Sump pumps are an extremely effective tool when it comes to waterproofing your home in North York by redirecting water out of your basement.
WHY SHOULD YOU INSTALL A SUMP PUMP?
As we all see on the news – or just by looking out our windows – the global climate is changing. Warming temperatures. More regular and heavier precipitation. Heavy rains and snowfalls are overwhelming the aging sewer infrastructure across our community. One of the unfortunate by-products of all of this has been flooding in neighbourhood homes.
Residential basements in North York have been particularly impacted. There is little the homeowner can do to protect their home against the ravages of extreme-weather flooding – if their home isn’t waterproofed.
Call Canada Waterproofers North York for a free onsite waterproofing assessment of your home.
In 2013 the insurance industry spent almost $1 billion repairing people’s basements and replacing possessions. That’s the bad news.
The good news is a solution to keep basements dry and avoid this level of property damage or loss. The professional technicians at Canada Waterproofers North York will visit your home and give you a free assessment of the waterproofing, drain repair, or plumbing needs.
Remember, the best offence is a good defence – protect your home against any future flooding, or repair what needs to be fixed right away.
A sump pump is something we recommend for all our clients, a great waterproofing tool that re-directs water away from the foundation and footings of your home, ensuring your basement stays cozy and dry.
Nothing is worse than that feeling of vulnerability if there is a water leak into a basement – the place in the home where family members watch television, work on their computers or work out in their home gym.
A sump pump is usually installed so that the weeping tile system that surrounds the perimeter of the house has a place to drain (weeping tile is also called a drainage tile, pushing underground water away from your home).
The old method of draining a weeping tile was to connect it to your home’s drainage system. But that is deteriorating and can’t keep up with the increased precipitation we are now seeing.
If left unchanged, the situation will almost guarantee your North York home will flood in the event of a major storm, causing potentially thousands of dollars in damage.
When a sump pump is installed the old weeping tile connection to the city sewer is disconnected. That will help avoid flooding in your home.
When working to waterproof a client’s home, we also highly recommend installing a sewer back-up valve (backwater valve) as well, protecting you and your family from sewage backing up into your home from the city drainage infrastructure.
The sump pump is installed inside the basement along the wall – as long as there is a place to discharge the water (so the water doesn’t flow back into the house). The crews at Canada Waterproofers North York will excavate, remove and dispose of the soil, and install a water tank (also called a sump liner).
Next step is to set up a connection from the existing weeping tile (or the new weeping tile, if installed) to the side of the tank.
Our technicians will then encase the tank with gravel (3/4” clear), re-cement around the tank, install a submersible pump, then test the system (discharge water to the exterior). If all checks out and meets our high standards, we’ll out a lid on the tank, bolt it down, and you are good to go.
A sump pump consists of three main features:
This system consists of a separate pump that runs off a marine battery, so if there is a power failure or a primary pump failure, you are protected since the backup pump will automatically switch on. This gives you the peace of mind you need. The backup device can continue to pump water out of your basement without the aid of main power for up to 24 hours.
An alarm automatically switches on when the battery pump kicks in, so you will know when the main pump is not functioning.
Extra security like this is something we always recommend to our clients if you are thinking about installing a sump pump in your home.
WATER BACK-UP
We love this pump. This one is powered by your water supply in your home – kind of like fighting fire with fire. Water turns the pump turbine, which then pumps water out of your basement. With this pump, there is no time limit as to how long it will run. As long as your water supply is on, this pump will work.
You will need a minimum ¾” water supply line from the city coming in your house in order for the pump to work correctly. If you have the supply line, and it’s located close to your sump pump, then we feel this is the ideal way to go. It’s one of the most reliable pumps on the market.
A backwater valve is a device that prevents outbound water from the home to re-enter through the home’s drain pipes.
The valve prevents raw sewage from backing up into the home through toilets, sinks and showers – a true nightmare scenario.
Municipalities and insurance companies are now encouraging homeowners to install mainline backwater valve, an absolute must as the weather conditions change.
FAST FACTS
The professionals at Canada Waterproofers North York have the expertise needed to install backwater valves. We would be happy to provide a free on-site assessment and quote.
BACKWATER VALVE INSTALLATION PROCESS
A crew from Canada Waterproofers North York will excavate where the sewage connection leaves the house (normally in the front of the house), inside or outside the foundation wall. The building code stipulates that the valve has to be within a maximum of three feet from the front wall and you cannot have a Y Pipe connected within three feet behind the valve, or you risk having the sewage back up into the house.
Install the city-approved BWV with down-stream, clean-out access in the front of the valve. Have the valve inspected by the city. The Canada Waterproofers North York crew will support the pipework with gravel and then back-fill and compact the ground, followed by inside concrete finish and outside gravel finish. Clean-up is the last step.
Check out our drain section to read more about backwater valves and how important they are for flood protection.
Keep in mind – when installing any new fixture a permit from the city is required. Ask us about it.
CONCLUSION
Canada Waterproofers North York understands that a flooded basement can be extremely stressful and cause a massive upheaval in one’s life. It can be a very expensive issue to fix.
But we also know that if you take the correct precautions, waterproof your basement in large part by using technology like sump pumps and backwater valves, then you’ll never have to experience that stress and upheaval.
If you are one of the unfortunate who has experienced a flooded basement, or you are a person who has heard about the damaging effects of flooding and want to get proactive to protect your home, then give Canada Waterproofers North York a call for a free assessment of you home. Learn how you can protect your most valued investment.
Thank you,
