Hayes Plumbing provides backwater valve installation in Pickering for existing homes, from West Shore and Bay Ridges by the lake to Amberlea, Liverpool, Highbush, Dunbarton and Duffin Heights. The valve is fitted to the main sanitary drain under the basement floor. Wastewater flows out through it as usual, and when the sewer backs up during heavy rain, its flap closes so sewage cannot rise through the floor drain. Our licensed plumbers work out of 448 Ritson Rd. South in Oshawa, and the plumbing permit and the City inspection are part of the job.
Sewer Backup in Pickering: Where It Comes From
In a Pickering house, the basement floor drain shares a destination with the toilets, sinks, tubs and laundry: the Region of Durham's sanitary sewer. The City of Pickering's basement flooding page notes that the Region is responsible for that system, while the City looks after stormwater. Sewage from the city is treated at the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, which sits in Pickering and also serves Ajax and much of York Region.
Two of the basement flooding causes on the Region's list involve the sewer itself: a blocked connection between the house and the sewer in the street, and overloaded sewers that force wastewater back up through floor drains and other low fixtures. A backwater valve is built for the second. A blockage in your own pipe needs clearing or repair instead, and the Region's Works crews clear the stretch between the main and the property line when that is where they find it.
What a Valve Protects Against, and What It Does Not
A valve stops sewage from flowing back into the house through the main drain. It does nothing about groundwater coming through foundation cracks, a failed sump pump, overflowing eavestroughs or poor lot drainage, which are also on the Region's list of basement flooding causes. That is why many basements are protected by a sump pump as well as a valve, and we can install both.
Before installing, we check where the foundation drains go. According to the City's basement flooding brochure, in some buildings constructed before 1983 the foundation drains may be connected to the sanitary sewer. Where that is the case, the valve has to be planned around it so groundwater still has a way out when the flap closes.
How the Installation Works
- Assess. We find the main drain, decide where the valve goes and check that the floor drain and any basement fixtures will sit on the protected side of it.
- Permit. The City of Pickering lists backwater valves among the projects that may require a building permit, and owners can authorize a contractor to obtain the permit for them. We apply for it.
- Install. A section of the basement floor is opened, the valve goes in with an access lid so it can be checked and cleaned later, and the concrete is patched.
- Inspect. The City's building inspection is booked and passed, and you keep the permit and invoice paperwork.
Rebates and Loans for Pickering Homeowners
The City of Pickering does not offer a rebate. Beside the backwater valve entry on its building permit page, the City states that it does not have any replacement rebate programs at this time.
What the Region of Durham offers is a loan. Its Basement Flooding Loan Program, approved by Regional Council in 2009 and still linked from the Region's basement flooding page, is for residents who have had sewage flood the basement from a sanitary sewer backup. Under the program notice, eligible owners of existing homes can borrow up to $3,000, interest free, toward the labour and materials to install an approved backwater valve and a sump pump, and repay it in equal amounts on the quarterly water and sewer bill within a term of up to three years. The work needs a permit, a licensed plumber and final approval from a municipal plumbing inspector, and the loan is paid against original invoices with proof of payment. The notice also names the valve model that qualifies and asks the contractor to confirm in writing what was installed, so call the Region's Finance Department, Risk Management Division, at 905-668-7711 ext. 2264 to confirm the current terms before work starts.
Cost and Upkeep
Our backwater valve guide puts installation in an existing Durham Region home at about $2,000 to $5,000. Floor access, the depth of the pipe and the permit decide where a job falls. The site visit and estimate are free, and the floor is not cut until you have the quote in writing.
A valve is a mechanical part and needs looking after. Open the access lid once a year to check that the flap moves freely and nothing is caught in it, keep boxes and storage off the lid, and expect the rubber flap to need replacing every 5 to 10 years. With that care, a good valve lasts 15 to 25 years.