Being a tester now going on close to 20 years when your given the opportunity to try a new backflow gauge I’m not going to lie you kind of turn up your nose a little bit. Why try something different than the tried and true Midwest 845-5. I mean that’s how I was ten years ago when I had my first interaction with an old antiquated digital kit that printed out the results. While that test kit was cool that it printed out the results and I didn’t have to remember things, it was heavy, took batteries, and well didn’t like the water very much. Fast forward 8 years to another digital kit and well I still had to move results saved from the unit to paper forms and well it just didn’t have that feel in your hands as an 845-5.

So then along comes the new Midwest 855, the first time I took it out of the box I was a little taken back by the no dial and well no screen. But let me tell you when I put it in my hand I felt right at home and there was no big weight difference. So being that I help manage a company with 8 full time backflow testers and some plumbers where we test over 20,000 backflow assemblies a year let me tell you I’ve been hesitant to put some of the current electronic gauges in my tester’s hands. Simply put new testers have a tendency to overtighten control and blead valves on the gauges and the 845 has always just been nice for us to be able to take care of those small maintenance of the gauge throughout the year by replacing worn needle valve seats and control valves as needed instead of sending them into a shop to get repaired. So, after working with this gauge for some time now well my feeling has changed a little bit, I mean at least with the moving some of my guys to the 855 only because really the only thing that has changed with the 855 vs the 845 is no more analog dial but the manifold and control valves are exactly the same.

There’s an App for that! Yep, that’s right you get to use your phone to get your readings. Really, it’s not that bad you Bluetooth to the gauge and then once you either find the assembly (prepopulated off of your data) or enter in the new assembly info all you have to do is tap your phone to record your reading to what your testing weather that check 1, rv opening, ect…. Takes a little getting used to but it’s not a big learning curve.

Overall, for moving into the new digital world of gauges I’m all for it. Now the only thing it’s missing is integration into the many worlds of online test report entry…

Let me start off by saying Wow!

Wow this test kit has made my life as a tester easier, faster, and more efficient.

While it should be no surprise that this kits fit and finish would be great, I’ll say it anyway, its great! I love my 845, 5 valve analog kit and you may think, there will always be a place for analog kits, and you may be right. However, theres no denying that the world is moving towards all things digital and the 855 has met that need very well. First off, holds well, with a good fit in your hand while testing. Not a heavy or bulky kit at all which is a plus for me testing all day. There’s barely a learning curve at all and I’d even argue its ease of use could actually aid in teaching backflow testing to new testers. As much as I love my 845, (did I say that already?) the benefits of going digital with the 855 has sped me up and made the back end, paperwork side of testing, a breeze to get through. No more “where did I put my pen?” and no more wet papers being filled out in the field. I cruise through my data collection using the speak-to-text on my phone to call out make, model and serial numbers as well as any other pertinent info, then I’m on to testing faster than I had ever been before. Repeat tests or coming back to test again after repairs goes even quicker. I’m adapting with the times and have gone digital and I’m not looking back. I’m stoked I chose the Midwest Instrument 855!

Testimonial from our tech:

The software/app for this device is very user friendly. When entering a new site into the software that is not uploaded prior to arrival, it is easy to enter the site’s info and multiple device’s testing, since the site info auto fills after saving the previous test info. Exporting the test information to the office via email is a really neat feature and limits time in the field. Found the gauge was accurate to our regular test gauge and easy to read digital readings if you needed to go back in and find readings on previous testing.

Notes from the office:

Obtaining test info from the field via email is a super cool feature. We believe that this software and mobile ability will greatly reduce the overhead in the office due to paperwork processing being exported from the field and imported to the office’s software. We look forward to potential future upgrades-perhaps we can submit reports to the cities upload sites in the future.

They generate test reports in the app and email them back to the office they have brought up several times to me how much more efficient that is then waiting to bring back a stack of test reports from the field.