Additional Parts & Services
These items are typically provided as needed at the time of testing, with the cost either added to the invoice, or invoiced separately after service. Detailed descriptions of each item are at the bottom of the page. For larger repairs, such as those on failing assemblies, we have a separate pricing page here.
Service or Part (item descriptions below) |
Price |
Replace 1/4" or 1/8" Test Cock |
$25 each (includes labor) |
Empty Box of Water/soil/debris |
$5 minimum (billed as labor) |
Add Appointment Window |
+$10 per service call under $200 |
Vegetation Trim |
$5 minimum (billed as labor) |
Vault Pumping |
$80 and up, depending on volume |
OSHA-required Confined Space Entry* |
$80 per vault |
Install Permanent Elbow Adapters |
$5 each (includes labor) |
Labor Rate |
$200/hour (1-hour minimum, billed thereafter in 15-minute increments) |
* Working in confined spaces without proper safety equipment can be deadly. Do not compromise on safety by hiring (or allowing) anybody to work in a vault without the specific equipment and procedures required by OSHA for safe vault work.
A few extra notes:
A few extra notes:
- This list covers the most common items and is not exhaustive. For more information, please contact us.
- All parts include basic installation. If extra work is required for installation, additional charges may apply.
- Because these parts and services are only supplied when required to proceed with or facilitate testing, we don't seek preapproval for these charges unless we expect the additional cost to exceed $75 for residential work, or $150 for commercial work.
- We often waive charges for minor digging or bailing, and request on the report that this be addressed before future orders. However, we do charge to address (or may decline service due to) conditions that interfere more seriously with our ability to test. If your assembly is in a box below grade, code is 12" clear space below the equipment, and we advise at least 4-8" if that's not possible.
- Flooded boxes often re-fill quickly after being bailed out, so bailing in advance isn't usually helpful. If your box is typically flooded when we arrive to test, we may adjust future test timing to coincide with the dry season. A landscape professional may be able to help you improve drainage or find a better location for your assembly. If an assembly is consistently submerged, this is a code violation, and we may decline service for this reason.
- In rare cases, an installation may be in such poor condition that we 1.) aren't able to address all the issues in a single service call, 2.) need to refer you to a landscaping or plumbing professional for repairs, or 3.) can't risk attempting a test.
- We recommend checking your box before ordering, to ensure your assembly's operable parts (all four test cocks and both handles), plus any upstream shutoff valves, are fully exposed and in good working order.
Item Descriptions
Replacement Test Cocks
Backflow assemblies are equipped with anywhere from 2-4 test ports, and each of these has (or should have) a test cock screwed in to allow testing. Each test cocks contains a tiny ball valve that we open and close to flush the tests cocks and deliver water to our gauge. These are sometimes seized, broken, or worn out to the point of being inoperable. If we find this is the case, we will replace this part in order to finish our test procedure.
Empty Box of Water/soil/debris
If your assembly is beneath water, soil, or other materials that prevent us from readily accessing your equipment, extra time will be required to dig (or bail) out the box before we can begin your test, and we bill accordingly. Please note that, by code, this equipment should be a.) installed and maintained in a way that facilitates testing and maintenance and b.) not subject to continuous submersion. Customers are responsible for making sure their equipment meets this standard, and that equipment is ready for service before orders are placed. Accordingly, we may decline service for jobs that require repeat dig-outs or bail-outs.
Add Appointment Window
Most of our work is done on a drop-in basis, but if your job requires a specific service window to be scheduled for for testing, we charge an additional fee. This partially offsets the added time and reduced routing flexibility that scheduling and meeting specific appointment windows requires. Because we're often at capacity for appointment-based work, we cannot accommodate all appointment requests, and we politely decline requests for appointments that aren't strictly necessary for testing. Thank you for understanding.
Vegetation Trim
We kindly ask that encroaching plants are trimmed back before your order, to ensure good access and visibility for our work - if this isn't done before our visit, we may trim back plants for a better view of, or access to, the equipment we're working on. If you'd like plantings to remain untouched, please make sure we have a clear path to the valve box, two feet of clear space around it, and four feet above this overall work area. Vegetation trims require extra time and equipment to address, so you may be billed for this extra service, with the amount based on the extent of the trimming. If a box is particularly overgrown, we may decline service and/or ask that the customer trim back plants before we return for another service call (additional charges will apply).
Vault Pumping
This applies to large utility vaults that must be bodily entered for testing (usually only seen at sites with lines 2.5" or larger). Vaults can contain a lot of standing water, especially if they don't have a (functioning) pump installed, and this can prevent safe (and dry) work within the vault. For this reason, we bring pumping equipment for all vault work and will use it if needed. Pumping charges are calculated as a $30.00 equipment fee, plus pumping time at $200 per hour (in 15-minute increments). It's very rare for pumping charges to exceed $130.00 per vault. If you'd prefer to pump yourself, please let us know in your order comments. Depending on local conditions, vaults can re-fill within hours, so pumping in advance won't necessarily prevent us from having to pump, but it may help. A dry vault during prior work is no guarantee that we won't need to pump: water levels can (and do) change over time, and even vaults with pumps already installed can be flooded due to malfunctioning equipment. IMPORTANT NOTE: do not enter a utility vault without confined space entry equipment - if you're not sure if something in your vault is working properly, please contact us.
OSHA-required Confined Space Entry
Like, pumping, this item only applies to large utility vaults that we are climbing down into for our work. OSHA requires workers to use special equipment and procedures to safely enter these spaces, which they refer to as "confined spaces." The primary concern in our line of work is low oxygen, which can quickly be fatal to anybody entering the vault. Click here, here and here for examples of confined space deaths in Oregon. To ensure our safety (and comply with the law), we use an atmospheric monitor to test the air prior to entry, barriers around the vault to prevent accidental entry, and continuous forced-air ventilation during the work. Believe it or not, our low-oxygen alarm goes off during a few vault jobs a year, and we'd be goners if it weren't for the use of confined space entry procedures. DO NOT COMPROMISE ON SAFETY by hiring (or allowing) anybody to work in a vault without using the proper equipment and procedures for this work. The results can be deadly. We only offer confined space entries in conjunction with testing, not as a standalone service
Elbow Adapters
If there is less than three inches of clearance straight out from the opening point of any test cock, we may install elbow adapters to protect our equipment and facilitate attaching a test gauge to your assembly for our work. Elbow adapters are most often used when an assembly has been installed on its side, with the test ports facing the side of the valve box, and we may need to install as many as four of them to test. In some cases, adapters are already integrated with the test cock, and in these cases, we may need to replace both in order to achieve the required clearances. We only use high-quality bronze adapters that won't rust, and they will be left in place to facilitate future testing. If clearances or assembly design prevent us from installing permanent elbow adapters in reduced-clearance installations, we may be unable to complete your test, or we may decline future testing on your equipment.
Backflow assemblies are equipped with anywhere from 2-4 test ports, and each of these has (or should have) a test cock screwed in to allow testing. Each test cocks contains a tiny ball valve that we open and close to flush the tests cocks and deliver water to our gauge. These are sometimes seized, broken, or worn out to the point of being inoperable. If we find this is the case, we will replace this part in order to finish our test procedure.
Empty Box of Water/soil/debris
If your assembly is beneath water, soil, or other materials that prevent us from readily accessing your equipment, extra time will be required to dig (or bail) out the box before we can begin your test, and we bill accordingly. Please note that, by code, this equipment should be a.) installed and maintained in a way that facilitates testing and maintenance and b.) not subject to continuous submersion. Customers are responsible for making sure their equipment meets this standard, and that equipment is ready for service before orders are placed. Accordingly, we may decline service for jobs that require repeat dig-outs or bail-outs.
Add Appointment Window
Most of our work is done on a drop-in basis, but if your job requires a specific service window to be scheduled for for testing, we charge an additional fee. This partially offsets the added time and reduced routing flexibility that scheduling and meeting specific appointment windows requires. Because we're often at capacity for appointment-based work, we cannot accommodate all appointment requests, and we politely decline requests for appointments that aren't strictly necessary for testing. Thank you for understanding.
Vegetation Trim
We kindly ask that encroaching plants are trimmed back before your order, to ensure good access and visibility for our work - if this isn't done before our visit, we may trim back plants for a better view of, or access to, the equipment we're working on. If you'd like plantings to remain untouched, please make sure we have a clear path to the valve box, two feet of clear space around it, and four feet above this overall work area. Vegetation trims require extra time and equipment to address, so you may be billed for this extra service, with the amount based on the extent of the trimming. If a box is particularly overgrown, we may decline service and/or ask that the customer trim back plants before we return for another service call (additional charges will apply).
Vault Pumping
This applies to large utility vaults that must be bodily entered for testing (usually only seen at sites with lines 2.5" or larger). Vaults can contain a lot of standing water, especially if they don't have a (functioning) pump installed, and this can prevent safe (and dry) work within the vault. For this reason, we bring pumping equipment for all vault work and will use it if needed. Pumping charges are calculated as a $30.00 equipment fee, plus pumping time at $200 per hour (in 15-minute increments). It's very rare for pumping charges to exceed $130.00 per vault. If you'd prefer to pump yourself, please let us know in your order comments. Depending on local conditions, vaults can re-fill within hours, so pumping in advance won't necessarily prevent us from having to pump, but it may help. A dry vault during prior work is no guarantee that we won't need to pump: water levels can (and do) change over time, and even vaults with pumps already installed can be flooded due to malfunctioning equipment. IMPORTANT NOTE: do not enter a utility vault without confined space entry equipment - if you're not sure if something in your vault is working properly, please contact us.
OSHA-required Confined Space Entry
Like, pumping, this item only applies to large utility vaults that we are climbing down into for our work. OSHA requires workers to use special equipment and procedures to safely enter these spaces, which they refer to as "confined spaces." The primary concern in our line of work is low oxygen, which can quickly be fatal to anybody entering the vault. Click here, here and here for examples of confined space deaths in Oregon. To ensure our safety (and comply with the law), we use an atmospheric monitor to test the air prior to entry, barriers around the vault to prevent accidental entry, and continuous forced-air ventilation during the work. Believe it or not, our low-oxygen alarm goes off during a few vault jobs a year, and we'd be goners if it weren't for the use of confined space entry procedures. DO NOT COMPROMISE ON SAFETY by hiring (or allowing) anybody to work in a vault without using the proper equipment and procedures for this work. The results can be deadly. We only offer confined space entries in conjunction with testing, not as a standalone service
Elbow Adapters
If there is less than three inches of clearance straight out from the opening point of any test cock, we may install elbow adapters to protect our equipment and facilitate attaching a test gauge to your assembly for our work. Elbow adapters are most often used when an assembly has been installed on its side, with the test ports facing the side of the valve box, and we may need to install as many as four of them to test. In some cases, adapters are already integrated with the test cock, and in these cases, we may need to replace both in order to achieve the required clearances. We only use high-quality bronze adapters that won't rust, and they will be left in place to facilitate future testing. If clearances or assembly design prevent us from installing permanent elbow adapters in reduced-clearance installations, we may be unable to complete your test, or we may decline future testing on your equipment.