A backwater valve is a device that is capable of preventing water backup (and flooding) to your property. How does it do this? The valve uses a flap to allow water to exit your home. This forces wastewater to strictly flow away from your property instead of going back to it. When the main sewer becomes overwhelmed, a backwater valve prevents water from flowing into your home. The flap kicks into action by encouraging water to leave your home while also venting gases. If water attempts to re-enter your home, There are also flotation devices on each side of the flap that causes it to open and close, freely allowing water to leave your home without backing up. Once the line is no longer under pressure, the gate of the valve opens up and allows water to flow as usual.
The backwater works with a variety of the appliances in your home including your sinks and toilets and it is top-tier when it comes to preventing water backup for your home. On top of this, it is easy to monitor a backwater valve as it has a clear cover to view its functionality. Through the clear cover, one can also manually adjust the valve if required.
A backwater valve is directly installed on your sewer line to allow water and sewage to flow out of your home. In uncommon cases, the valve can be installed on the outside of the home with a suitably graded pipe to support the installation. Some valves come with the development of newer homes or they can be retrofitted into existing homes. However, initially building a backwater valve is notably cheaper than retrofitting it, as initial installation can cost $150-250 while retrofitting can cost up to $2000.
All of the newly constructed homes require the install of backwater valves. However, some homes may not require a backwater valve if it is at least 24” above the closest street manhole. If your home is 24”+ above the closest sewer manhole, you will not experience basement flooding caused by sewer backups as all of your home’s plumbing fixtures are above street level.
Installing a backwater valve can be a lengthy process; we recommend that you contact us as soon as possible if your home does not have a backwater valve..
With climate change on the rise, rainfalls will be more common than ever. The City of Toronto has acknowledged this by making it easier for single-family, duplex or triplex residential home owners to install flood protection fixtures. Subsidies of up to $3400 per property can be provided by the city to install flood prevention devices including backwater valves.
The subsidies that include backwater valves are:
If your backwater valve is successfully installed, then you do not have to worry about it malfunctioning. Our team at Plumber Toronto Pro will ensure that the installation is completed successfully. However, if you experience any difficulties or issues with the valve you should contact us as soon as possible.
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