Basement Flooding Prevention: What We Would Advise

If we ask ourselves the most common causes of basement flooding, we would probably come up with heavy rain, melting snow and damaged pipes. The most prolific culprit for basement flooding is a backed-up sewage pipe. Yes, yuck!  Sewage or no sewage, a flooded basement poses all kinds of health risks to your family and risks permanent damage to your home’s integrity and value.  As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

Basement Flooding Prevention in Toronto:

• Snow: Clear snow away from your home. Don’t allow snow to sit or accumulate anywhere near the foundations of your home. Snow can block the path of water that wants to flow away from your house, and when it melts, it will saturate the ground around your foundations, which increases the chances of your foundation walls springing a leak.

• Water Proximity: Extend rainwater downspouts at least three feet away from the foundations to prevent water from pooling in the ground around your home.

• Waterways: Your eavestroughs and downspouts are the first lines of flooding defence in your home’s overall drainage system. Keep them clean so that they can do their job of moving water away from the structure of your home. Water overflows and accumulates around your foundation when they are blocked. Water should flow from your home and into the driveway or a catch-basin on your property.

• Cracks and Gaps: Have cracks in the basement walls, foundations and floors professionally sealed before they can be found by any water that has accumulated around the foundations of your home. Even a hairline crack can let enough water in to cause significant damage over time. This also applies to gaps where utilities such as cable TV or hydro come into your home; have them sealed and keep snow away from this area a priority.

• Valves: Backwater valves prevent water and/or sewage from flowing back into your home. These are relatively simple to install and are incredibly cost-effective for the extra safety that they provide. We would advise that you install this as part of a comprehensive solution designed by experts because the water or sewage that is being stopped from flowing back into your basement by the valve still has to go somewhere else. Call an expert for backwater valve installation.

• Sump Pumps: Automatic and alarmed sump pumps are an effective means of basement flooding prevention for your home in Toronto. Not only do they work to keep your basement from flooding, as a de facto warning system, but they can also alert your family to potential flooding and help you take precautions promptly. Call a professional plumber for a new sump pump installation.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of being proactive regarding basement flooding prevention in Toronto. If it happens, you will have to deal with it anyway, so why not deal with it before it has happened at a fraction of the inconvenience, discomfort and cost? Speaking of cost, the City of Toronto gives subsidies of up to $3,400 for basement flooding prevention which we can help you to apply for.

 

New Canadian Drain & Plumbing – Top-rated plumbing company in Toronto and GTA.