My garage floor drain backed up during the big rain two weeks ago and I learned a hard lesson

I was out in my shop on the east side of Amarillo when that big storm hit. Water started coming up through the floor drain, and I had about an inch of water everywhere before I could even react. I spent the next three hours with a wet vac and a push broom trying to save my tools and some lumber. The problem was, I never even thought to check if that drain had a backwater valve. A plumber friend came over the next day and showed me it was just a straight pipe to the city line, so when the system got overloaded, it all came right back to me. Now I'm looking at putting in a proper valve myself, but I'm not sure if I should cut into the concrete or try to work from the cleanout outside. Has anyone in town dealt with this and found a good way to add protection without a huge concrete job?

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umar4912h ago

Actually, that cleanout outside is probably your best bet for adding a valve without breaking concrete. A plumber can often install an external backwater valve right there on the line. It saves a ton of mess and cost compared to cutting the floor open.