Winnipeg plumbers offer tips for keeping homes flood-free amid March melt

As winter begins to melt away, Winnipeg experts are sharing tips on how homeowners can keep their houses flood-free.

Dallas Friesen, owner of Lynn’s Plumbing and Heating said taking a walk around the outside of your home is a good start.

“Make sure your downspouts are down and out and away from your foundation, because when that snow comes off your roof and melts very quickly, that adds a lot of stress to water coming back into your home through the weeping tile system,” he said.

Tyler Whitlaw, owner of On-Time Electrical, Plumbing and Heating said with the ground still being frozen, meltwater will be trapped for another month or so above the surface.

“Right now, we’re still too far into the winter season,” he said. It’s good to keep snow away from your home, he said.

“I had a property once where I had to kind of make a trough in the snow, because it acts like a dam,” Whitlaw said. Cutting a path for water to flow away from the home keeps it from “forming a giant puddle” and letting water seep into the house.

0:59 Checking sump pumps during mild conditions

Friesen said sump pumps should be plugged in and push water well outside, “at least 20ft away from the property. Then that discharged water doesn’t drain back into your basement.”

When it comes to a sump pit in the home, it’s hard to tell how long it will las t– but they’re built to do just that, Whitlaw said.

“They’re not built to burn out. When they fail, they are truly broken,” he said. “The best thing a homeowner could do is just make sure it’s still working. I wouldn’t be worried if it’s five, 10 years old.”

He said a battery backup can be installed, just in case.

“If there was a power failure during a storm or, you know, some sort of emergency situation, (then) you’re not left without that flood protection,” Whitlaw said. With it, “you’re essentially protected no matter what the weather system throws at you.”

Clearing floor drains of debris and keeping snow from window wells are also good preventative measures, Friesen said.

It’s best to keep tabs on your sewer line too.

“In the spring, a lot of stress goes into your sewer line,” Friesen said. “People are doing more laundry, showering, but also the snow and groundwater is coming back into your mainline.”

There are a few symptoms that would indicate your sewer line may need some attention, he said.

“When things are slowing down, you’re going to hear burping, bubbling. When you flush the toilet, you may see water come up in the basement, or in your floor drain,” he said.

These preventative maintenance measures taken now can save pain and money down the line.

“A $200 maintenance saves $10,000 of backup in someone’s basement. You’ve got to figure out how much value you have in your basement. Electronics? Living spaces? Home offices. I’d rather be proactive and not reactive,” Friesen said.

He noted that sump pumps paired with backwater valves can also equate to reduced insurance costs.

1:47 What to know about sump pumps

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