It is a common knowledge that winters in Toronto are very cold, top it up with closeness to the lake and you have perfect conditions for basement flooding. This is the last thing you want to deal with during the cold season. Decrease of temperature and icing of the water in soil can cause cracks and leaks letting the moisture to your basement. As a result you could have mildew, mold and damage to the staff you store in the basement.
If you want that your basement should always stay dry, it is better to prevent the sump pump problems than to solve them intensively when they have already appeared.
You can pay much more for the repair works if your sump pump goes out of order. You will need to fix it immediately because even a little water can result in huge damage.
The term “crack injection” sounds like a very hard to do process. However, truth be told, you only need to know a few steps and this is exactly what I am going to present today. So let’s begin the reading session.
When building a new structure or only renovate one, underpinning is the method of strengthening the basis known as building-foundation. In this article, we will talk about the reasons why every construction should go under the underpinning process, but most importantly what you should look for when picking a company to make the underpinning for your property.
Underpinning might be required for many reasons such as:
There are many companies that offer underpinning services, but when looking for one that offers an affordable underpinning solution, you want to be sure they check some major aspects such as:
As you can see, there are many reasons why you should consider doing underpinning to your house. Also, there are many aspects when picking a company to work for you. Picking an organization that offers affordable underpinning solutions is not as easy as one might think because most of them reduce the quality of their work along with the price. However, if you are from Etobicoke, Mississauga or surroundings, we, the team from Tornado Plumbing are more than happy to come, take a look at your property and offer the best features for the most affordable underpinning solution.
As a homeowner, you definitely want your home to be safe, dry and waterproof. However, the reality is that almost all basements suffer from water damage at some point. So, it’s not about IF you need basement waterproofing, but rather WHEN you will need it, and WHAT kind of waterproofing system you should choose. Below is an overview of the two main methods: interior and exterior basement waterproofing.
Since interior basement waterproofing system comes into play, when there’s already water getting into your basement, this is not technically a waterproofing solution, but rather a water management system. When talking about interior waterproofing, we usually mean a sump pump installation – drainage system that collects water from the weeping tiles and pushes it outside the house.
Interior basement waterproofing has some advantages over exterior waterproofing like:
However, its disadvantages are much more prominent:
So, this solution can be deployed when, for instance, excavating is not possible due to accessibility cases. But whenever possible, exterior waterproofing should be considered as a priority.
This solution may include partially rebuilding the foundation, applying hydrostatic mastic and installing a new drainage system, if required. The method has number of important advantages:
Unfortunately, there are also some important disadvantages to exterior waterproofing:
Unluckily, weather conditions in Toronto area cause basements to leak too often. With lots of rain in spring and fall, and lots of melting snow in winter, it seems that waterproofing in Etobicoke and its neighborhood is a must. However, it comes as a bonus that waterproofing is likely to increase significantly the price of your property if you decide to sell it at some point.
Every house is unique, and you should consult with a professional to design the proper waterproofing system for your particular home. Here at Tornado Plumbing we offer high-quality waterproofing service and are always happy to protect property of Toronto inhabitants from water damage. Feel free to contact us and stay dry!
Moulds are parts of natural environment but they can become a serious problem if they begin growing indoors. Moulds grow in your house in places where is moisture – around leaks in roofs, windows, pipes or in basements and if left unaddressed, can spread indoors and have potential risks to human health because they produce allergens and irritants. Moulds often release spores into the air and have a negative impact on the indoor air quality because mould spores are so small that people can actually breathe them in.
Exposure to mould environments can lead to a variety of health effects on people who are sensitive to mould. It can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, nasal stuffiness, coughing or wheezing, symptoms of asthma, skin irritation, and allergic reactions.
No matter what type of mould is present, the best practice is to remove it and take measures to prevent its future growth to make your home a healthy environment. Removing black mould is a complicated and time-consuming process that requires specialized services that can be rather expensive and disruptive to your home life or business operations. If you want to avoid that, you should take measures to prevent mould growth.
To prevent and stop mould growth and improve housing conditions, you need to eliminate factors that moulds need to survive – water intrusion and moisture. So you should control moisture in your house and fix water leaks. Water can come into your house by leaking or by seeping through basement floors. That’s why waterproofing your basement is an essential step in preventing these unwanted issues that can damage your property and present a number of health risks to people. Waterproofing solutions for wet basements include exterior waterproofing, interior waterproofing, French drains, and sump pumps which can also be used as combined methods.
Tornado Plumbing offers high-quality waterproofing services to property owners in Toronto and GTA. We use the latest waterproofing technologies, tools, materials, and techniques. We will identify all factors that need to be addressed to ensure that your property is protected from the water damage and will offer you effective solutions that meet your needs and budget. Contact us and find out how we can help you.
The abundance of moisture makes waterproofing in Toronto and other surrounding areas an absolute necessity. As basements are built into the ground, most of them present a possibility of basement leaks that can turn what was once a dry basement into a wet basement which is a serious health hazard that can also affect the value of your home. In fact, basement moisture infiltration is a common problem for many homeowners.
Recently Tornado Plumbing team was engaged in a basement waterproofing project. One of the homeowners in Toronto wanted to fix his wet basement and he wanted to avoid digging up the outside of the house foundation because excavation work would damage the landscaping around the house. Besides, the homeowner wanted to save costs as the basement was unfinished.
Tornado Plumbing offers a wide range of basement waterproofing services to permanently remedy a wet basement but, in this particular case, it was decided to install an interior waterproofing drainage system to solve the foundation seepage issues.
Our goal was to remove existing moisture, install waterproof barriers from the inside of the foundation, and build a series of weeping tiles and drains that divert accumulated water.
We started by removing a section of basement floor about one foot wide along the perimeter of the basement where the drain tile was to go. After that, we made a trench along the foundation to a level even with the bottom of the foundation footing. We filled the bottom of the trench with washed gravel to serve as a porous space for water to move through. On the top of the gravel, we laid internal weeping tiles, connected them, and fitted to the basin of a sump pump. Then we poured more washed gravel on top to completely embed the pipe.
We also installed a vapor barrier on the walls to cover the seepage and help direct it to the new drain system.
Finally, we poured concrete over the trench to create a final waterproof layer.
After we’ve finished, the happy homeowner could start enjoying his new basement.
