Floods are a common occurrence throughout Canada. Fall brings rain and winter brings snowstorms, so properly preparing your household for floods is the smartest thing you can do this summer.
Most homeowners, especially new ones, can’t even imagine facing a flood, however, statistic shows that you will probably face at least once in your lifetime. Moreover, your home’s insurance policy probably doesn’t cover flooding since you have to buy a separate policy.
So, what’s left for a homeowner to do? First, you must contact professional plumbing companies and installing a proper basement waterproofing system.
If you got that part covered, here are the 5 most efficient ways to furtherly protect your home from flooding:
- Fix Cracks
The main reason behind basement floods is water pressure breaking concrete walls and floors. If you find damp spots or cracks, immediately start fixing them. They are the first sign that you have water trouble in your basement.
Even if water still hasn’t started travelling through those cracks, it might do so soon enough. You must not leave your basement with any kind of weak spots, including rotten window frames, wall cracks and leaky pipes.
- Upgrade Sump Pump
When we already started to talk about leaks, one cannot but mention sump pump overflow. This usually happens during power outages and severe storms. Having an upgraded sump pump and of high quality is a basement necessity.
The average life of sump pumps is 8 years so make sure you keep everything updated and new. To make sure a power outage doesn’t damage your basement waterproofing, install backup generators and sump pump alarms.
You should also consider purchasing lids which prevent debris from entering and backwater valves which will save your home during sewage backups.
- Backwater Valves
Even if it’s unpleasant to talk about them, sewage backups do happen and quite frequently for that matter. Luckily for us, experts have invented a mechanism which prevents sewage water from entering our basements.
These mechanisms are easily installed on our sump pumps and are called backwater valves. When the sewage water decides to pay us a visit, the backwater valve shuts every entrance down and completely stops the entire situation.
This can save us from costly repairs and from all kinds of contaminations and infections. Sewer backups are very common in winter when there are problems with the city’s pipelines.
- Clean Gutters
Not many people will immediately think of gutters the moment someone mentions a basement flood. But, contrary to popular opinion, gutters do influence the condition of our basements.
Because they play an active role in our drainage system, if damaged, serious issues can be caused. Debris can build up inside, creating clogs and preventing proper water flow.
When the water’s determined pathways are blocked, it finds alternate solutions. Backyards suffer the most from gutter water and this can be seen in damaged plant life.
When water accumulates in the backyard, it starts putting pressure on basement foundation walls, resulting in leaks and floods. So clean your gutters before difficult weather seasons and after each storm.
- Schedule Inspections
Last, but not least is scheduling the needed inspections. Think of it as doing your annual dental checkup appointment. You must consult with professionals to see if there are any serious issues that need to be properly addressed.
Our basements determine the functionality of our entire homes. Doing a free consultation or a $100 camera sewer inspection early on can save you thousands of dollars when tough weather comes along.
Additionally, you should regularly clean your drains and make sure you don’t throw cooking oil, paper or any other type of garbage down there. This reduces chances for clogs and therefore, for nasty floods as well.