to be tested within 10 days of installation; after that the test is annual.
- Book a state-certified tester. SGWASA accepts tests from testers certified by the state.
- Confirm the paperwork. Test records must reach SGWASA within 10 business days. Ask the tester who sends them.
- Get a permit before changes. SGWASA requires a permit to install, relocate or replace an assembly.
- Look at the water heater. SGWASA's service rules have the customer keep a check valve or backflow preventer on the house side of the meter, so make sure hot water has room to expand.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Steady drip from the assembly body | Worn check seat or O-ring, or freeze damage |
| Relief port discharges water | Fouled first check or pressure swings in the main |
| Sprinklers weak after testing | A shutoff left partly closed or debris lodged in a check |
| Water heater relief valve weeps | Thermal expansion trapped by a check valve with no expansion tank |
| Tester reports a failure | Springs, seals or check discs past their service life |
What affects the price
- Whether the visit is a test only or a rebuild followed by a retest
- Assembly size and type, since RP units have more parts than double checks
- Whether freeze damage means the body must be replaced
- Permit work for a new, moved or replaced assembly
- Adding a thermal expansion tank at the water heater
Butner's housing is mostly from the 1980s through the 2000s, with a median build year of 1991, so many original irrigation assemblies are now old enough to need parts.
Backflow Testing questions in Butner
How does the water utility receive my test results?
Why could a check valve near the meter affect my water heater?
What happens when an assembly fails its test?
Does adding a pool or hot tub change my backflow requirements?
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