Backflow Testing in Mentone, CA

Local conditions in Mentone

Mentone is an unincorporated foothill community east of Redlands, on the south bank of the Santa Ana River and along SR-38 toward the San Bernardino Mountains, with north-south streets named for gemstones. The City of Redlands says it has supplied water to the Redlands and Mentone area for more than 90 years, and Redlands extends water and sewer to unincorporated Mentone parcels case by case through LAFCO-approved out-of-agency service agreements. Check your bill to confirm who serves your address.

For Redlands water customers, the City's Cross-Connection Control Plan is clear. Every backflow prevention assembly with active water service must be field tested at least once a year by a certified tester acceptable to the City, at the owner's expense, and also after installation, repair, replacement or relocation. Testers must hold a recognized certification and a City business license, submit annual gauge calibration and file results through the City's BSI Online platform. If your water comes from somewhere else, ask that supplier for its rules. The foothill setting also brings more frosty nights than the valley floor, which is hard on exposed brass.

Common situations compared

Signs to watch for

• A Redlands notice that your yearly test is due or overdue
• Water running from the relief port of an assembly
• A split body or seeping bonnet after a cold snap
• Hoses left in troughs, ponds or buckets on larger lots
• Low pressure on zones past the device

Timing and seasonal notes

Insulate or cover above-ground assemblies before winter nights turn cold, and look them over after a freeze. Schedule the yearly test early in the cycle so there's time for a rebuild and retest if it fails. Because Mentone is unincorporated, plumbing permits for new or relocated devices go through San Bernardino County rather than a city; the right county office varies by job, so check with the County before work starts.