Warning: That cheap backflow preventer cost me $1,200 in repairs

I picked up a no-name backflow preventer off Amazon for about $80 thinking I was saving money on a restaurant job in Denver. It worked fine for 2 weeks then failed during a pressure surge and dumped water all over the basement kitchen. The health inspector shut them down for 3 days and I had to replace everything plus fix water damage. Has anyone else had a cheap part blow up on them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_singh8716d ago

Gonna go the other way on this one and say cheap parts can work fine if you know what you're actually buying. @evanr79 mentioned tools and car parts but those are way different from plumbing components that have to handle constant pressure and health code requirements. An $80 backflow preventer from a random Amazon seller with no certifications is not the same as grabbing a budget brand socket wrench from Harbor Freight. The problem isn't saving money, it's not knowing where it actually makes sense to cut corners. If you did your research and picked something that still met code specs you'd probably be fine most of the time.

evanr7916d ago

And it's not just plumbing stuff either, right? I feel like every time I try to cheap out on something important (tools, car parts, even kitchen gear) it ends up costing me double in the long run. It's like that whole "buy once, cry once" thing is actually real even though I hate admitting it.

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