The onset of Fall, in reality, marks the beginning of flood season. What follows next is very well understood by homeowners and plumbers. Normally, the levels of rainfall in the city reach their peak during this season and continue with scattered showers until we move into March. Although most of the city infrastructure can manage such a high level of precipitation, we must employ certain important drainage strategies to lessen the possible risks of flooding in residential, commercial and public areas.
City flooding usually leaves many basements soggy that requires thousands of dollars of reparations. No one wants to be stuck in this kind of a mess and it’s best to ensure you have some protection in the future to minimize the damage a rainstorm can cause.
The plumbing on your personal property can be another ball game altogether. There are several factors that can impact how well your house or commercial property handles excessive rainfall.
Take a look at some of the prevention techniques suggested by DrainCom to thwart potential flooding on your property:
Sump Pumps
You have most probably heard of sump pumps before in a conversation about basements. It isn’t just two rhyming words put together but a sump pump is an extremely useful tool used to keep your home from flooding. They are small pumps fitted in the basement to pump out any surplus groundwater from the house in order to prevent basement flooding. It is essential to remember that sump pumps work on electricity. That is why it is always a good idea to have a battery backup system installed. It consists of a battery and an additional battery-operated pump that has to be installed in the same sump pit as the main pump. So, even if you have a power outage, your backup system will keep the secondary pump running. A sump pump solely prevents increasing groundwater levels from dampening down your basement space because of heavy rain waters that saturate into the soil and bring the level of ground waters up. Sump pumps are usually a good investment especially for people who live in a low-lying area, or who have an older storm system. If you’re still uncertain, reach out to our experts at DrainCom and they will assess it for you if you actually need a sump pump.
Backwater Valves
A sewer blockage in your home can end up with you paying some expensive repair bills. That is why it is important to find an inexpensive alternative to this situation. Backwater valves are reasonably priced and can help avoid your basement from flooding with really disgusting residues. A backwater valve is not a sump pump. It prevents sewer back-ups, not groundwater floods. But it is still an extraordinarily efficient flood prevention tool. A backwater valve usually controls a one-sided flow from your home to the main drain. The moment it notices a backflow, it blocks and stops anything from making an unwelcome return. Please note that backwater valve will protect your home in case city drains get clogged or overwhelmed and sewage starts to fill basements. It protects your home if there is a combined drain system that is when two or more houses are connected to one shared drain that leads waste to the main city drain. But it won’t protect the home if drain pipes that belong just to your home have roots, shifts, or get collapsed and pipe gets clogged. In that case, if the homeowner continues to use water that just fills the drain pipe and eventually it will be seen backing up from the lowest drain openings in the basement such as floor drains or shower drains. That is why it is very important to have the drains checked with see snake (plumbers drain camera) before or after backwater valve gets installed. Backwater valves have a number of benefits to offer. The city urges homeowners to install backwater valves and even provides residents with rebates. This program is called BASEMENT FLOODING PROTECTION SUBSIDY PROGRAM and includes the rebate for sump pump installation, replacement, repair or upgrading (up to $3400 total in rebates). At DrainCom, our team of experts will be happy to assist homeowners to lead through all necessary forms and answer all your questions.
Have Your Drains Cleaned on a Regular Basis
This isn’t just an advice against home flooding; this is actually a good habit to practice. If you keep your drains clean, you will yourself see the difference between a dry and a mushy floor. You will have to identify the severity of the drain clogging in your house and then make the decision of calling drain professionals to resolve the issue. At DrainCom, we are always here to guide and assist you in detecting the problem and taking care of it before it becomes a bigger problem.
Some steps to help prevent and repair drain clogs:
1] Do not clear oil down the drain. It is very unhealthy for your pipes.
2] Try using a basket trap in your shower to filter hair and prevent residue buildup.
3] Use an ecological drain cleaner that can instantly fix bad clogs
4) Get drain pipes checked with drain camera every three to five years.
***
If you are not certain about how to handle the situation when it comes to preventing basement flooding or have some basic clogging issues that are showing up while you are running errands, call DrainCom to check on your plumbing system today.
