Smyrna’s Backwater Valve Reimbursement: How to Get Up to $600 Toward Sewer Backup Protection

Smyrna’s backwater valve reimbursement can cover part of the cost of a backwater valve, the device that keeps sewer water from backing up into your home.

A sewer backup is one of the worst things that can happen to a house: sewage comes up through the lowest drain, usually a basement floor drain, tub or shower, and the cleanup is expensive and unpleasant. A backwater valve is a one-way valve that stops that from happening when the public sewer line surcharges.

If you live in Smyrna, the city may help pay for one.

What a backwater valve does

Your sewer lateral normally flows one way, from your house to the city’s main. During heavy rain or a blockage downstream, the main can fill and push sewage back up the lateral. A backwater valve sits in your lateral and closes when flow reverses, so sewage stays in the main instead of coming up through your lowest drain.

What Smyrna’s program covers

The details come from the City of Smyrna Public Works FAQs:

• The city may reimburse up to $600 in plumbing fees for installing a sewer backwater valve.
• You need written pre-approval from the city before the work is done.
• Reimbursement is limited to budgeted funds, so it is not guaranteed once the year’s money is spent.
• Certain private communities and commercial developments are excluded.

Program terms can change, so confirm the current rules with Smyrna Public Works at (770) 431-2850 before you start.

Step by step: how to use it

• Call Smyrna Public Works at (770) 431-2850 to confirm eligibility and request written pre-approval.
• Wait for the written approval before any work starts. Work done without it may not be reimbursed.
• Schedule the installation with a licensed plumber.
• Keep the itemized invoice and any photos, and submit them as the city instructs.

Who benefits most

Homes with a basement or below-grade bathroom, homes that have backed up before, and homes on low ground or near the end of a sewer run get the most from a backwater valve. If you’re not sure where your lateral runs or what condition it’s in, a camera inspection before installation shows both.

Smyrna’s other sewer rule worth knowing

The same city FAQs note that lateral clogs and the sewer cleanout are the property owner’s responsibility. If only your house is backing up, call a plumber; if several neighbors are backing up at once, call Smyrna Public Works first, at (770) 434-6666 after hours.