As a smart homeowner, you know that almost every home will eventually get flood water in the cellar.

You’re all set to endure the next heavy rainstorm, right? Well, almost.

In the event that you forgot this one important little bit of your dry basement solution, you could see all the cash you’ve spent in sump pumps and backups sink under the rising flood water that will accumulate in your basement.

What is a Check Valve?

The simple truth is, most people neglect to install a check valve in their sump pump vent pipe. What is a check valve? It’s a small, inexpensive but vital part of your sump pump system. It will keep the excess water your sump pump already pumped out from returning to your basement.

What Happens if I Don’t Have a Check Valve?

In the absence of a check valve, all the flood water that’s in the vent tube will just move right back down to your sump pit the moment your sump pump shuts off.

Please remember, the water inside that pipe is under pressure, so it functions like a siphon basically sucking all the water that was just pumped away right back into the basement! A check valve keeps excess water venting out not back.

What a Check Valve Does

A check valve insures excess water only flows in one direction – away not back.

A check valve is cheap insurance, keeping your sump pump from pumping same excess water again and again. Without a check valve, your sump pump will eventually become overwhelmed and fail.