Proper lot drainage and flood prevention will help keep water out of your home. Ground water, snowmelt and heavy rain falls can cause havoc for a property owner if they have not taken the proper precautions to protect their home from water seepage and flooding.
Flood Prevention
Grading is the shaping and sloping of the lot to direct water from rainstorms, snowmelt and groundwater toward the stormwater management system. A properly sloped surface can greatly reduce the risk of water from entering your home. When you grade or landscape your lot, make sure there is a 5% slope away from the home for the first 1.5 metres.
The most important thing to keep in mind with grading is making sure that the water has somewhere to go. Often, changes made to the grade of the lot from landscaping or the construction of fences, sheds or decks can interfere with the path of rainwater as it moves toward the stormwater management system. These changes can cause water to collect in your yard or redirect back toward your house where the water may seep through the foundation walls, window wells and possibly into your sewer system.
Eavestrough and downspouts collect and channel rainwater away from your home and towards the stormwater management system. To ensure the water is not draining directly down the side of your foundation regularly check and clean your eavestrough and downspouts of debris and ice and attach an elbow fitting or splash pad underneath your downspout to channel the water away from your foundation. The downspout should be directed a minimum of 1.5 metres away from your foundation.
Downspouts that are connected to your sanitary sewer line are prohibited and can cause a sewer back up because the excess water is forced back through the pipes and into your home during a rainstorm. Disconnecting the downspout from the sewer system may cause surface flooding if the lot is not properly graded to drain water away from the home.
Weeping tile is a perforated pipe that collects and diverts groundwater and sub-surface water from around the exterior of your foundation. Ground water seeps into the perforated pipe and drains into a sump pit, rather than seeping into your foundation.
The weeping tile sold today is perforated plastic but some of the older homes may still have clay weeping tile which can breakdown over time causing a blockage in the line. Water will always follow the path of least resistance and may start to seep into your basement if there is a break in the clay weeping tile. Tree roots can also infiltrate the clay tile causing a blockage in the line.