Protect Your Home From Basement Flooding With a Back Water Valve

No matter the time of the year, dealing with a flooded basement can be a costly event. Not only will it cost you for plumbing repairs, but it could also cost you a day’s work, losses in home repair, and flooring or furniture replacement. You can protect your home from flooding due to storm or sanitary drain flooding with a back water valve.

Why do you need a back water valve?

When a storm occurs, water usually ends up in your basement because excess water in the sewage system pushes its way into your home rather than making its way to a treatment plant. The excess water can be caused for a number of reasons, and is not just related to storms and flooding.

However, as the water backs up the drains to your basement, the excess water flows up out of your basement drain. There are a number of ways to determine whether your home should have a back water valve installed:

1. You live in an area subject to flooding or heavy rain

2. Your home is at the bottom of a hill

3. Your basement has been flooded before

If you meet one or more of these conditions, you likely need this valve to prevent excess drainage water from backing up into your basement.

What is a back water valve?

A back water valve is a one-way valve that protects your home by closing its sewer pipe, preventing water from travelling back up the pipe into your basement. Rather than installing check valves onto each line going into the basement, homes now have just one main valve. Here is how it works.

A back water valve is installed right onto your sewer line where it connects to the public sewer line. The valve has to be installed in an area that will not allow sewage backup to enter your home through any of your basement drains.

Under normal circumstances, the valve will remain open. When the valve detects a large amount of backflow coming up your line from the sewer, the valve automatically shuts off and closes the pipe. This way the excess water cannot enter into your sewer line and flood your basement.

Because the valve remains open all the time, it allows for sewer line gases and waste water to flow in and out. This means that the normal function of the pipes is not disturbed.

If you have questions about installing your back water valve, contact us at Express Rooter Plumbing for an appointment today.