It’s summer, which means there are going to be thunderstorms. To prevent sewage from backing up into your basement, SGI recommends that homeowners get a back water valve.
“When you have a sewer backup in your home, you’re dealing with raw sewage seeping into every nook and corner of your basement, damaging or ruining everything it touches – your walls, your carpet, your furniture, your electronics – the list goes on and on. It can be extremely labour intensive and costly to clean up that damage,” said Don Thompson, VP of Product Management with SGI Canada, in a news release. “Homeowners may not realize they are vulnerable – but it’s actually a very common problem in our province, and one you can avoid if you take the proper steps like installing a sewer back water valve.”
The valve is installed on the main sewer line. If there’s a heavy rain and the public sewer system becomes overwhelmed, the valve helps stop that by cutting off the main line so sewage doesn’t enter the house. Kelley Brinkworth, manager of media relations with SGI, said that it’s one of those things homeowners don’t think about until something catastrophic happens. The initial cost can be $1,500- $3,000.
“It’s just to get people thinking about it so that it could be something they could do in advance of any kind of storm hitting,” Brinkworth said, and compared it to regular maintenance like repairing shingles. “That’s the cost of being a homeowner. You could think of it the same way; it’s a maintenance thing. The benefits outweigh that cost down the road.”
Since 2010, an average of 5,500 Saskatchewan homeowners insured by SGI have had problems with sewer backups. An average payout is $25,000 per claim.
Brinkworth said any homeowner interested in getting it installed just has to call a plumber.
