Backflow Testing in Lemon Grove, CA

Reasons Lemon Grove owners call

• A Helix reminder shows a test due next month
• The sprinkler assembly by the driveway drips all day
• A fourplex or small apartment building has a device with no recent test
• The tester left a failed result and the deadline is near
• A business is adding a dedicated irrigation meter or a fire line
• The device was hit by a mower or a car and is bent or leaking

How it works in Lemon Grove

The city itself does not run a backflow program. Water comes from Helix Water District, which serves Lemon Grove along with La Mesa, El Cajon and nearby unincorporated areas, and Helix enforces cross-connection control for all of them. The district requires an RP assembly on commercial, industrial, irrigation and multiple-dwelling services. Residential fire sprinkler services need an RP, a double check or a passive purge setup where the fire marshal says so. Testing happens yearly, by a tester Helix has approved, and the report is submitted online. Helix's Cross Connection Control coordinator can be reached at 619-667-6224.

Helix water is ozone-treated at the R.M. Levy plant and chloraminated in the pipes. Treated plant water averages about 12 grains per gallon of hardness, so scale on internal parts is a real factor in failed tests. Lemon Grove began as a citrus-growing town, and many lots still carry old irrigation lines whose assemblies may predate the current owner. Work that adds or moves a device goes through the City of Lemon Grove Building Division at City Hall, 3232 Main Street (619-825-3800).

Cost drivers

• Number of devices and whether they are tested together
• Size of the assembly; a multi-unit service is larger than a yard line
• Rebuild parts if a check or relief valve fails
• Replacement if the body is cracked or the shutoffs are seized
• Filing the report with Helix after the passing test

When you call

An independent plumber who works in Lemon Grove picks up the request. Mention the Helix due date, the type of property and what the device protects, and ask whether they are on Helix's approved tester list. For a device that is gushing, close the irrigation or main shutoff until the visit.