Case Study: What to do when the electronic check-valve fails?

Conflict between water and electricity:
Recent events in the region confirm it: electronic anti-backflow devices are technically sophisticated but do not meet certain requirements. Check valves block water from flowing back into the ground during heavy rains. The current SN59200 standard encourages the installation of electronic check valves. However, recent experience in the Basel area has revealed some important weaknesses in such an electronic system.


No room for electricity in water-envrionments
There is no place for electricity next to water - even the best isolation can be damaged in the hostile environment of the sewage system. In addition, thunderstorms often cause flooding or electricity outages. If these two incidents occur at the same time, the electronic valve will no longer operate, allowing sewage to escape into the property.


Facing the problem alone
At the beginning of this year there were cases of faulty electronic check valves in the Basel area. However, what irritated the owners of the valves more than anything else was not their disfunction but the negligence and lack of responsiveness of the after-sales service.


Nodding the head
At a private home in Therwil (Switzerland), the famous red button was blinking to indicate the failure of the electric valve. The producer of the valve (a major international brand) analyzed the situation. Facing the damage, he could only nod his head, and never called the private person back.
The latter contacted local sanitary installers who unfortunately remained perplexed by the complexity of such a system mixing electricity and water. The long-awaited repair did not take place.


The insurance only pays once
A real estate management company located in Basel had a bigger problem. The installed electric check valve proved to be faulty twice, allowing the backflow of water to enter and flood the basement of the property. The insurance only covered the repair costs once.
The manufacturer of the electric valve never replied. The situation is similar to the first case as the plumber called in emergency could not do anything about it.


The solution
In the end, it was Lasso Technik's mission to provide a reliable and durable solution to secure their pipeline. Our technician simply removed the vestiges of the electric non-return valve and inserted Stop Silent SL13® (formerly Light) This check valve has a high quality self-contained membrane and has neither electronics nor moving mechanics. The installation does not require any structural work, which considerably reduces costs.
After a short period of time, the inspections carried out by the owner of the new system proved to be fully satisfactory.


A norm that deprives healthy competition?
As long as there is free competition between companies, new and more innovative products will appear. Thus, when new standards are formulated (e.g. SN592000), it is important to ensure that they do not restrict this free competition.


Below is a GIF showing the replacement of an electric check valve with a Stop Silent Light Backwater flap.