Plumber and backwater valve installation in Holmesburg, Philadelphia
Floor drain or basement toilet overflowing when it pours? That is sewer water pushing back into the house. We install backwater valves in Holmesburg basements so the sewer cannot flow in, and we handle the plumbing repairs that go with them.
- Valve placed on the main drain so basement fixtures are protected
- Access box and cleanout set so the flap can be inspected and cleaned
Do Holmesburg basements need a backwater valve?
A Holmesburg basement that takes sewage through a floor drain or toilet during heavy rain is a strong candidate for a backwater valve. The valve sits on the main drain and has a flap that closes when the sewer pushes back, so street water cannot enter the house. It does not stop groundwater, which is a sump pump's job.
Holmesburg sits along Frankford Avenue, east of Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia, within easy reach of our office on Huntingdon Pike.
A sewer backup is a different kind of basement flood. The water is gray, it smells, and it comes up through the lowest drain in the house rather than seeping through the walls. Cleaning up after it once is enough for most owners. A backwater valve closes that path, and when a basement bathroom or laundry sits below the valve, we plan around it, sometimes with an ejector pump that lifts waste up and out.
Why Northeast basements take sewer water in storms
About 60 percent of Philadelphia is served by combined sewers that carry sewage and stormwater in the same pipe. When a heavy storm fills that pipe, the pressure has to go somewhere, and a house connected to it can take the overflow through its basement fixtures.
The Northeast Times has reported Northeast Philadelphia residents seeing sealed street drains and flooded basements as the century-old sewer and stormwater system struggles with heavier rain. A backwater valve cannot change what happens in the street, but it keeps the sewer on its own side of the foundation wall.
Plumbing jobs we handle in Holmesburg
Rain-driven backups shape most of our Holmesburg work, along with the repairs that follow them.
Backwater Valve Installation
Basements that take sewer water through a floor drain in storms need a valve on the main to close that path.
Sewage Ejector Pump
A basement toilet or shower below the sewer line can be protected by pumping its waste up instead of letting it drain by gravity.
Main Sewer Line Cleaning
A partial blockage in the main makes storm backups worse, so we clear it before setting a valve.
House Trap Repair
Some homes have a house trap right where the valve would go, and the trap has to be dealt with first.
Sump Pump Installation
Clear water seeping through the slab is groundwater, and a sump pit and pump handle that side of the problem.
Emergency Plumber
When sewage is already on the floor at night, we stop the flow and clear the line before anything else.
No. It stops sewer water coming back through the main drain. Groundwater seeping through walls or the slab needs a sump pump, and water entering at a window well needs grading or drainage outside.
Not much. While the flap is shut during a storm, water you send down the drains has nowhere to go and can back up inside. Hold off on laundry, showers and the dishwasher until the storm passes.
Yes. The flap and seat collect debris and grease, and a valve that cannot close fully does not protect the basement. We set an access box so the cover can come off for a look and a cleaning, which owners should plan on at least once a year.
We break out the floor at the main drain, cut in the valve with cleanout access and set it level so the flap seats properly. The floor is patched around an access cover. Our backwater valve guide covers the details and what to check first.
Sewage in the basement right now?
Stop running water upstairs and call 24/7. We clear the line first, then talk about a valve once the floor is dry.