A heavy tree branch broke and fell onto some pipes on the sidewalk and produced a fire hydrant type of gushing. Upon close inspection a nipple of some sort had broken off. Tiny hole...big gush! Anyway, there were two valves I saw and managed to shut them off to stop the gushing.

I'm not sure what this is for (this is for a neighbor). But I'm thinking it's for a sidewalk watering system?

My question is, what is this doohicky, in particular the bolted, 4-5" round piece (that has four hex bolts) and the nipple on top that apparently broke off?




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test port on a RPZ Backflow prevention device

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



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What is the whole thing for? Sidewalk irrigation? And is it the city’s?

you are looking for something like this valve the sponsor sells.
carefully drill out the soft brass piece broken off inside the RPZ port.
small drill bit first and increase in size slowly.
worst case is you mess up the female threads and need a 1/4 inch pipe tap.

Packy I think you have the wrong valve pictured. You would not be able to turn the test cock on with that one.

It IS the test cock and of course it could be turned on. A screwdriver stop, like the one on the valve behind the broken one would be better, but NOT necessary.



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This is the one I am referring to Packy. [@#$%&[postimages.org]][/url]

hj not Packy...appologies guys.

that is why i wrote "something like this one".
anyway, it seems un-necessary at this point since the RPZ most likely belongs to the city and the DPW will repair it.

Gotcha....

the RPZ does NOT belong to the city

it belongs to the property owner who receives/uses the water passing through it

it is FEDERALLY MANDATED including the annual REQUIRED testing


there is NO OPTION re: the test port valve

the one with the screw stop is REQUIRED due to the nature of the REQUIRED 'testing device'




... sheez ... are we, or are we not, plumbers protecting the health of the nation


oops: my union training and naivety are showing ... again

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Somebody needs to tell CT about that federal mandate then. I know there are code requirements for backflow prevention, such as at boiler connections, sprinkler systems , etc. But.... Federal Mandate? Around here, the city owns the sidewalk. You may be right... the homeowner may own it. But in California, the land of avocado pizza, who the heck knows.

A synopsis for the 'layman':

The water department has complete control over their system of piping; however, once the water goes through the meter and into an office, commercial, or industrial building (or any other facility) they no longer have control over the water. In order to prevent the backflow from polluted or contaminated water into their piping, the easiest solution is to install a backflow prevention device. These devices can be installed on irrigation piping, potable water piping, fire protection piping, or industrial water piping. They can be installed on boilers, cooling towers, kitchen equipment, or any other system that uses water and has the possibility of polluting or contaminating that water.

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

does the city maintain the grass ?

It belongs to whoever installed it. It could be for a "common area" or residential irrigation system, in which case they maintain it. If the city installed it to maintain the parkway, (and I once destroyed one when I put my truck through a wall and into a swimming pool), then the city maintains and tests it. However, in many cases, a city owned device is enclosed in a locked cage to prevent vandalism. It is a heavy piece of brass.



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packy......In MA they smoke it.

Hello guys. Remember me? I’m the original poster. Thanks for all the replies! You guys are talking calculus to a first grader, however. But I do enjoying learning all this. Thanks again. I’ll check with the neighbor to see what he did. I know he was going to contact his insurance company and the city for all it’s worth.

His insurance company is NOT going to do anything, because it is a $5.00 part and he probably has a $1,000.00 deductible.

What's wrong with avocado pizza ?

Whoever pays for the water that goes through the backflow device is who owns the backflow device and is responsible for it.

A 4 sided tapered easy out or whatever it is called will easily remove it with out damaging the threads.

The device in the picture is a Febco 825y. Any generic 1/8" mip x 1/4" fip slotted test cock will fit it.

Most generic test cocks will not come with the test fitting as pictured. That was most likely added by the tester.

The the test fitting is 1/4" mip x 1/4" male flare.