Check out some similar questions!

rjmacky · Mar 16, 2008, 09:54 AM

Hello. This is my first question on this site and I am hoping it will be of substantial help for me. I have a main sewer back up valve installed on I believe a 4" cast iron drain. The basement concrete floor is cut in a 12"X16" opening where i can see the valve with no covering on the opening. My question is: is there supposed to be water in the cut opening or is it supposed to be fairly dry. There is 8" of standing water in a pit that is 20" deep. I have flushed both upstairs toilet and basement toilet as well as running all taps and I don't see any movement in the standing water. Thanks. Richard

massplumber2008 · Mar 16, 2008, 12:39 PM

Hey RJ:

Does the backwater valve look like my picture at all.. If so this is a valve that was used for years that let water from ground water flow out to city sewer... that would be why you did not see water movement when flushing water... it is separate from the main drain, but attaches into it after this backwater valve. If water is standing in pit, try to push on internal flapper (see pic) or pull mud away from entrace for water (as in pic.). This one is also missing its cap.

If this is not it... let me know. I can tell you that any backwater valve should have a cap,and water should not be standing in pit... something up... OK? Mark

rjmacky · Mar 16, 2008, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by massplumber2008

Hey RJ:

Does the backwater valve look like my picture at all..? If so this is a valve that was used for years that let water from ground water flow out to city sewer....that would be why you did not see water movement when flushing water...it is separate from the main drain, but attaches into it after this backwater valve. If water is standing in pit, try to push on internal flapper (see pic) or pull mud away from entrace for water (as in pic.). This one is also missing its cap.

If this is not it...let me know. I can tell you that any backwater valve should have a cap,and water should not be standing in pit...something up...OK? Mark

Thank you for the reply. It is similar but the cover I mentioned is the cover to the dugout concrete pit for the valve. The entire valve is sitting under water and it does have a cap on the valve itself.

massplumber2008 · Mar 16, 2008, 01:44 PM

Ok then... that may have been plugged off years ago. Years back, citys/towns decided to stop treating the rain water as sewer water... was getting expensive to treat the rain water as sewer so they mandated that all homes with traps like this have the backwater traps capped or removed permanently.

Seems maybe yours was capped. Try reaching in and see what you can find. If cannot get hand in, maybe just what I said. Can also try to get that cap off... would probably let water out anyway. Then you may need to install a sump pump to handle the rainwater that may be entering your basement... and not just for rain today, but some real bad storm down the road when basement will flood and you won't be there... BUT will be glad when pump kicks on and takes away without your presence!! Let us know if you want to install sump pump... can help with that, too.

Check out this valve.. get back to me.

.

speedball1 · Mar 16, 2008, 03:03 PM

I think Mark nnailed it. In my area it's against code to discharge ANYTHING but gray water and sewage into the city sewer. If your set up looks like this ,(see image) then that's exactly what's happened. Marks idea of a sump pump is one option, Another would be to install a french drain. French drains are passive and require no power or electricity to operate which is a big plus if the power goes out during a bad storm. Good luck. Tom