# Sewer System In Reverse!



## Grim Reality (Mar 19, 2014)

I am no plumber. I know, however that water and sewage flow downhill...and I live up on a hill.
But...I don't live at the top. There are a fair number (few dozen) homes at higher levels than
my house. 

If or when the sewer system stops working I am guessing that untreated sewage COULD come
into my home. Not a very appealing scenario. Yes, I have read that it won't happen until the
pipes start filling...but like most on this forum, my blood pressure goes down a little when I 
get a new intervention which prepares me for yet another calamity.

I can think of few things less attention-getting than having a flow of turds reversing themselves
into my basement! So...what's a good way to keep this from happening? I have been thinking
that I might go to a toy store and buy a few of those heavy duty balls that have an elastic loop 
on them that kids hold onto and bounce against their closed fist. If I inflate it the right amount
I could force it into my toilet and stop any backwards flow. Well...maybe...?!

Am I fooling myself? What's a good solution to this problem?

Grim


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Fill in the basement and hook up a septic system


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## Grim Reality (Mar 19, 2014)

My basement is 1300 sq ft., fully finished, includes a gym area, all my woodworking tools, washer, dryer,
firearms, ammo & stored food and contains 95% of all my other survival supplies. Can't fill it in.

Grim


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I do not know what is available but what about a devise that ensures one way flow?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

My field of expertise here as I have spent a lifetime in engineering, utility company management operations and infrastructure /plant construction. Yes it can and will happen when the pumps at lift stations stop working. It is an elevation and hydraulic driven thing:

Flow line elevation of main at the road
Slab elevation of your house
Where you are located on the line relevant to other houses.
Nearest manhole, however many cities now use gasket sealed lids for infiltration purposes.

Sewage can and will back up from the main into your service line, even a line stoppage could cause this in the main. There is nothing worse than all of your neighbors sewage backing up and hitting the ground (your carpet or tile) from your lowest drain point inside the house. it could be continuous and push you to running out of the back door and abandoning the house, within the flow of sewage chasing you. Not a pretty thought, but realistic.

Remedies:

Insure you have a cleanout in your service line and remove the screw in cap to provide a point of release.... in your yard and ultimately a point source of pollution and disease, but not in the house....yet.

A better solution is to install and alder valve (shut off valve) in your service line. This will block all surcharges back into your service line. Of course, you will not have sanitary sewer service either.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Install a shut off valve and add a septic system.


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

Cut your sewer pipe!


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Dump a bag of cement into the drain pipe as a last resort. Only if your sure service will never be restored.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

The ball idea would only work if you could get it to a big pipe. All of your pipes are likely connected to one pipe that exits the house to the sewer. If you stop the toilet if will just back up into a sink or a shower. Yes, like was said before something that only allows one way flow of waste. It's a good investment. I have been to one place where they wanted a toilet in the basement of an office. So it was a big to do to install one. Well it backed up because of gravity forcing the water and waste where gravity forces things. There were little pieces of poop everywhere and it smelled like someone lit a match, like sulfur. But I never liked those people....


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## spork (Jan 8, 2013)

I guess it depends on how your area is set up, but in my area, only the low areas have pump stations. It is relatively flat around here. If waste flows downhill, wouldn't it most likely start coming out of everyone elses drains long before yours since you're not at the bottom of the hill? I would think that everyone else would have to block off the sewer pipes before you needed to. I'll admit that it's not my field of expertise, so maybe I'm wrong?


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## Grim Reality (Mar 19, 2014)

Thank you one and all!
Especially A Watchman.

But...Spork makes a good point! Seems to make sense that any drain in the line at a level
below mine would keep my outflow from reversing.

Consensus points towards a large ball valve installed in my waste line.

I see no reason why it wouldn't work perfectly well. 

Would it be good to have it installed inside the basement floor or better to dig up the front yard?

Grim

Now...do I tell my wife about this today...No!...Christmas is tomorrow!


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

You need a backflow preventer depending on the age of the house and if it was plumbed to code you may already have one 
4 in. PVC Backwater Valve-43904 - The Home Depot


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Simple in design it has a flapper in that only open one way and that is out towrds your city sewer connection, and is used in new home construction to prevent the very scenario you describe


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Cut your sewer line and see how fast codes enforcement is at your door. If my septic fails it is 16,000.00 to me when they connect me to City sewer. I would simply buy a poly tank that has the short field chambers. Just have it on standby.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

A couple points:

If you are on a city sewer, they will not let you install a septic system as an option of disabling your service line from their main line.
Check valves typically have either a spring loaded valve or a flapper. Check valves have a life span from the working parts and solid can interfere with the working flapper.
An elder valve is a ball type valve that will rotate by a handle or turning nut and will permanently block the flow.
The city main will likely be a minimum of 5 feet deep up to 20 feet, while your single service line will be brought up to no deeper than 4 feet just after your property line. 
The city will be able to locate your tap and should have no problem with you installing an valve, since you own your service line. Typically the point of ownership transfers at the property line with water and sewer, that is why a water meter is typically set at or about the property line.
Your service line, depending on the methodology to connect to all of your outlet would be shallower away from the outer perimeter of the house and before it potentially branches off. 
Most newer houses are plumbed in city's to have one outlet (service line that you own and maintain in case of a stoppage) and the branching off is done under the house or under the slab.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

^^^^^^^^listen to the pros. 
Took the words right out. 
Maybe, since the pipe will be exposed, install both valves, if your not home, and sewer backs up, the door type should shut it off, if your home, you shut it off. 
What's an extra hundred dollars worth?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

the church i use to go to added a one way valve.. problem solved...

edit.. also after shtf - you can go down hill and break/cut the line..then it will be unable to come back up to you


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)




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## GrumpyBiker (Nov 25, 2015)

You can add a check valve / back flow preventor to your main line outside your home.
That will pass it down the line to the next home.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

deleted


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

tinkerhell said:


> In canada here. The backflow valve as show in the video is in my basement not outside, it is the first clean out /valve. When it is closed, my sewage line and basement drain is isolated from the main sewage line. Nothing runs in, nothing runs out.


Easy access for sure....... but most of the lower half of the US has only seen a basement on TV.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

Check valves or backflow valves have been a code requirement around here for many years. If you have an old house you may be "grandfathered" out of the requirement but would be well advised to get one installed. Also a cut off valve in case the check valve leaks as has been mentioned by others. And if all else goes to h===, go down the line and cut out a section and plug it. 

If I were far enough out I'd have a septic tank. You could put one in place ready to hook-up if needed without telling anyone. I know one fellow who had to service his and when they dug it up, it was an old cast iron pot belly stove laid in a gravel bed. Worked for probably a hundred years. He owned the place for 50 years and never knew about it.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

deleted


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I too am on the side of big hill. I'm about 100 ft below the highest house but about 200 above the lowest point. Unless there is sewer damage from an earthquake, I don't think I'll problems. And no basement here.


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