What to Do When Your Drain Overflows

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As long as water coming into your Ottawa home is flowing in one direction, you can enjoy an uncontaminated supply of water; however, if the normal water pressure in the system is disturbed due to any reason backflow can happen. When backflow happens, filthy water is sucked into the fresh water supply from a number of sources such as toilet tanks, lawn sprinkler system, dishwashers or washing machines, swimming pools, or even gutter or garbage cans.

Why Water Pressure Drops

There may be several factors behind the sudden drop in municipal water pressure that can cause backflow, let us have a look at a few of these factors:

Breakage/leakage in main water supply pipes
Discharge of high volume of water for a fire hydrant
Failure of a municipal pumping station

When water pressure is suddenly dropped from the system, water from nearby sources may be drawn into the system creating all sorts of problems for the homeowners.

How to Prevent Backflow

These professional plumbing agencies will install specialized devices in your system that will ensure that fresh water is not cross-connected with wastewater. Such devices will keep the municipal water flowing in one direction only and will prevent the contaminated water to enter into your water supply system.

Following are the two common types of devices that are used by the plumbers to prevent backflows:

Hose Bib

A hose bib is used in a single outlet such as an outdoor water faucet to prevent backflow. The presence of a spring in a hose bib is what keeps the water pressure in only direction only. A sudden drop in the municipal water pressure causes the spring present inside the hose bib to close and the valve to open, this ensures that back flowing water is discharged before it even enters into the fresh water supply.

Pressure Type Vacuum Breaker

This device is usually installed in the pipe that supplies water to the sprinkler system. This device constantly senses the pressure in your water supply system. As soon as the pressure in your water system suddenly drops below air pressure entering through an above-ground inlet, a built-in valve is automatically activated preventing the backflow.

If you notice that problems persist and you might need an entirely new sewer replacement, we highly recommend that you look towards trenchless sewer repair. This trenchless sewer replacement should be completed by professionals. If you need help with the plumbing system, call us at Dr. Pipe Drain and Plumbing Services.

Give us a call today: 613 791 5777 for a free upfront estimate!

Testimonials

Trenchless Sewer Pipe

I received two quotes for my plumbing. The quote from Dr. Pipe was good, but what I really appreciated was the fact that the professionals at Dr. Pipe took their time to look at the issue, do the research, and actually SHOW me the problem in real-time. The other company never did give me an exact quote, and I was quite worried about potential “unexpected costs.” Both Max and the rest of his crew were extremely professional, kept the area as neat and tidy as possible, and cleaned up after they were done. Despite the fact that I was not actually onsite during the entire three-day process, I felt comfortable enough to give them a key to the property. When someone actually came and took something from the property (I was expecting them to), Max actually called my private number and asked me whether this was OK. I would highly recommend the services of Dr. Pipe.

Rick S.

Drain Work and Sump Pump Installation

Max was the first person to respond to our call for help after our basement flooded. He was quick in determining what the root of the issue was, and fixed the problem quickly. In addition to finding the issue, he also showed us a (potential) issue in our sanitary and storm water drains. He managed to find the possible issue with the drain-camera in a quick amount of time.

Max was courteous and professional when it came to helping us find future issues as well. He helped us alleviate concerns about future problems, thanks to his professional explanation. I have to admit I was also pleasantly surprised by the work of his crew. They cleaned their area thoroughly each time as well. Now I know that extensive repairs are never going to be cheap, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the pricing was. Max even helped us fill out the necessary paperwork to file for our basement flooding prevention subsidy.

Stewart

Drain Replacement, Backflow Valve, Sump Pump, Etc.

When I woke up this morning, I was not expecting my basement to have transformed into a full-blown lake. One of our neighbors recommended Dr. Pipe. Our neighbors had needed to replace some of the drains under their home and also recently had a backwater valve installed.

Max came to us and talked about the quote. One of the great things about the discussion was that he took his time and explained everything to me. I remember that Max took the time to make sure that both my partner and I were on the same page and understood everything.

I really want to be honest and admit that I was not particularly friendly that day, I had already received three different quotes, and I just wanted the work to get started. We still decided to go with Max’s company, despite the fact that we already had several other quotes. It was not just about money that we were going to pay, it was about quality, it was about trust, it is about wanting to give my business to a company that wanted ME as a customer.

I can tell you that both Max and his crew came across as polite, clean, honest, and reliable. They were extremely pleasant to work with. The quality of the work that they delivered is excellent, and it certainly added value to the home. Even our insurance rates went down because of the quality work.

It is extremely comforting to know that I have peace of mind the next time that the rain comes down. During the last late-fall storm, it was extremely comforting to hear the sump pump turn on, that sound really allows you to sleep soundly at night.

I have no doubt that the pipes are going to be fine once the tree roots are growing and the snow melts. It is comforting to know is that even if they are not fine, I know that Max is going to be a phone call away to help me set things right. I would honestly be shocked if Max somehow did not uphold the warranty that we have. Honestly, that is the level of trust that we have in Max.

Max

Backed-Up Drain

It is not often that a plumbing company is able to save you 10,000 dollars. We had experienced a serious drain backup and received quotes from five different drain and plumbing specialists. These included some of the more popular local names, and a few that received a very high ranking on HomeStars. Most of them scoped the drain and told me all the root issues and the critical deficiencies that would continuously lead to problems. They suggested that that we crack the floor, replace the drainpipe, and have the pipe from the front lawn excavated, I would be looking at around $5-10k!

Max did the same exact research that these other companies did, but he told me that the drain was not deficient at all; in fact, it had many more years left! I know that Max was honestly biting his tongue when we discussed what these other companies had said. He rooted the drain (very fast) and there has not been a single issue with our pipes since.

Grant

Contact Dr.Pipe:

Reach out right now at 613 791 5777 to learn more about how we can better meet your drainage and plumbing needs. You can also fill out the contact form bellow and we will respond within 24 hours.