- Sump Pumps & Basements
- Sump pumps
- City of Racine program
- 7-minute read
If your Racine house was built before the mid-1950s, there is a good chance a small brass flap under the basement floor drain is quietly sending rainwater into the city's sanitary sewer. The city wants it gone, and is paying for the work.
A Palmer valve is a hinged flap set into the basement floor drain of many pre-1954 Racine homes. It sends foundation-drain water into the sanitary sewer. The City of Racine Sump Pump Program pays eligible homeowners up to $5,000 to disconnect that drain and install a sump pump discharging to the yard or storm sewer.
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Key takeaways
- The city's program targets homes built before 1954, the era when foundation drains were routinely tied to the sanitary sewer through a Palmer valve.
- Reimbursement is up to $5,000 per eligible household, paid to the contractor after the city inspects the finished work; any cost above that is the homeowner's.
- The city allocated $500,000 for about 100 homes this year and has set a goal of 2,000 sump pumps by 2031, first come, first served.
- The work is a sump basin, a pump, a rerouted drain tile and a discharge line — plus a check that the old flap is sealed.
What does a Palmer valve actually do?
The basement floor drain — the trapped drain in the lowest part of the slab — is where this story lives. Older Racine basements have clay drain tiles around the footing that collect groundwater. Before sump pumps were standard, builders ran those tiles into the floor drain, and the floor drain into the sanitary sewer.
The Palmer valve sits in that drain: a weighted brass or cast flap that swings open under water pressure and drops closed afterward. It was meant to keep sewer gas out while letting groundwater in.
- Where to look: lift the basement floor drain grate. A hinged flap, often corroded, on one side of the bowl is the Palmer valve.
- What goes wrong: the Palmer valve sticks open, so the drain gurgles and smells; or it sticks shut, so the foundation water has nowhere to go and the basement gets wet.
- Why the city cares: every connected home sends storm water into pipes built for sewage only.
Why is Racine paying to remove Palmer valve connections?
The city's Public Works page states it plainly: during heavy rain, too much water enters the sanitary sewers and risks basement backups, and many older homes send rain and groundwater into those pipes through foundation drains.
Every open Palmer valve adds to that inflow. Excess inflow raises treatment costs at the wastewater plant and, in the worst storms, forces overflows toward Lake Michigan. Taking a few thousand basements off the sanitary system is cheaper than enlarging the pipes.
Up to $5,000 per eligible home, paid to the contractor after inspection. The 2026 allocation is $500,000, roughly 100 homes, toward a goal of 2,000 pumps installed by 2031. Applications are first come, first served until the year's funds are spent. Source links are under Sources below.
Who qualifies, and how does the application work?
Confirm the house is eligible
The program targets homes built before 1954 inside the City of Racine. Mt Pleasant, Sturtevant and Caledonia addresses are outside it.
Apply through the city
The Public Works Sump Pump Program page carries the application link. Apply before scheduling work; the reimbursement follows the city's process, not the plumber's invoice.
Get quotes from licensed plumbers
The city reimburses the contractor directly, so the contractor must be one the program accepts. Ask any plumber quoting the job to confirm their status with the program.
Have the work inspected
The city inspects the finished installation before paying. Anything above $5,000 is the homeowner's cost, so a clear quote up front matters.
PM's sump pump installation service in Racine covers the full scope: basin, pump, drain-tile reroute, discharge line and the seal on the old drain.
What does the conversion involve in the basement?
It is a half-day to full-day job in most basements. The photo above shows the middle of one: the basin set in gravel before the pump and lid go in.
Cut and set the basin
A section of floor is opened near the drain tile and a plastic basin is set in gravel so groundwater can enter through its perforations.
Reroute the drain tile
The foundation tiles are redirected into the basin instead of the Palmer valve drain. This is the step that ends the sanitary-sewer connection.
Seal the Palmer valve
The old flap and its connection are plugged so nothing from the tiles can reach the sewer. The floor drain itself keeps working for the basement floor.
Pump and discharge
A pump, check valve and discharge line to the yard or storm sewer complete it, with the outlet placed where the water will not run back to the foundation.
Pre-1954 Racine home and a floor drain that gurgles after rain? Ask PM for a program-ready quote — scope written to what the city inspects. A floor drain that backs up when nothing upstream was used is a main drain cleaning call first. If the camera then shows a broken joint under the yard, it becomes sewer line cleaning near Racine and repair.
Call (262) 770-0039Request serviceWhat changes for a homeowner once the pump is in?
A home that drained through a Palmer valve for seventy years now depends on a pump. That brings new habits.
Test it each spring
Pour water into the basin and watch the float lift, the pump run and the check valve hold. The sump pump test guide walks through it.
Plan for outages
Summer storms take out power exactly when the pump is busiest. The battery backup guide covers whether you need one.
Watch the run time
A pump that runs constantly in a dry month has a fault; the constant-running guide lists the four causes.
Does the same connection exist outside the city?
Yes. Homes of the same age in Mt Pleasant, Sturtevant and Caledonia's older sections were built with the same Palmer valve drains, though those villages run their own sewer programs and are not part of the Racine grant.
A Palmer valve in a village home is still worth disconnecting: it is the same backup risk in a storm and the same gurgling floor drain. PM's sump pump service in Caledonia handles those conversions outside the program.
Palmer valve and program questions
How do I know if my floor drain has a Palmer valve?
Lift the grate and look for a hinged flap on the side of the drain bowl, often green with corrosion. A floor drain that bubbles or gurgles during heavy rain, or a basement that stays dry only in dry weather, are the other tells.
Can I just seal the Palmer valve and skip the sump pump?
No. The foundation drain tiles still collect groundwater; blocking the Palmer valve outlet without giving them a new one sends that water through the basement floor and walls.
Is the $5,000 paid to me or to the plumber?
To the contractor, after the city inspects the finished job. You pay only the portion above the reimbursement, if any.
What if the Palmer valve program funds are gone for the year?
Applications are first come, first served against each year's allocation. If funds are exhausted, you can apply for the next round; the conversion can also be done outside the program at your own cost.
Sump pump reading for converted homes
Testing, backup power and constant running are the three things new sump-pump owners ask about in the first year.
Program-ready sump pump conversions in Racine, and the same work outside the city. Free estimates from a licensed Master Plumber. Start with our Racine and Mt Pleasant plumbing home page if you are not sure which page fits your problem.
Call (262) 770-0039Request service- City of Racine Public Works, Sump Pump Program (up to $5,000, foundation-drain disconnection): cityofracinewi.gov/publicworks/sumppump
- Civic Media, “Racine sump pump program” (Feb. 27, 2026) — pre-1954 homes, contractor reimbursement after inspection, $500,000 for 100 homes, 2,000-pump goal by 2031: civicmedia.us