Yes — Done’s licensed plumbers repair and replace pressure vacuum breakers (PVBs) throughout the Denver and Front Range area. A PVB is a type of backflow preventer required on most residential irrigation systems in Colorado, and it’s one of the more common outdoor plumbing repairs homeowners deal with — particularly after a hard freeze or after the device has reached the end of its service life. If your PVB is leaking, spraying water when it shouldn’t be, or failing a backflow inspection, Done can assess it and get it fixed.

What a PVB Does and Why It Matters

A pressure vacuum breaker is installed on your irrigation system’s water supply line — typically above ground, outside the home, at least 12 inches above the highest sprinkler head it serves. Its job is to prevent irrigation water from flowing backward into your home’s potable water supply. This process, called backflow, can happen when pressure drops in the supply line (during a water main break or high demand) and contaminated water from the irrigation system gets siphoned back into the drinking water supply.

In Colorado, backflow prevention on irrigation systems is required by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and enforced locally by water utilities. Denver Water and most Front Range utilities require that backflow prevention devices be tested annually by a certified tester. If your PVB fails that test, it must be repaired or replaced.

Common PVB Problems

  • Leaking from the side vents: Small weep holes or bonnet vents on a PVB drip a little during normal operation (this is by design), but continuous or heavy leaking from the side vent indicates a worn seat disc or poppet that needs replacement.
  • Freeze damage: PVBs must be properly drained and winterized before Colorado’s first hard freeze. Units left with water inside can crack when the water expands. A cracked body or broken bonnet cap typically requires full replacement rather than repair.
  • Failed backflow test: If the check valve or air inlet valve no longer holds to the required pressure differential, the unit has failed its inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced to pass.
  • Age and corrosion: PVBs have a finite service life. The internal components — seat discs, springs, and o-rings — degrade over time, especially in Colorado’s high-UV environment and with the mineral-laden water that accelerates corrosion on metal fittings.

Repair vs. Replacement

Whether a PVB can be repaired or needs full replacement depends on what’s wrong with it. Many common problems — worn poppets, bad seat discs, or a failed bonnet seal — can be addressed with a repair kit that replaces the internal components without swapping the whole device. This is often cost-effective for a device that is otherwise structurally sound and correctly sized.

Freeze damage that cracks the body, severe corrosion at the fittings, or a device that’s simply at the end of its service life usually calls for full replacement. When a PVB is replaced, Colorado plumbing code and local utility requirements dictate the type of device, its location, and minimum elevation requirements. A licensed plumber ensures the replacement meets those requirements and can pass a subsequent backflow test.

Winterization: Preventing PVB Damage

The Front Range freeze-thaw season is the leading cause of PVB failures. Properly winterizing your irrigation system before the first hard freeze — typically in late October in the Denver metro — includes shutting off the irrigation supply valve, draining or blowing out the lines, and opening the PVB’s test cocks to drain any standing water from the device itself. Many homeowners add PVB service to their annual irrigation system winterization. If you’re not sure your PVB was properly drained last fall and you’re seeing leaks this spring, have a plumber inspect it before running the system.

Done’s licensed plumbers handle PVB repair, replacement, and backflow-related services across the Denver and Front Range area. Visit our pressure and backflow services page for more detail on what we do, or our plumbing services page to learn about our full range of residential plumbing work. If you’re also dealing with an irrigation leak or other outdoor plumbing issue, our team can assess that on the same visit.