Highlands Ranch Water requires all commercial backflow devices, whether domestic, fire or irrigation, to be tested once a year, and it contracts a certified tester and bills the charge on the water bill; failed devices that can't be easily repaired are replaced at the customer's cost. To get a repair or replacement handled, call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Highlands Ranch.
What happens when you call
An independent plumber who serves Highlands Ranch will ask what the device protects and why you're calling. On commercial accounts, Highlands Ranch Water already arranges the yearly test through its contractor, so most calls are about what comes next: a failed device that needs parts, or one that needs replacing. Highlands Ranch Water allows a failed device to be replaced by its contractor or by the customer's own certified plumber, so you can choose. Homeowners call about leaking or frozen sprinkler devices, which the district's commercial page doesn't cover but which still need fixing.
Cost factors
- Repair or replacement. A rebuild kit is far less work than swapping a whole assembly.
- Assembly type and size. Fire and domestic assemblies on commercial buildings are larger than home sprinkler devices.
- Freeze damage. A cracked body can't be rebuilt.
- Retest. After any repair, the device needs a passing test.
- Approvals. New work in Highlands Ranch can need Metro District approval before Douglas County issues a building permit.
Local conditions in Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch is unincorporated, and its water comes from Highlands Ranch Water, the district whose boundary covers all of Highlands Ranch and Solstice. The supply is mostly snowmelt from the South Platte River, Plum Creek and Dad Clark Gulch stored in McLellan, McLoud, Tingle and Chatfield reservoirs, with some groundwater. The district disinfects with chloramine.
The backflow page the fact sheet cites covers commercial devices only, tested yearly per state health department rules. The district maintains the service line through the curb stop, and the customer maintains everything from the curb stop through the building, apart from the meter. Developer-built subdivisions from the 1980s on mean a lot of in-ground irrigation, and those devices take the brunt of freezing nights off C-470 and around Chatfield.
Permits go through the Douglas County Building Division, and the Highlands Ranch Metro District says its own approval is required first for projects that need it.
Quick checklist before the visit
- Have the failed-test notice from the district's tester
- Know whether the device is domestic, fire or irrigation
- Locate the curb stop or irrigation shutoff in case water must be turned off
- Clear plants and debris around outdoor devices
Backflow Testing questions in Highlands Ranch
Who pays for the backflow device and its upkeep?
Who is qualified to run the test on my assembly?
Does an ordinary single-family house need annual testing?
Is a permit needed to add or replace a backflow preventer?
More plumbing services in Highlands Ranch
Backflow Testing nearby
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