backflow valve and Sump pump installation
Prompted by the flooding in Toronto in July 2013, we had a backflow valve and sump pump installed by Anta Plumbing. From my initial contact with Andrea, to the home assessment by Tony (no charge), to the installation and clean up by Igor and Crew (Andrew and Andrew), I was impressed by the prompt, courteous and professional service. Each step was fully explained, work was completed on time, there was an unexpected problem with a cracked drain line that was repaired without charge - unheard of in my experience with plumbers! Anta is a first class plumbing company and they are now my go to people should any future work be needed. The cost of the work was $5,300 total. I checked with 3 other companies. This was cheaper than 2 of them and in line with the third however, the Homestar rating for the third company was not as good as Anta. My thanks to Igor and his crew for a job well done and to Homestars for helping me to find them. I had asked for a sump pump to be installed for the purpose of having a backup system in case the back flow valve failed. What I did not realize and was not told was that the pump would run continuously. I thought it would only kick in if the back flow valve failed. i even mentioned several times that it would probably never be used. No one thought to correct me. There was a problem running the drain out of the basement due to the presence of some stairs and a chimney. Because I thought that the pump would only kick in if the backflow valve failed, I agreed to have the drain line exit to the driveway. You can imagine my diappointment when I found water draining onto the deiveway at all times of the day and night. No one in their right mind who understood how the pump worked would allow this. Since Anta Plumbing knowingly installed something in my house that they would never do in their own home, and have not returned my calls(except to refer me back to Tony who has not returned my call), I have downgraded my rating. Anta has been an expensive mistake.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $5,300.00
- Company Response
Thank you for looking us up on Homestars Brian! It is always a pleasure to have feedback from our customers, and we will be sure to pass your appreciation along to our intake staff and technicians.At Anta we do keep our prices competitive, while offering the service and satisfaction our customers deserve.
We just received you concern about pump work. You made a call asking to remove the pump pit, but the problem is that pump now taking the water from underground and you as the owner received the rebate form city $1780 for the sump pump installation plus $1250 for back water valve from Basement Flooding Program. This program is running couple years by City of Toronto to educate everybody to stop send rain water to sewer system. This extra amount of water from your roof and from underground makes another home owners deal with sewer back up to their house and destroy their property. Water underground is not predictable, it can be nothing there and another month you will have water every day. To keep your neighborhood with dry basement is the right decision. As an solution you can re-route the discharge as one of the option to your garden using flexible hose or 1-1/2 ABS pipe for the rainy season. The Inspector already checked the installation and approved the installation with marking this in City system as clear for your personal check for amount up to $3000 as appreciation for as a homeowner.
As homeowner you can remove the pump and connect back to sewer line, but it make risk to have flood at your own basement by the ground water. When sewer will backing up, flapper in a back water valve will be closed, and if you keep rain pipes are connected to sewer, as it was originally, all that ground water will go back to your basement because no discharge at that moment. That's why City of Toronto recommends every house with flooding problem to install back water valve to sewer, to install sump pit system to disconnect sewer and storm water from each other, and recommend everybody to install water powered backup system to sump pits. It makes protection as one package. We at Anta Plumbing really trying to explain every customer the purpose of every step, we have great web site with explanation and I wish one day we will be able to educate every customer to take extra care about neighborhood. Check the possibility to do FRENCH drain to keep discharge underground if you like to have discharged water back to the ground. You can check our video on youtube with visual explanation of French drain purpose and installation. We try to make as much video as we can, to write article on our blogs to inform customers with every thought we have. Thank you for your advice about "not calling back", Tony never get the message about the problem you dealing with because he is non-stop on a job site, and gets to the office so late night that most of dispatchers are gone for the day. I will pass message to Tony personally to make him aware that one of the messages didn't go through the pagers. For next time you can keep his email as tony@antaforyou.com, he can check e-mails on his mobile even when he is on a job site with crews and customers to react promptly. With best regards, Tanya Klein - technical assistanceONE MORE time to every customer:
1) back water valve stops sewer coming to the basement BUT you have second source of water in your basement - RAIN WATER, UNDERGROUND water;
2) sump pit is taking care about rain water and underground water for the house;
3) sump pump is not connected to back water valve, sump pump is not working as a background for back water valve, it works as a separate system; 4) when heavy rain is outside, PLEASE take extra attention how you use water at that moment.
5) IF FLAPPER is closed to keep city sewer away form your basement you have limited space to use toilets. Try to not use dishwasher, laundry showers at the time of thunderstorms.
Insurance companies are not covering anymore houses with no back water valves installed.
6)
Every year before rainy season check your back water valve by opening the access and checking the flapper. It has to be fully open cassette.
7) Let me know if any other question you would like to cover, I am in the office form 6.45am to 10pm, ask technical department.
