how long do these backflow thingies usually last?

Mine lasted about 10 years, but honestly, I think it depends on a bunch of factors:

- Water quality: Hard water or lots of sediment can wear these things down quicker. If your area's water is rough, 7-8 years might actually be decent.
- Installation quality: If the plumber who installed it originally cut corners or didn't set it up properly, that could shorten its lifespan.
- Maintenance: Did you ever have it tested or serviced? Most people (myself included, lol) don't even think about these things until they fail.

I replaced mine last year after noticing weird pressure fluctuations, and the plumber said 8-12 years is pretty typical. So you're not super unlucky, just maybe a bit on the shorter end of average. If you're budget-conscious like me, you might wanna look into a rebuild kit next time - cheaper than replacing the whole thing, and usually does the trick if you catch it early enough.

"If you're budget-conscious like me, you might wanna look into a rebuild kit next time - cheaper than replacing the whole thing, and usually does the trick if you catch it early enough."

Rebuild kits can be great, but honestly, if your area's water is super harsh, sometimes it's just delaying the inevitable. Learned that one the hard way...

Yeah, rebuild kits can buy you some time, but I've seen plenty of cases where folks end up replacing the whole thing anyway after a year or two. Depends a lot on your water quality and maintenance habits...anyone here actually had a rebuild last long-term?

Mine lasted about 6 years before it started acting up. Tried the rebuild route, but honestly, after a year it was back to square one. Ended up replacing the whole thing - probably should've done that from the start.

A rebuild isn’t automatically just delaying replacement. It can be the lower-cost choice when the failed parts are serviceable, but the deciding point is whether the device passes its required test after the repair. If the body’s damaged or it still fails, replacement makes more sense; age alone doesn’t tell you whether a rebuild worked.

The one-year relapse is a useful example of why the test matters: if that rebuild still failed the required test afterward, it hadn’t restored the device; if it passed then and failed a year later, it simply didn’t last long in that case. Either way, one repair outcome isn’t proof that rebuilds generally don’t hold up.