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The drainage system inside your house channels wastewater from your sinks, laundry, shower and toilet through pipes that connect to a main sanitary sewer pipe under your basement floor. This pipe leads to the property line where it connects with the EPCOR main line.
A backwater valve is a device that is placed on the main sanitary sewer pipe in your home to prevent sewage from flowing back through the pipes from the mainline and flooding your basement. It does this by automatically closing its flap.
A backwater valve is an important tool for protecting your home, but it does require maintenance to ensure it remains effective.
If you can't locate your backwater valve, your home might not have one. Backwater valves were not required in homes built before 1989. A backwater valve is important to protecting your home, you should consider installing one and you may be eligible for our backwater valve subsidy program.
When the backwater valve closes the sewer line, you should not use the toilet, sink, shower, washer, or dishwasher. Until the flap is reopened, the wastewater will have nowhere to go except up the floor drain and into your basement.
Inspecting and cleaning your backwater valve is essential home maintenance to ensure it is working correctly. Make sure you have a flashlight, safety glasses, and rubber gloves.
You could be eligible for funding for a backwater valve installation.
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