Excessive rainfall and snowmelt bring with them many problems. Among those problems, sewer back up is the most common in the city of Toronto. The flooding problem occurs due to overflow of water in the sewers. Often combined sewers are designed to work in tandem with the drainage system. The sewer lines re-route the sewerage when they are “surcharged” or are operating at full capacity. This leads to an excessive flow of sewerage called Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO).
Health Problems
Due to CSO; raw and untreated sewerage gets released into the locality. This can lead to contamination of water in the combined lines. Also, the accumulated water can pose serious health problems for the locals. It can cause waterborne diseases like jaundice, malaria, etc. If weeping tiles are connected to the main sewer lines, chances are that CSO will occur.
Basement Flooding
In low lying areas, basement flooding is a very common sight. This can cause high damage to the basements’ structure. If the foundation gets damaged, the building becomes dangerous to inhabit. In case there is some loose electrical wiring, the standing water can act as a virtual death trap. Various methods can be adopted to protect one’s basement from such damages. The first and foremost thing is to disconnect the weeping tiles from the main sewer line. This ensures there is a fall in the back up from sewer.
Install The Valve
Installing a backup system for sewerage is the next step. These systems are cheap to install and are easily available. The basic component in such a system is a backwater valve. The valve can be installed as a double or triple valve system depending on the requirement. These systems are mostly installed in the front yard of a house. This is done to stop the excessive flow at the entry point itself.
By placing backwater valves in sewer lines, they block the flow of water in case of a CSO. This stops the inflow as well as outflow of water from the property. A simple pump and basin structure is essential at such a time. This system ensures that the house plumbing works normally even though the valves are shut. Thus, even during heavy rainfall, you would not have to worry about flooding in your home.
These systems are not easy to install. Professional waterproofing experts should be hired for such a job. Therefore, ensure that the plumber you hire has the necessary know-how about such procedures. Otherwise, you might have to face problems after the installation and get the work re-done.
