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XPERT Flood Control - Sewer Backup
The Causes and Prevention of Sewer Backup
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The Dangers of Sewer Backup
If your basement is damp, wet, or occasionally floods, you are losing use of up to half the area of your house. Worse, occasional sewer backup can be a continuous threat of disease, destruction of your valuables, damage to your house, and dangers of electrical malfunctions. Xpert Flood Control specializes in eliminating these problems, and giving you peace of mind.
The Causes of Sewer Backup
Sewer backup problems are the most difficult and expensive to correct, and can cause the worst damage. The average Chicago & Metropolitan sewer on a residential side street is 8" across, and holds 2.6 gallons of water per foot. When there is heavy rain, the municipal sewer system can have water pressure that forces sewage back into your basement. This sewage can be coming from the street drain near your house, if the sewers are filled up further down the line, or if they are blocked from leaves and debris. In the worst cases, the sewer can have enough pressure to completely fill your basement if the water level is higher than your foundation somewhere else on the sewer line.
Using a Stand Pipe
A stand pipe is a short section of pipe that when screwed into the basement floor drain will prevent water from coming in through the drain. However, if there is enough pressure in the sewer system, the sewage will rise through the wash machine drain connection, utility sink, and basement bathroom fixtures. A stand pipe does nothing to relieve the pressure in the sewer system, and can cause the sewer lines to crack or break under the foundations. When this happens, the sewage will cause cracks in the basement floor, and may come through the basement walls. If there is enough pressure, the basement walls can collapse, or the foundation can "float" out of its hole. In the worst case, the entire house can collapse into the basement. Because of these dangers, stand pipes and other methods of blocking the drains ARE NOT RECOMMENDED!
Over Head Sewers
An overhead sewer system can eliminate all but the worst backup problems. In such a system, all of the waste from your house is collected in a well in your basement floor. This waste is pumped up to ground level and out of the house in a replacement sewer line. Near the street, the replacement sewer line is drained down to the municipal sewer line. As long as the sewer pressure is not enough to push water up to ground level, sewage will not be able to flow back into your basement. If the water level at the street drains is higher than the overhead sewer pipe, the sewage will flow back into your basement, and the basement can be filled.
Sewer Cutoff Valves
Our preferred method of eliminating sewer backup problems is to cut the main sewer line close to the street, and install a valve to isolate your sewer from the municipal sewer lines. This approach prevents potentially damaging pressure in the sewer lines under your house, or on the outside of your foundation. A manual cutoff valve can be installed, but requires that someone is home to close the valve if a problem situation arises. An automatic value offers unattended protection from potential backup conditions. In either case, while the valve is closed, any water from the plumbing of the house will back up through the floor drain. A pump can be installed to force your waste water into the sewer just after the automatic valve. We offer a proven effective system to do this called the "PreventerPlus" System
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