kiwi_outdoors
Well-Known Member
FYI:
when we bought our house we did not realize what the stained nail heads in the master bedroom meant. They were in fact evidence of a prior intrusion of blackwater diluted by rainwater via the Master Bath shower pan. This occurs because the city's sewer line surcharges during heavy rains.
We figured this out after it happened to us (no turds, thank goodness). There was a cast iron backwater valve in the crawl space under the house, but it leaked a bit. Not good.
Next step was to find the (buried !! ) cleanout where the clay sewer pipe joined the 3" under-house C.I. sewer piping. The cleanout tee was just outside the house foundation.
As a quick fix I completed the cleanout to above grade and left it as a vent-overflow, so at least the diluted sewage would no longer enter the house.
There followed a period of research into backwater valves.
Next up was the final fix, rebuild the vent closer to the house and add a proper PVC type of backwater valve between the cleanout-vent and the clay pipe (city side).
This gives us a foolproof automatic method. The backwater valve remains closed except when we flush the toilet or tuns the shower etc.
When we get a major rain event, the small amount of valve leakage overflows from the vent into its surroundings - a "fern garden" - this is only liquid, no turds, no TeePee.
Points of note:
We have installed a "Cleancheck Extendable Backwater Valve" by Rectorseal
The guts of the valve is easily removable from the surface.
The flapper needs to be properly cleaned periodically
The fixed mating face (underground) needs to be cleaned with a water jet, including the upstream section of pipe. I use a hose end fitting (and some extra PVC) used for RV blackwater tanks.
Buy lots of spare flappers while they are still available - the rats chew on our flappers. We have replaced two flappers so far. (rats really do get around in the sewer pipes)
My open vent allows air circulation for local-to-house sewer gas to vent outside the house.
I usually remove the "guts" in our long dry California summer, to reduce the rat damage to the valve flapper.
TIP: When you have a surcharge event - do NOT unscrew the cap of your valve's standpipe to "take a peek" - you will be greeted by TP and turds.
Any comments?
P.S. Our neighbor's recently installed exterior sewer cleanout was not capped tightly, and it was leaking liquid during the last big rain event.
when we bought our house we did not realize what the stained nail heads in the master bedroom meant. They were in fact evidence of a prior intrusion of blackwater diluted by rainwater via the Master Bath shower pan. This occurs because the city's sewer line surcharges during heavy rains.
We figured this out after it happened to us (no turds, thank goodness). There was a cast iron backwater valve in the crawl space under the house, but it leaked a bit. Not good.
Next step was to find the (buried !! ) cleanout where the clay sewer pipe joined the 3" under-house C.I. sewer piping. The cleanout tee was just outside the house foundation.
As a quick fix I completed the cleanout to above grade and left it as a vent-overflow, so at least the diluted sewage would no longer enter the house.
There followed a period of research into backwater valves.
Next up was the final fix, rebuild the vent closer to the house and add a proper PVC type of backwater valve between the cleanout-vent and the clay pipe (city side).
This gives us a foolproof automatic method. The backwater valve remains closed except when we flush the toilet or tuns the shower etc.
When we get a major rain event, the small amount of valve leakage overflows from the vent into its surroundings - a "fern garden" - this is only liquid, no turds, no TeePee.
Points of note:
We have installed a "Cleancheck Extendable Backwater Valve" by Rectorseal
The guts of the valve is easily removable from the surface.
The flapper needs to be properly cleaned periodically
The fixed mating face (underground) needs to be cleaned with a water jet, including the upstream section of pipe. I use a hose end fitting (and some extra PVC) used for RV blackwater tanks.
Buy lots of spare flappers while they are still available - the rats chew on our flappers. We have replaced two flappers so far. (rats really do get around in the sewer pipes)
My open vent allows air circulation for local-to-house sewer gas to vent outside the house.
I usually remove the "guts" in our long dry California summer, to reduce the rat damage to the valve flapper.
TIP: When you have a surcharge event - do NOT unscrew the cap of your valve's standpipe to "take a peek" - you will be greeted by TP and turds.
Any comments?
P.S. Our neighbor's recently installed exterior sewer cleanout was not capped tightly, and it was leaking liquid during the last big rain event.