Mainline Backflow Valve installation, Part 3

This video is for informational purposes only and is in no way affiliated with Mainline Backflow Products.

[@Bdpjev]

From a professional plumbing. Looks great. The only thing different I would have done was to pin some re-bar around the inside of the container to resist the concrete from pushing inward. But other than that good job

[@Fireship1]

Nice job. For someone who's just a homowner, you did this job as good as a professional plumber.

[@LoFiMofo]

Thank you. My neighbor had different brand backflow valve professionally installed after i did mine. I do have to say my install looks better, plus it cost her about 800$ more than what i spent just in the labor costs alone.

[@glennharston2558]

A wonderful, informative video. Mainline should use it as a step-by-step instruction video

[@LoFiMofo]

Thank you, i appreciate the compliment.

[@MrKevin6644]

Thanks so much for the video great help. Lost my basement contents to a flood. Making sure that doesn't happen again.

[@felixcheng9379]

You are a professor. I appreciate your deed and open up my horizon. If I were not to do this myself, I'll make sure my plumber does this job as good as yours. Felix Cheng

[@LoFiMofo]

Thanks Felix. Its been a year and three months since the install and its still doing a great job. We are more than happy with the results.

[@difebocontracting66]

Enjoyed the video I am a small independent contractor. Keep up the good work!

[@LoFiMofo]

Thank you.

[@croywedgewood2499]

I commented on your second video and just wanted to thank you again. I've got the cast exposed and I'm ready to go. Installing should be a snap thanks to your video. But I'm wondering what to use as a bed for the unit. I figure sand. Good support, somewhat flexible. After that? Gravel I guess. One little issue I have is they brought the 3/4" copper watter line in above and to the south of the sewer line. Nothing that will affect the install of the backwater valve but the bucket...that's going to be a challenge. Anyway, just wanted to thank you again. Great video! You actually inspired me to do this.

[@LoFiMofo]

Croy Wedgewood thanks for the kind words. Sand would work too i guess but i still like the small gravel i used. I was lucky that i had no other obstacles near where i installed the valve likes copper water lines and such. Good luck!

[@willtillman1181]

This is a nice series of videos. You probably saved yourself a couple thousand dollars. My only concern is the flexible box and cover you used. Your floor in that area now looks like a DO NOT WALK on area. So the only thing I would suggest different in what you did was use a much sturdier box and cover. Overall good series of videos.

[@LoFiMofo]

Will Tillman Thanks. Yes, we saved a lot of money doing it ourselves and nearly 7 years later it's still working great. The cover is plenty strong enough to stand and walk on. We're so used to it is not even something we avoid walking on.

[@kmgates]

AWESOME videos - thank you so much for taking the time to document all of this! 🙏🏾👍🏾👊🏾

[@LoFiMofo]

Kevin M. Gates You're welcome. Good luck with the project. 👍🏼

[@pierrekoch6600]

Thanks ! I have to do that job too next summer due to a new city regulation!!!

[@andrejankovsky9576]

Excellent video. I hope the valve works for you. Thank you

[@josephs4996]

Great Video I learned a lot an im like you I see I learn I do, I cant get this backwater valve as my 1st link in so im going after the trap I know its not the right place to put it but it will still stop the water in an give me time to clear the line without flooding my basement with nasty stuff. Great work you did a fantastic job plumbers dont like us for do it yourself but if you do the job right its ok in my boo.. Great video an great job.

[@abcxyz69r]

Nice install job and great video !! Very informative... Thank you.

[@joebrown1382]

Why didn't you show how the flapper works. Can't believe you never showed that. Nice looking job hope it works. Had my finished basement flooded twice both times $500 deductable insurance. Gotta guy coming tomorrow to see what needs to be done & the cost.

[@LoFiMofo]

I have a video showing it in action only a few months after we installed it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e53YnJKfgNSZetUsi=UDRzmlvRciMrqjuG

[@GKsPLACE]

Excellent video very informative

[@Mr.Amplifier.]

Thanks for the video.... Great information for the ones we want to save money....

[@jimohio5266]

Saw your Indians shirt. Are you in Cleveland? I am and have dug out the sewer main in my Westpark home. A plumber friend will help with the actual swap in a few weeks. I bought the same Mainline valve you did. I get a backflow event every 3 years or so in a torrential rain. Great video.

[@LoFiMofo]

Jim Ohio Hey Jim. Yep, we’re in the Amherst area. Good luck with the install.

[@bradvincet1848]

Why did you not place gravel around that connection point? It's encased in concrete now so if you ever have to repair or replace something, it'll create more work and headaches.

[@MyGoogleYoutube]

While I'm sure it's fine I would have used the rubber hose unions that have the metal jacket around them.

[@nissynoshes6220]

Thanks for this video- I just had a similar one put in by a plumber. Not sure of the brand, it looks the same by mine has a red knob that allows for manual closing of the flapper. Unfortunately, the plumber couldn't do the concrete work. So I think I might try to do it myself- thankfully you posted this video. Where did you get the plastic housing?

[@LoFiMofo]

The plastic housing you are referring to came with my valve. The concrete work isn’t hard to do but the bags are usually 60-80 lbs each so be prepared for that and have a little more than you think you may need to do the job because you only have a limited time to work with the concrete before it starts setting up. Here’s a link to an access box similar to mine, you’ll see there are different sizes to choose from. Good luck, you can do it. 👍🏼 a.co/d/bWzLcUo

[@nissynoshes6220]

Thanks! That’s the one I ended up buying. Need to make the holes bigger.

[@dalegill3939]

Great Job to U and your partner (got one of those already)! Thx for sharing.

[@elpilonvideo]

Bay ridge plumbing was asking me 6 grands to do a job like that but I was offering 3k but they said not so I call my friend and hi did it for 1600 dollars ❤

[@LoFiMofo]

Yeah, to pay a contractor to do this job isn’t cheap but it’s worth every penny when the sewage isn’t flowing backwards into your home. I did it myself for under $500.

[@johnfranks314]

should have used the middle piece of plastic pipe that was left over 3/8 inch eye bolt and washer and left over concrete to make a little anchor point great to use as a little tye point for many uses

[@hewaschuk]

?

[@johnnyyankee8604]

Great job! Any updates after 10 plus years? I read in the comments you live in Amherst. I live in Lorain and I'm planning to install one in my house.

[@LoFiMofo]

Thanks. The valve is still working great. Those big storms we had back in August flooded the whole county, as I’m sure you remember, and the valve saved us from getting a couple feet of sewage in our basement like all the other homes around us got. Well worth the investment. Just be sure to clean it every six months, most importantly under the flap that lifts up to block the back flow, and it’ll perform fine. Good luck.

[@johnnyyankee8604]

@@LoFiMofoMy basement got flooded back in August too like many homes around here. Good to know the valve is still working and prevented your basement from getting flooded. Thanks for the update!

[@rogeraqwa3162]

Nice Job. Better then the master plumber I had do the work. I need to take him to court. He installed it un level big time. In just 2 weeks myn was just about all plugged up because he has it not even close to being level. Ill try and post a video I have. Its disgusting how people try to rob people blind.

[@LoFiMofo]

Roger Aqwa thanks. Sorry to hear about the bad install the contractor did on your valve, seems to happen all too often. Good luck, hope you get it worked out.

[@rogeraqwa3162]

SH72 I have posted the video. Also a video of the sub pump install that was a rip off. not even conected to any weaping tile.

[@SOVEREIGNDesigns]

♥

[@adwokatdiabla7753]

nice video brother, I'm getting ready to get same thing done at my house, just one question for you, you said in the video that water was coming from the ground naturally and you put gravel there not concrete is water still coming from the ground? not sure if I did describe that correctly, Thanks!

[@LoFiMofo]

Adwokat Diabla Thanks for the compliment. Yes, ground water will naturally seep in around the outside of the valve or anything below grade. The valve will still hold sewage water from entering your home but any earth ground water from around the foundation is another story, that's where our sump pump takes over.

[@bobbg9041]

did you pull a permit? Also what was your total cost to do this, vers hiring the job out? I'd have put some Lime down in the dirt under the backflow to kill the bacteria, you ca still do that. also inside if you don't and that area has ground water leaching in its going to stink up the basement. I had that problem with my sewage ejection tank i had to dig out and replace. The original plumber did not use any gravel I must have used 3 bags of it and 1 80 lb bag of fast set with a hardener. I also made a dam around it but its not in the middle f the floor like your's is. It was a much worse job to deal with because of the type of sewage I had to dig out of the pit. Nasty. My cost to do under 300 bucks with new tank and pump as well as materials plumber would have charged 2k. Its worth it to DIY this stuff. Oh and I showed a lot less Ass crack. And no I did not pull a permit, I think they are worthless, I did a lot better job than was originally done and its never stunk before it always stunk. I will say a back flow in the basement is probably not a good idea he lids lift off them and you still get sewage in the basement........ Just saying, if its outside you trap the mess in the ground outside and nt in the house. your much better of with a pit in the yard. This type of stuff is why cities should give fines to people that do not separate sewage from run off water on there property. But with that said I live on the bottom of a hill short of and 4" sewage lines do back up from clogs of just sewage. You've slowed down the problem your not going to fix it, add sewage back up to your insurance it dosn't cost much. Damage from that can cost 1000's to 10K dollars or even more. my negibor had backflow prevent floor drains even those failed and his basement flooded.

[@patcolanero4628]

GREAT JOB BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE SEAPAGE COMING IN NOW BECAUSE I DIDNT NOTICE THAT IN YOUR FIRST VIDEO. ????

[@LoFiMofo]

Thank you. It’s been nearly 10 years and the valve has saved us from multiple sewage back flows coming from the city sewers during heavy rains. Not sure about the seepage you are referring to?

[@darwinawardcommittee]

@@LoFiMofo I think he is talking about the water table filling the empty hole. Are you able to flush the toilets when the backflow valve is doing its job? I installed the Oatey valve and now I wish I used the valve with a see through top. We had a big rain a couple weeks ago and I ended up getting a little water in the new basement shower. I think I caused the problem by flushing a toilet while a backup was happening. We had another huge rain a week later and I got zero water in the shower but I didn’t flush this time. I’m thinking of installing a 3 inch pvc ball valve to close off the new bathroom. I was wondering how I could leave access to the valve so your access box idea will work perfectly. So thanks for the video

[@LoFiMofo]

@@darwinawardcommittee We avoid flushing toilets or any water usage when we know the valve is holding back sewage from the city. I imagine we could get a couple flushes in without issue do to the length of sewer pipe between our back flow valve and the toilet but I’m not planning on trying it. Glad the video helped you, good luck.

[@adamjorgensen7616]

Great vid helped me out a lot putting my own in! I had a question. My sewer line is a lot lower in the ground then yours and so as a result my access box (same as yours) is too short and does not reach up to the top of the floor. It rests about 6-8 inches below the floor still. Any suggestions to work around that? Is there a way to make the box taller? They don't stack together if I was to use a second box.

[@LoFiMofo]

I don't know of any extension that is available for the access box. Possibly you could order another access box and try and attach them together one on top of the other. That would be pricy and a little hokey but i'm not sure what other options you may have. Thanks for the compliment and good luck!

[@frankmollegaard1989]

Will that back flow valve be rugged enough to handle a clean out job by the city crew ? I had the city come in 15 yrs ago because my line was plugged somewhere between the street and my house. The city came in with a great big "snake" and unplugged it (said it was plugged by roots from my willow tree, which I removed shortly there after including stump lol). That snake was so strong he said it would take my head off if it sprung loose. The force he used to ram it through the blockage was intense and took an hour, constantly pulling and pushing on the snake. A plastic back flow with a rubber connector would break in a second if you weren't careful with something like that. Just wondering. Maybe they don't use those big snakes any more.

[@LoFiMofo]

It is made with the clean out access for just such a thing. I don't believe it would be a problem to snake out to the street through the provided opening. However if I ever have to do it I would just take off the clear plastic access cover entirely. The big snakes do thrash around pretty good when clearing out a line. But usually as long as the person knows what they are doing it shouldn't be an issue. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@kaylahamdani9873]

looks clean! i watched all three parts but i kinda skimmed through some of it. where did you get this piece of equipment and if you dont mind me asking, how much was it? also, how much did this project cost overall. thanks!

[@LoFiMofo]

Thanks Kayla. The the link below is where i bought mine. It's $229 , including the black access box. Overall the project cost less than $350. The concrete and gravel are about $2 per bag , the pvc pieces and rubber couplings were less than $20and the jackhammer cost $60 to rent for the day. It's a bit of work, but well worth it. Thanks for watching! backwater-valves.com/Backwater-Valves.asp

[@elpilonvideo]

Bayridge plumbing was asking me 6 k to do this shit in 2022 , my friend did it for 1600 dóllar and I spend like 500 dollars on materials

[@jetloggotserved]

Very helpful. Thanks

[@TOPTOPICEVERYDAY]

Great man thanks. How is it working since installed? Anything failed? Or dirt getting i to the flap? How to maintain to make sure no failures

[@LoFiMofo]

That's. Is still working great. Just have to be sure to clean out the valve every 6 months or so to ensure grease and gunk and other nasty stuff doesn't make the yellow flapper stick to the bottom.

[@elpilonvideo]

I clean mine every 3 months

[@EduardoFlores-ti8vu]

great job... thanks, that was done in a basement floor level main line ?where will you install it if the main line goes trough the foundation?

[@LoFiMofo]

Hi Eduardo. The valve would get installed inline no matter if it is below the basement or let's say under a slab foundation. It can also be installed outside the home as long as the sewer line is not too deep, such as in a slab home. Thanks for the compliment!

[@azamatusenov8379]

In order to avoid stepping on that final cover , could your put extra sort of metal cover or something like that ?

[@LoFiMofo]

Azamat Usenov You could, but the cover itself is plenty strong enough to stand on. Still works great. 👍🏼

[@JesusRodriguez-rp3jr]

thanks so much ,

[@LoFiMofo]

Jesus Rodriguez your welcome, thanks for watching.

[@jsabnm]

I'm considering installing this product. Now that you've had it installed for a while, what are your thoughts? Is it a good/effective solution? Have you seen it in action and has it performed its job well?

[@LoFiMofo]

Yes, we highly recommend it! It was put to the test when out city sanitary sewers backed up after rapid now melt and several inches of rain. Here is a link to that video. Mainline Backflow Valve, IN ACTION!

[@evenflow3256]

Come work with me it's hard to find good plumbers

[@audi4ever7]

great video and install.where can i buy one at a good price?

[@LoFiMofo]

Thanks for the compliment. Here's where i bought mine at. Seems pricy, i know. But compared to losing about a grand in destroyed furniture and personal items (not to mention repeatedly cleaning up the raw sewage in my basement) it was well worth the price, in my opinion. www.backwater-valves.com/Backwater-Valves.asp

[@evelyngonzalez7823]

Do you ever get water coming through the cement

[@LoFiMofo]

This valve has done a great job holding the sewage back from the city lines. The only water i get from around the foundation or the cement around the valve is during extreme downpours which isn’t connected to this sewer line. I have a separate sump for that but the way our home was built in the mid 60’s it’s not uncommon for that to happen.

[@MyGoogleYoutube]

Is the cover dishwasher safe? I kid :p

[@jocelynyvivianacervantes8612]

thanks you I appreiate

[@TwilightxKnight13]

Mostly good, but the part where you didn't use backfill stone around the one end really scares me. Encasing the pipe in concrete means it will be inaccessible in the future if more work needs to be done. You'll have to break up the floor farther up the line and cut out the pipe and remove a big chunk of concrete. No a great idea, IMO

[@LoFiMofo]

I contemplated what to do there and i decided i wanted the connections to be as strong as possible to prevent any possible issues with the pipe breaking or anything of the sort so i filled out with concrete. It’s been almost 9 years and I’ve had no problems with the valve and several times the valve did a great job and held back the sewer water during heavy rains. Just be sure to clean the valve every 6-12 months to prevent the yellow flap from sticking to the bottom.

[@ian041174]

You are so awesome. Where do you live? Can I hire you to do that for my house?

[@mattagee8104]

You can watch the turds go by now ! :)

[@philipmoogk]

Endless fun....pull up a chair and bring a bowl of popcorn too!

[@Jay-jt3zy]

You need to put concrete around the back flow box up to just under the edge where the cover sits. This is wrong

[@LoFiMofo]

Thanks for your valuable input, troll.

[@Jay-jt3zy]

@@LoFiMofo thanks for your sarcasm cum guzzler

[@bretwhitney9593]

The grey top was upside down. I installed one a year ago.

[@LoFiMofo]

Yeah, i explained why the lid was upside down in the video as the concrete set up. Thanks for not paying attention but being quick to point that out.

[@polkiju7]

These valves look so cheap. There is likely better grade plastic used to make a hot air popcorn machine.