The water going down your toilet and your drains
Is only supposed to flow in one direction.
Out of your house.
So what happens when it flows the wrong way?
For one thing, it's gross,
It's really gross, and it can happen.
Backed up sewer drainage often happens because of blockages
in your plumbing. The solution to that is either
start plunging or call a plumber.
Another common reason for sewer backups is much harder
to deal with. Because it happens outside your house.
During heavy rainfall or other times of increased water flow,
the extra water can overwhelm city sewer systems.
When that happens, the overflow has to go somewhere
And that's somewhere is up and out your toilets and drains.
So how do you stop it?
That happens to be the topic of this video.
A backwater valve is a device installed on the sewer pipe
leading from your house to the city sewer line
under the street. The valve only lets wastewater
flow in one direction, away from your home.
If the city sewer system becomes overcharged and
sewage tries to escape through your home's plumbing,
The backwater valve will engage and seal off the line.
When the incoming pressure drops, the valve will disengage,
And wastewater can once again flow from your home to the sewer.
That's something important to remember.
During heavy rain or flooding when the valve is engaged,
Wastewater can't flow out of your house, either.
You can get away with some light usage of sinks or
toilets during that time,
But it's best to use as little water as possible
until conditions improve and the valve opens again.
If you don't know whether your house has one of these valves,
Backwater valves can usually be found underneath a panel in
the basement floor. If you have a sump pump, you will
most likely find the back water valve somewhere nearby.
There are quite a few good reasons to install a backwater valve.
The obvious one being that it would be extremely bad
to have sewage flowing into your basement or bathtub.
The National Plumbing Code actually requires backwater valves
For any homes that have plumbing fixtures below street level.
Some towns and cities require all homes to have them.
Many provinces and municipalities in Canada
even offer subsidies
to help pay the cost of installing a backwater valve.
We dropped a link in the description where you can
check out some of the available subsidies.
The best time to install a backwater valve
is when you're building the house in the first place.
In that case, it usually costs about 150 to 250 dollars.
If your house is already built, do not worry.
You can retrofit a backwater valve easily enough.
It'll just cost more.
That's because you need to access the house's sewer line,
which usually includes tearing up and replacing some concrete
plus cutting and refitting the sewer pipe.
Installing a backwater valve is not something you can do on your own.
Unless you happen to be a fully certified plumber.
In which case, why are you watching this?
You will need to hire a professional, which is where
most of the cost comes from.
The upside is that with a professional, you know the
job gets done right.
And they can take care of permitting for you as well.
You will almost definitely need a building permit for
your valve installation.
If you want to take advantage of any municipal or provincial
subsidies, you might have to use a plumber from their pre-approved list.
Make sure to check the rules for where you live before you
start any work.
Once they're installed, backwater valves don't need
much attention. What you will need to do is pop open the
cover once or twice each year
to make sure the valve isn't blocked.
If there's anything stuck on the valve,
it might not be able to seal shut when the time comes.
Opening the cover and cleaning it out isn't hard.
Make sure you're wearing rubber gloves and ideally eye protection.
Clean yourself up thoroughly afterwards, too.
I don't think I need to elaborate on the type of stuff
that flows through a sewer backup valve.
One thing is for sure, your home insurance provider will
love it If you have a backwater valve.
Many home insurance providers offer lower rates
If you have a valve or charge higher rates if you don't.
Others impose a higher deductible for water
backup damage, if your home doesn't have a valve.
Or maybe even offer no water backup coverage at all.
Check with your provider to see how they handle backwater valves.
At Square One, we include water backup
insurance on all our policies.
Though we do appreciate homes that have a backwater valve installed.
One way or another, from an insurance standpoint,
it's a good idea to have a backwater valve.
If you've got any questions about backwater valves and home insurance,
let us know in the comments.
To get a quote on your home insurance from Square One,
Visit squareone.ca, or click the link on the screen.
Thank you for watching, and I hope you found this helpful.
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