subject: A Backwater Valve, What Every Homeowner And Property Owner Should Know [print this page] A Backwater Valve, What Every Homeowner And Property Owner Should Know
A backwater valve, also called a sewer check valve, should be familiar to every property owner. With ever increasing erratic weather patterns, sudden downpours occur more and more frequently resulting in raw sewage backed up into basements due to public sewers being overburdened. This unsanitary condition is not just a nuisance but a serious health hazard and the cause of expensive property damage and clean-up. In many cases a backwater valve is a relatively simple solution.
A backwater valve installed professionally on a house sewer can be a permanent solution to sewer back ups from heavy rainfall. A backwater valve should be installed in front of the house trap on the house sewer. This would prevent a public sewer from backing up into a house. Another option if there are plumbing fixtures in the basement such as a toilet or a even a full bathroom or kitchen is to install an individual backwater valve for each plumbing fixture. Every case is different and it is best to have a licensed plumber check out your particular sewer problem. Many plumbers provide free site visits, free on-site evaluations, and free written estimates.
Sometimes a backwater valve is not the answer to sewer back-ups. An example would be such as when the roof leader lines share the same sewer piping as the house plumbing. There are all sorts of backwater check valves, some are fancier than others. Some even have see-through covers, and cost over a couple a hundred dollars. A simple, reliable, and easy to maintain cast iron backwater valve costs less than a hundred dollars and will last for many years. They key to solving the sewer problem is not the backwater device, it is the installation. Installed improperly a backwater valve can create more problems than it solves. A backwater valve must be installed in the proper location, have water-tight seals, be maintained, and have a careful site inspection prior to being installed.
This is not the type of sewer repair project for a homeowner or a handyman to undertake. To correct an improper backwater valve installation is costly. More importantly, it can result in an unsanitary condition requiring a costly and professionally performed clean-up and sanitizing after a back-up that involves raw sewage. Simply put, there are too many issues at risk to not use a licensed and insured sewer contractor to install a back water valve
