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Large drain pipe opening with water around it
Where the drain backs up, the valve goes in.

Home service

Aisle 3 · Flood protection

Backwater Valve Installation for North York homes

Heavy rain fills the city sewer. If it fills high enough, it looks for the lowest drain it can find. In a lot of houses, that is yours.

  • We start at the basement clean-out to the city lateral
  • On the van: main-line drum machine
  • You see the broken part before you hear a number
  • Every fixture on the run tested before we leave
Call nowTalk to a plumber(365) 990-1521
  • Licensed and insured (details on the call)
  • Price agreed before work starts
  • North York and next door

Symptoms that call for backwater valve installation

Nobody needs a backwater valve until the night they really need one. The usual reasons people call:

  • The basement has flooded through the floor drain during a storm before
  • Neighbours on the street have had sewer backups
  • A basement renovation is underway and the new drywall needs guarding
  • An insurer has asked whether one is installed

A valve protects against sewage coming back up the drain. It does nothing for water seeping through foundation walls or coming in at a window well. Those need grading, drainage or a sump pump.

How the job is done

A mainline backwater valve sits in the main drain inside the basement, downstream of all the house fixtures. Installing one means cutting the concrete floor, digging down to the drain pipe, cutting in the valve body, and setting it level with an access cover at floor height.

Inside the valve is a flap. Normal flow pushes it open. If sewage backs up from the street, it floats the flap closed and seals the line. We then backfill, pour new concrete around the access box and test the valve with water.

In Toronto this work needs a plumbing permit and an inspection. Ask any installer whether they are pulling one. The inspection is also a record your insurer may want later.

Once it is installed, the valve needs a look a couple of times a year. Lift the cover, check the flap moves freely and clear out any debris. It takes five minutes.

A valve protects against sewage coming back up the drain. It does nothing for water seeping through foundation walls or coming in at a window well.

From the counter

North York housing notes

Parts of North York have older combined or partly separated sewers, and several neighbourhoods took on water in the big storms of 2013 and later. Low-lying streets near ravines and creeks see more than their share of trouble. Houses with a basement bathroom or laundry below street level are the ones with the most to lose.

The City of Toronto runs a Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program that has helped homeowners with the cost of a backwater valve, a sump pump and capping the foundation drain. The rules and amounts change, so check the current terms on the city website before work begins. Our subsidy column walks through the paperwork in plain language.

What to do before we arrive

  1. Clear the area near the front basement wall where the drain exits.
  2. If the basement is finished, tell us what flooring is over the drain.
  3. Gather any past flood photos or insurance letters.
  4. Know that water use will be off for part of the day while the drain is opened.

Read basement flooding prevention and downspout disconnection for the rest of the picture. A blocked main will still back up even with a valve, so see main sewer line clearing too.

Questions

Can I still use water when the valve is closed?

Not much. If the flap is closed, water you run in the house has nowhere to go. During a big storm, keep water use light.

Does Toronto require a permit for a backwater valve?

Yes. Installing one is plumbing work that needs a City of Toronto permit and an inspection.

How often should the valve be checked?

Two or three times a year, and after any heavy storm. Lift the cover and make sure the flap swings freely.

How the job runs

  1. You callDescribe what is dripping, backing up or cold, and the cross streets.
  2. We ask questionsAge of the building, pipe type if you know it, where the shut-off is.
  3. We open it upTrap off, clean-out open or wall cut: find the actual fault before quoting the fix.
  4. We test itOpen each tap on that run, watch the joints dry and show you what came out.