Questions to ask before you hire a tester

Hiring a backflow tester is a credential check plus a scope check. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not license testers. Your state does, or it names an organization, or it leaves the acceptable person to the water supplier. Ask the questions below before you agree to a time. None of them asks the tester to teach you the gauge procedure.

Credential

What is the exact credential title, and who issued it? Useful answers sound like “Texas Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester,” “Oregon backflow assembly tester,” “Mississippi Certified Tester,” or “certified by an authority the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality lists.” “I took a class” is not an answer. “I’m a plumber” is not an answer unless the state page says the plumber license is enough. Oregon says a licensed plumber or journeyman is not required to hold the tester card, and it also says many water systems still require the card.

When does it expire? Oregon, Missouri, Utah, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Mississippi use multi-year terms. A card that expired last year does not pass this question. Ask how you can verify it. Connecticut points to eLicense. Utah and Missouri publish lists and say the list is not an endorsement. Michigan requires both the plumber status in the EGLE FAQ and a current ASSE 5110 certification.

Will my water supplier accept you? This is the question that prevents a wasted visit. Some suppliers keep their own form or their own list. Iowa says the registered tester uses the local form when an ordinance requires it.

The assembly

Is this a domestic service, irrigation, or a fire line? Texas allows a licensed tester to test and repair irrigation and other ordinary services, and it limits fire-line testing and repair to permanent employees of an Approved Fireline Contractor. Massachusetts requires local fire-department approval before a fire-system device is repaired or replaced. If fertilizer is injected into the irrigation, say so. Kansas, Mississippi, and Nebraska treat chemical irrigation differently from a plain lawn system. Irrigation and fire lines has the official distinctions.

Are you testing only, or testing and repairing? Utah says testing requires the state tester certification and that repair or installation may need another license. Maryland requires a master or journey plumber license, plus backflow certification, to certify the test. Ohio’s backflow technician certification covers isolation devices and does not apply to containment devices. Ask which one you have.

The paper and the price

Who receives the report, and when? Idaho’s rules give two business days after a failure and fifteen after a pass. Mississippi uses a Department form to both the owner and the water system. Ask for your copy the same day if the supplier’s deadline is short.

What happens if it fails? Massachusetts uses 14 days to repair and retest. Mississippi uses 30 or 90 days depending on the assembly. Wyoming’s Chapter 12 text says a defective device is repaired or replaced immediately or the service may be terminated. Ask the tester not to leave a bypass open without equal protection. The repair price should be a separate quote. Michigan says customers often pay for testing. That is not a set statewide fee. Utah’s Division says it does not endorse testers and suggests more than one quote.

Is the gauge due for a check? South Carolina’s recertification rule says the differential gauge must be accurate within 2 percent of scale or 0.3 psi. You do not need to operate the gauge. You can ask whether it is inside its calibration interval.

What not to ask

Do not ask the tester to walk you through the test so you can do the next one. State pages assign the test to a licensed, registered, or specifically certified person. A practice session does not create that credential. Do not ask for a guaranteed pass. The test is a measurement. If you want a second opinion after a failure, hire a second qualified tester rather than negotiating the first result.

Use How to verify a tester while you are still on the phone. If the answers are vague, call the next person.