Flood Control

If you live in Peterborough, you are aware that with very heavy rain, some parts of Peterborough seem to be susceptible to flooding. The "Great Flood of 2004" is a perfect example. I lost my basement in that flood along with scores of fellow residents in town. With this latest storm and in some cases, power failures, many more people had flooding in their basements.

So what do you do? Some may choose to actually move to an area that hasn't flooded. The problem is, there seems to be no magic formula for determining what areas are "flood resistant". Indeed, I had neighbours with flooding this time that never got water in the past two floods. Why is that? Perhaps it has something to do in part with the installation of backwater valves, and possibly sump pumps. If the water can't back up into my house because of the backwater valve I installed, it has to go somewhere else...to a home without a backwater valve perhaps. Remember though, backwater valves are NOT a guarantee that you won't get flooded. In fact, with a backwater valve in the closed position, your house drains have no place to go...so be careful you're not bathing or using your plumbing excessively if you suspect your backwater valve (if installed) is closed!

If you need more information on backwater valves, consider calling a plumber (hopefully Hanwell Plumbing & Heating) because there is more to them than meets the eye. In some homes, the weeping tile or perimeter drainage can be connected to your basement floor drain, so any water in the ground around the house is directed to the sewer system. If there is a heavy rain and a backup situation occurs, the backwater valve can close as storm water flows back into the home via the building sewer. With the valve in the closed position, the storm water from around the house that enters the floor drain via the weeping tile, has nowhere to go! therefore, a backup can occur in the basement. This is why your plumber will likely recommend that if you have a backwater valve installed, you should also consider a sump pump and pail be included.

There really is so much information regarding sump pumps and backwater valves, that I hesitate to include it all with this "Tip O' the Month", so to learn more....

"Just Call Robin! "

Hanwell Plumbing & Heating (705) 749-4775