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Basement & flood work

Backwater Valve Installation in Burlington

A backwater valve lets sewage leave your house but closes when the municipal sewer surcharges. It is one of the most useful protections a finished basement can have.

  • Pumps, pits and backwater valves
  • Float and alarm tested in front of you
  • Floor patched after the dig
  • Storm-season checks on request
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Signs it is time for backwater valve installation

The usual trigger is a scare: a neighbour's basement flooded during a summer storm, or water came up through your own floor drain. Others act before finishing a basement, or when an insurer asks about sewer backup protection. A valve makes sense in any home where a fixture or floor drain sits below the level the street sewer can rise to during heavy rain.

It works with, not instead of, good drainage outside. Downspouts, grading and a working sump pump handle groundwater; the valve handles sewage pushing back up the pipe.

What's included

  • Concrete saw and jackhammer for the floor
  • Submersible pump and check valves
  • ABS fittings and solvent cement
  • Water alarm and float test kit

Our method on site

  1. Camera the main drain to find its route, depth and condition, and confirm all fixtures drain through it.
  2. Choose a location in the basement, usually near the front wall, where the valve can be reached for cleaning.
  3. Cut the concrete floor, excavate to the pipe and install a normally-open valve in the main line with the correct slope.
  4. Set an access box at floor level so the cover can be lifted for inspection.
  5. Pour new concrete and test the valve with water before we leave.

Installing a valve in the main line generally needs a plumbing permit and an inspection, which we arrange as part of the work.

Tell-tale signs

  • Pump cycling constantly or not at all
  • Water seeping up at the floor drain in heavy rain
  • Damp walls near the pit or a sewage smell
  • A past flood with no backwater valve installed

What affects the scope

Finished floors add time, because flooring and sometimes a wall must come back out of the way. Some older houses have weeping tile connected into the sanitary line, which has to be addressed so the valve does not trap groundwater against the foundation. A damaged pipe found on camera may need sewer line repair at the same time.

Subsidies: Halton Region has offered homeowners subsidies toward backwater valves and related flood-protection work. Program terms change, so check current rules before work begins. Our guide to basement flooding subsidies lists what to ask.

Job at a glance

Work
Backwater Valve Installation
Trade
Basement & flood work
Where
Burlington and nearby
Book
(365) 464-5184

Burlington homes and this job

The August 2014 storm sent sewage into thousands of Burlington basements, and many of the hardest-hit streets sat in older parts of the city where storm and sanitary systems were built decades ago. Since then, valves have become a common request across neighbourhoods from Tansley to Elizabeth Gardens. Our piece on lessons from the 2014 flood covers that history.

Questions to ask

  • Where will the valve sit, and can I reach it easily?
  • Does any fixture drain bypass the valve?
  • Is my weeping tile tied into the sanitary drain?
  • How do I inspect and clean the valve each year?

Once installed, a valve needs a look every spring and fall. Open the access lid, confirm the gate swings without sticking, and remove any grit. While it is closed during a storm, avoid running water in the house, because that water has nowhere to go.

How the visit runs

  1. 1

    Trace the weeping tile, floor drain and lateral layout.

  2. 2

    Open the floor where the pit or valve needs to sit.

  3. 3

    Set the pump or valve, glue up the piping and test with water.

  4. 4

    Patch the slab with fresh concrete and show you how the alarm sounds.

Questions we hear

Can I use my plumbing when the valve is closed?

Try not to. Water you send down the drain while the valve is closed backs up inside the house, so hold off on laundry and showers during a backup.

Is a permit needed for a backwater valve?

In most cases, yes. A main-line valve is drainage work that the City of Burlington's building department expects to inspect.

Does a valve stop all basement water?

No. It stops sewage coming back through the drain. Groundwater and surface water need grading, downspouts and a sump system.

Call now(365) 464-5184