If you needed any further reminder that climate change is for real, with more frequent, heavier and intense rain shower events the new reality, we give you last week around the Toronto region.
That was a real mega storm that hit last Wednesday – power knocked out across the city, vehicles stuck in mini lakes of filthy, sludgy water as the municipal sewer system backed up, tornado watches, trees knocked down, home basements flooding all over the region.
Environment Canada nailed the prediction – 70 millimetres of water would fall in a short period of time, and that’s exactly what happened.
The other theme that came out of last week was the unreliability and general decrepitude of municipal sewer systems, incapable of handling sudden deluges of heavy water.
basement waterproofing
MASS FLOODING OF HOMES
On the home waterproofing company front, phones were ringing and buzzing non-stop. A lot of the calls involved overland water that was flooding homes. Landscaping should be a focus to help counter this. You need to keep the water away from the house. Slope the ground away from the foundation, around six to 10 feet. Install asphalt or patio stones next the home, so water doesn’t settle into the soil.
Make sure the eaves-troughs and gutters around the home are clean. Water will overflow if they are clogged by dirt or leaves and will over-saturate the ground next to the foundation walls. Make sure downspouts are directed to where you want the water to go, like a garden.
There were also a lot of home drain backups because of the sudden rainfall, which a backwater valve installed in the home would have solved.
Also, to avoid a home flooding emergency, not only should homeowners look to install devices like backwater valves, but they also need to ensure the weeping tile system around the perimeter of the home is disconnected from the municipal sewer system and is instead connected to a sump pump, so water is being correctly directed away from the home and out to an area well away from the basement.
All of these are basic elements that go into an effective home waterproofing system.
FLOODED BASEMENTS COST THOUSANDS IN REPAIRS
Increases in air temperatures and variability in precipitation is a reality all over the world, connected to extreme weather-related events, especially heavier rain storms. This is all tied to human-related, global emissions. The Canadian government says that the amount of extreme precipitation events for a short duration (a day or less) will only increase.
Whether you believe in the impact of climate change or not, more and more homeowners are not willing to risk their real estate investment in the event there is a major storm and ensuing home flood.
The cost to repair flood-related damage to the home is immense. There are a lot of situations where homeowners didn’t have overland flooding insurance. According to a report by the Insurance Bureau of Canada, a flooded basement in 2018 cost an average of $43,000 to repair.
It is vitally important that homeowners get a quality waterproofing system for their home.
Call Canada Waterproofers for a free, no-strings-attached estimate.
