This small part may save you from significant damage in the event of a flood – check your house now
Floods may cause significant damage to properties and assets if they are not prepared for correctly. Pohjola Insurance requests everyone to check that the no-return valve is in working order.
Each year, floods cause significant property damage across Finland. However, some damage could be prevented by a simple part required in building regulations.
If a property includes facilities below the normal top water level such as cellars, the sewage system should be equipped with a no-return valve. The no-return valve allows sewage water to flow from a property to the sewer network but prevents wastewater from the sewer network to flow into the property. If a no-return valve has not been installed, water from a flooding sewer network may enter a cellar and cause moisture or water damage.
The normal top water level means the level up to which wastewater may rise in the network in a normal situation. This risk especially concerns older properties such as wooden houses in which sewers have been built below the ground level.
“When investigating damage caused by heavy rain or flooding waterbodies, we have unfortunately seen that not many properties are equipped with a no-return valve regardless of regulations or that it does not work because it has not been maintained,” says Sini Kujala who is responsible for property insurance at Pohjola Insurance.
In general, pipe drains must also be equipped with a no-return valve to prevent water from flowing in the wrong direction, that is, flow into the ground around the building.
Neglected maintenance may have an impact on insurance compensation
In the event of flooding, a missing no-return valve may cause considerable damage in facilities below the normal top water level, their surfaces and structures, as well as movable property. When talking about water damage, costs may rise up to tens of thousands of euros.
The significance of the no-return valve was also added to insurance safety regulations at the beginning of 2025: if a regulatory valve is missing or its maintenance has been neglected and damage occurs, insurance compensation may be reduced.
According to the safety regulations and manufacturer’s instructions for use, the no-return valve must be maintained every 12 months and in situations where heavy rain or flooding in waterbodies is expected.
“I cannot overemphasise the important role of this apparently small part. I hope that every property owner checks, right away, that a valve has been installed and it works properly. They should contact a professional if any deficiencies are discovered,” says Kujala.
Media enquiries:
OP Financial Group Communications, tel. 010 252 8719, viestinta@op.fi
Pohjola Insurance is Finland’s leading non-life insurer with a total of 2.5 million private and corporate customers. It provides an extensive range of non-life insurance services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Pohjola Insurance is part of OP Financial Group which is Finland's largest financial services group.