Sewer Excavation in Norcross, GA
Norcross homes with low drains, or a history of sewage rising from a floor drain, can gain a backwater valve during a sewer repair. How the valve works, where it sits and how it is kept working decide whether it is worth adding.
A sewer excavation exposes the building sewer for one reason, usually a broken or root-filled section, but it also opens a window for something else. With the pipe uncovered, adding a backwater valve costs far less than digging for it later. In a Norcross home where the public main has backed up before, that extra step can help protect a lower floor from sewage coming back in.
What a backwater valve does
A backwater valve is a one-way fitting installed in the building sewer. Wastewater from the house pushes through it normally, but if sewage starts flowing the other way, from a blocked or overloaded public main, a flap or gate closes and keeps it from rising into the house. It does nothing for a clog inside your own line; it only guards against trouble downstream of the valve.
Homes that benefit most
- Houses with a basement or a lower-level bathroom, laundry or floor drain.
- Homes that sit lower than the street or the public sewer nearby.
- Properties that have had sewage come up a low drain when the line itself was clear.
A common rule of thumb is to look at whether fixtures sit below the rim of the nearest upstream manhole on the public sewer; ask your plumber to check how your lowest fixtures compare.
Where it goes and how it is set
The valve is usually placed in the building sewer outside the foundation, inside a box or riser that comes up to grade so the flap can be checked and cleaned without digging. It has to sit level and face the right direction, and it should be placed so the valve and its cover stay reachable rather than ending up under a deck or new paving. In some homes the valve protects only the lower-level fixtures, letting upper floors keep draining normally. A sewer camera inspection before the dig shows how the line is laid out and where a valve would fit best.
Living with one
A backwater valve needs occasional attention. Debris can keep the flap from closing fully, so the valve should be checked periodically following the manufacturer's instructions, and a plumber can clear anything caught in it. Take care when opening the cover, since the line can contain sewage and gas. While it is closed during a backflow event, water used inside the house has nowhere to go either, so hold off on laundry, showers and flushing until the public line recovers. If sewage has already reached a lower floor, cleaning up is a separate water restoration job.
Not the same as an ejector pump
A backwater valve stops sewage coming back in. It cannot lift wastewater out of fixtures that sit below the level of the sewer itself. Those need a sewage ejector, a pump in a sealed basin that pushes waste up to the building sewer, a separate job handled through sewer pump service. Some lower levels use both.
Backwater valve questions in Norcross
Do I need a backwater valve if my house has no basement?
Not necessarily. The risk depends on how low your lowest drain sits compared with the public sewer. A house on a slab well above the street rarely sees sewage pushed back inside, while a home that sits low, or one that has had backups when its own line was clear, is a better candidate. A plumber can check how your lowest drain compares with the public sewer.
How often should a backwater valve be checked?
There is no single schedule. Check the valve following the manufacturer's instructions, especially after heavy storms or any backup on the street, and have a plumber confirm the flap moves freely and nothing is wedged in it. A valve that cannot close is no protection at all.
Can a backwater valve be added without digging?
Usually not, since the valve goes into the building sewer itself, and that pipe is buried. That is why the time to add one is when the line is already exposed for a repair. Fitting it during the same excavation can combine access, testing and surface restoration in one planned job.
Plan it into the dig
If your Norcross sewer line is about to be opened and low drains have given you trouble before, call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 to talk about whether a backwater valve belongs in the job.