# Backflow testing software that keeps the due dates and the purveyor's form straight

> Backflow prevention testing is the periodic field test of an installed backflow prevention assembly, confirming it still stops water flowing back from a customer's premises into the public drinking water system. There are over 148,000 public water systems in the United States, each running its own cross connection control program with its own form and deadline. Neurobird holds the assemblies, calculates the due dates and produces the report each purveyor accepts.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/backflowpreventi/
- Product: Neurobird Backflow Prevention Testing Compliance Platform
- Niche: backflow prevention testing
- Buyer: backflow testers and cross connection control programs
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Backflow Prevention Testing does

- Hold every assembly with its make, size, hazard class, location and last test result
- Calculate the next due date from the test itself, not from a spreadsheet row copied forward
- Produce the test report each water purveyor accepts, without retyping it into their form
- Track gauge calibration and tester certification alongside the assemblies they sign off

## How it works

1. **Build the assembly list** Make, model, size, hazard class, location and shutoff detail are recorded once, so the assembly outlives the customer's staff turnover.
2. **Test and record in the field** Gauge readings, pass or fail, repairs and the tester's certification number are captured at the assembly rather than typed up that evening.
3. **Report to the purveyor** The report is produced in the format the purveyor accepts and marked as submitted, so a missing report is visible before the deadline.

## From the source material

> A method of backflow prevention which requires a backflow prevention preventer at the water service entrance.

Source: US EPA cross connection control manual, https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf

## Industry context

- **148,000** Public water systems in the United States, each responsible for its own cross connection control program and its own test reporting. (source: US EPA, information about public water systems, https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/information-about-public-water-systems)
- **90 percent** Share of Americans served by the public drinking water systems regulated by EPA and delegated states and tribes. (source: US EPA, information about public water systems, https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/information-about-public-water-systems)
- **2 psi** Minimum differential below inlet pressure a reduced pressure principle assembly must hold, which is exactly what the field test verifies. (source: US EPA cross connection control manual, https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf)
- **30 days** Compliance window the EPA model ordinance allows to repair or replace an assembly that fails a periodic test, outside high hazard situations. (source: US EPA cross connection control manual, https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf)
- **141** The part of 40 CFR carrying the national primary drinking water regulations that state cross connection programs implement. (source: 40 CFR Part 141, eCFR, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-141)

## Pricing

- Solo tester: $45 per tester, per month
- Testing company: $110 per tester, per month
- Program: $190 per tester, per month

## Questions

### What is backflow prevention testing?

Backflow prevention testing is the periodic field test of an installed backflow prevention assembly to confirm it still stops water flowing back from a customer's premises into the public drinking water system. A certified tester uses a calibrated differential gauge and reports the result to the water purveyor.

### How often does an assembly have to be tested?

That is set locally, not federally. Most water purveyors require an annual test, and the EPA cross connection control manual's model ordinance calls for reduced pressure principle assemblies to be tested and inspected at least semi annually. Programs also test more often where there is a history of failures.

### What is the difference between an assembly and a device?

A testable assembly, such as a reduced pressure principle assembly or a double check, has shutoffs and test cocks so it can be verified in place. A non testable device cannot be, which is why fixture isolation with a non testable device usually needs neither a permit nor a periodic test.

### Who actually requires the test?

The water purveyor, under state drinking water rules that implement the Safe Drinking Water Act. There are over 148,000 public water systems in the United States and each runs its own cross connection control program, which is why the form and the deadline change when you cross a service boundary.

### Does this file the report with the purveyor?

It produces the report in the format the purveyor accepts and records that it went out. Submission routes vary from a portal to a fax to an email, so routing stays configurable rather than assumed.

## Sources

- [US EPA cross connection control manual](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf)
- [US EPA, information about public water systems](https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/information-about-public-water-systems)
- [40 CFR Part 141, primary drinking water regulations](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-141)
- [Washington State Department of Health, cross connection control](https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/drinking-water/water-system-design-and-planning/cross-connection-control-backflow-prevention)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/