During typical rain events, a storm drain located in a Michigan community would rise significantly and backflow into a connecting storm sewer, causing flooding on heavily traveled streets and adjacent properties. The city installed a duckbill check valve to help prevent the backflow. Unfortunately, the valve protruded from a retaining wall and was damaged by violent surging that occurred at the mouth of the drain during storms.
The community needed an inline check valve that would be out of the flow path, prevent backflow and open with positive gravity flow to drain the storm line. An all-rubber construction was preferred, as it would allow for minimal user maintenance and durability in submerged or weather-exposed conditions. It would also have the ability to open with very little head pressure.
The Tideflex CheckMate inline check valve provided the city with the solution that it needed. The CheckMate has an all-rubber design that opens with as little as 1 in. of head pressure. Designed to close silently, the CheckMate seals tightly in up to 40 ft of back pressure with no leakage. The CheckMate also slips entirely inside the pipe and is pressed securely into the pipe identification using a stainless steel expansion clamp. Installation is simple and fast, and there are no mechanical parts to maintain. The CheckMate has been hydraulically tested to ensure reliable performance.
Using the CheckMate, the Michigan community was able to prevent storm water backflow from the storm drain from submerging streets and surrounding properties. The inline design removed the valve from the surge path, protecting it and making it nearly unnoticeable to the public. The Tideflex CheckMate inline check valve will provide the city with years of dependable and cost-saving backflow prevention.
