Basement Flooding Repair across Vaughan

Telling the sources apart

• Sewer backup: dirty, smelly water coming up through the floor drain or basement toilet. Often during a heavy storm when municipal sewers surcharge, or from a blocked main.
• Sump failure: clean groundwater overflowing the pit.
• Supply leak: clean water from a pipe, water heater, washer hose or softener.
• Seepage: water through foundation cracks or at the floor-wall joint after rain or snowmelt. That is a waterproofing job, not plumbing.

First steps

Keep clear of standing water whenever outlets or appliances sit submerged. Stop using water in the home if the floor drain is backing up. Photograph everything for insurance. Then call; our flood checklist covers the rest.

Plumbing repairs that stop it repeating

Backwater valve. If the city sewer surcharged into your house, a backwater valve in the main drain snaps shut the moment sewage starts flowing inward. The City of Vaughan has offered subsidy programs for these and for related work; check the current terms before relying on one.

Main line repair. If roots or a collapse caused the backup, cleaning or repair is the fix.

Sump upgrades. A larger pump, a battery backup, or a properly routed discharge.

Supply fixes. Washer hoses, failed water heaters and burst lines repaired or replaced.

Vaughan storm history

Intense summer storms in the GTA have caused widespread basement flooding over the years, particularly in older areas where weeping tiles and downspouts were tied into the sewer system. Houses in Woodbridge and parts of Thornhill with older sewer connections are the most exposed. A camera inspection and a backwater valve are the two steps we suggest most often after a first flood.