Last year, the house we live in was required to give up its septic tank and hook into the new city sewers (we already had city water). My hubby and I did not own the house yet, so the old owner had the sewer hooked up. I wanted one of those thingies put in the line that keeps the sewer from backing up into the house (prevents flooding). But the old owner didn't have it done.
Now we own the house and are responsible for everything. I have been through a flood before (caused by backed up sewers) and I never want to go through that again. It would devastate our lives. We aren't in a flood-prone area, so my only worry is that sewer line. Should I pay to have the line dug up and one of those thingies installed? I know it costs about $75, but the labor would be a killer!
Any thoughts on this?
2007-07-13 09:18:31 · 6 answers · asked by searching_please 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The thing you are referring to is called a check valve. I would check the street to see if there is a manhole lower than your basement floor. If there is a clog in the street line it would overflow out the manhole. It would not stop it if there is a clog in the line between the house and the main line in the street. You might be able to install one between the last drain tie in and where the sewer goes out of the house in the basement. This would avoid digging up the yard and also you would have access to it if there is a problem with it.
2007-07-13 11:39:50 · answer #1 · answered by Plumber Jim 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The "thingies" that you speak of are called cleanouts. It allows access to your sewer pipe in case of a stoppage. You should have two cleanouts installed where the sewer exits the house. One will go toward the street and the other will go back under the house. This is a costly job but if you have the pipe dug up already then I would probaby cut the price down anywhere from a third to a half. So, definitely dig up the line. The plumber will need approx. 5 or 6 feet of pipe exposed and the dirt from under the pipe will also need to be removed. Good luck
2007-07-13 10:01:56 · answer #2 · answered by Tripping Billies 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I would look to the history of the area you live in. If it is prone to such problems then you may want to make the investment. If not, probably not. I have live in 18 different abodes, in 11 states and never had a sewer back up into my house in the 58 years I've been around.
2007-07-13 10:09:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Plumber Jim has the right Idea. I installed septic tanks for about 10 years ,and we always installed any equipment that could fail were it is easy to get to ---in the basement.If you can I would put it there .I hope that this is helpful
2007-07-13 12:25:05 · answer #4 · answered by big daddy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, to be legal you only need a plumber to install the equipment. You don't have to pay him to dig. Hire some kids or someone that needs work and let them dig it up and cover it back up. The job sounds labor intensive. It's ridiculous to have to pay plumber rates for digging and they don't do the work either but hire some lower paid people to do the digging. Deal with your plumber a bit after you find some cheap diggers but before you dig.
2007-07-13 09:25:40 · answer #5 · answered by towanda 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
$75 is a small price for piece of mind.
2007-07-13 10:06:29 · answer #6 · answered by ROBERT C 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋