How to prevent basement flooding

By Jody Thompson

One week after the big storm, Torontonians in Etobicoke are either busy cleaning up the debris left from the storm or thanking their luck stars that they were not impacted. Here are a few tips that you can implement to minimize your chances of basement flooding during the next storm.

1. Eavestroughs and Downspouts

Water pours out of your eavestroughs into downspouts. If the downspouts are dumping the water right beside your foundation, it drains directly to the weeping tile and can easily overload your home’s drainage. Make sure downspouts extend at least 1.8 m (6 ft.) from your basement wall. Also, be sure the water does not drain toward your neighbour’s basement walls. It should drain away from your house toward the street, rear yard, or back lane. If your downspouts are connected to your home’s sewer system, or weeping tile, disconnect them.
Clean debris from eavestroughs regularly. If they overflow even when clean, replace them with larger size eavestroughs and downspouts.

2. Lot Grading

If the land around your home slopes in toward the foundation, rainwater heads right for the weeping tile around the basement and can overload your foundation drainage system. The land around many homes settles over time, and then slopes in toward the foundation. If your lot slopes inward, you’ll want to fill in and grade the lot so that, for at least 1.8 m (6 ft.) out from around the foundation, the land slopes away from your house.
Build up the ground around your house so that water drains away from your basement walls. Also, examine sidewalks, patios, decks and driveways. These can settle over time and cause water to drain back towards your basement walls

Many homeowners that had proper grading and properly maintained eavestroughs came out of the biggest storm in the history of Toronto unscathed. Addressing these issues on your property is definitely worth the investment.