Maintaining Your Home Drainage System

Regular maintenance of your home drainage system can often be the difference between staying dry or getting flooded. Once a year, it is a good idea to evaluate the condition of your system – inside and out. If you find a problem, make fixing it a priority. 

Remember: Most flooding on private property is caused by the failure of one or more home drainage components. 

This chapter provides a maintenance checklist you should review each year. If you are unsure of what to do, call a professional. 

OUTSIDE 

Eavestroughs and Downspouts Screen Shot 2019-04-08 at 2.11.24 PM

  • Clean leaves and debris from inside the eavestrough and downspouts. 
  • Tighten elbows and other connections. 
  • Caulk and seal any leaks. 
  • Repair or replace sagging, badly dented, or cracked sections. 

Splash Pads and Extensions Screen Shot 2019-04-08 at 2.11.18 PM

  • Reconnect any loose pads or extensions
  • Replace badly dented extensions. 
  • Check soft plastic. 
  • Roll out extensions to check for leaks and to ensure they work properly. 

Lot Grading 

  • Check the slope from the basement wall. 
  • Check for settling, particularly under stairs and decks. 
  • Raise any low spots. 
  • Look for cracks or spaces on driveways, sidewalks, and patios that are next to the foundation wall. Caulk or waterproof where needed. 


INSIDE 

Screen Shot 2019-04-08 at 2.11.13 PMFoundation Walls 

  • Check for moisture along the walls and the floor. 
  • Fill and seal any visible cracks


Sump Pump

  • Check for power. 
  • Test the pump by pouring water into the pump pit. 
  • Check the outside pipe to confirm water is flowing towards the street or back lane. 
  • Check and repair any leaks in the sump pump pipe. 
  • Disconnect sump pump discharge hose in winter conditions to avoid freezing in the line. 

BACKWATER VALVE 

  • Open the top and clean out any debris. 
  • Check the flapper. 
  • Make sure it is moving freely. 

PLUMBING AND FIXTURES 

  • Maintain proper water levels in traps in floor drains and toilets to minimize odours. All that is required is pouring water into the floor drain.

Fats, Oils, and Grease — Store it, don’t pour it. 

Screen Shot 2019-04-08 at 2.11.06 PMPouring fats, oils, and grease (FOG) down your drain can cause significant problems in your home’s sewer system as the FOG solidifies in your pipes and causes sewer back up. The result can be property damage and considerable expense and inconvenience to you and to the Town. Store your used fats and grease in a disposable container. When it is full, put it in the garbage. Used cooking oil should be cooled and put into a covered plastic bottle, labeled, and put out for garbage collection. If you need to dispose of more than one litre of used cooking oil, take it to an Eco Station.