Heavy rain from two major storms has many Windsor-Essex homeowners cleaning up flooded basements, but one local basement expert says there are steps that residents can take to reduce the risk of future water damage.
The region was hit by a quick but destructive storm on Friday evening that caused widespread damage across Windsor-Essex.
Then the region was hit by a significant rainfall event on Sunday - one in the morning and another in the evening.
Environment Canada says preliminary reports show between 40 and 80 millimetres of rain fell in areas west of the airport, while communities east of the airport received between 60 and 110 millimetres of rain.
Ben Bates, President of Advanced Basement Systems, says the first step is determining what kind of water has entered your basement before deciding who to call.
“If it’s like seepage, you have a little puddle of water. Don’t call a restoration company... they’re there for the big floods. But we want to make sure everybody understands we’re not talking about sewage water. We’re not talking about grey water. We’re talking about seepage water. This is water that comes through your foundation, through your windows, and through your sump pump as well.”
He says many of the flooded basements his company sees are linked to sump pump systems that can’t keep up when municipal storm systems become overwhelmed.
“The problem with the backup pump is if your discharge line is full of water and has nowhere to pump, then it doesn’t matter what backup pump you have, the water can’t go anywhere. Nobody wants to spend money on a sump pump, I get it, but it’s one of those things where you need it. It’s like buying good tires for your car. But that second discharge line is so important.”
Bates says one of the most overlooked maintenance jobs is keeping basement window wells clear so water can drain properly instead of backing up against foundation windows.
He recommends homeowners consider a secondary sump pump with its own discharge line, particularly in older neighbourhoods.
“Having a secondary discharge line with its own pump to work when that primary line backs up, you’ve got to have something like that. It’s the first thing I did in my home when I moved from the country back into the city, is I changed up that sump pump, I got rid of the water-powered backup pump because they’re lethal, and I did the whole secondary discharge line. And sure enough, it worked.”
Bates says while upgrading a sump pump system isn’t the most exciting home improvement, it can help prevent thousands of dollars in water damage when the next major rainfall hits.
-with files from AM800’s The Kyle Horner Show