Water in the basement after a storm.
When it rains hard in Milwaukee, the sewers fill and some of that water tries to come back up through the lowest drain in your house. Here’s how to stop it.
Three fixes, in order.
A backwater valve
A one-way flap in the main drain that lets water out and stops it coming back in. It’s the single most effective fix for storm backups.
A sump pump
Groundwater, not sewer water. A sump pit and pump, with a battery backup for the storms that knock the power out.
A camera in the lateral
Roots and a sagging clay lateral make backups worse. We camera it first so you don’t spend money on the wrong fix.
Is it your lateral or the city’s?
In Milwaukee the sewer lateral from your house to the main in the street is generally the property owner’s responsibility. If the camera shows the problem is in the city main itself, we’ll give you the footage to send them.
Some suburbs and the regional sewerage district have run programs to help with backwater valves and lateral repairs over the years. Ask your municipality what’s available before the work starts; we can wait for the paperwork.
Backed up last storm? Fix it before the next.
Camera first, then the fix that matches.
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