< >

Flooding

We had that crazy Rain & Hail Storm in Calgary a while ago, and a lot of homes were Flooded, many of them because of those annoyink Window Wells. Those things drive me up the wall, but they are often necessary if you have a Window that comes below the Ground Level of your Basement. Some nut put one in out here at our house on one of the few days when I wasn't on the jobsite, and when I came out and saw it, I had Dwight fill it in completely and tamp down the ground. It was completely unnecessary, since the Window was above the Ground Level, and the area around that window gently slopes away from the house specifically to allow the rain to flow away from the house, then Dwight has put in a fairly fancy Drainage System outside of the Walk-Out Level, so everything is very safe for water around here.

Sand Bags are a good old Stand-By, if the water is fast-approaching. I would think this would be tricky in certain parts of the Country where Sand is hard to come by, but if you have ready-access to sand, I'd keep some handy in the Garage, or around the side of the house. Your best bet is to prepare for any Floods before they happen, though, so scroll down to see how to build a Dry Well.

Quick Tip: If you have a Window Well (those metal things around a basement window), make sure when the weather is nice that you have proper drainage from it. Most New Home Builders are very careful with putting in Drainage Pipes and lots of Gravel in them, but if you have an older home, be sure that you don't suffer Water Damage by the Window Well clogging and filling up with water, which can be too much weight for the Window to manage, then the water will come into the house, and you don't want that.

You know how I would manage that? I don't know if this is the technical way (I talked to Dwight about it, but he was really droning on and on, so I decided just to tell you my idea! ha,ha!), but I would have three pipes with holes in them (Weeping Tile) put into a trench in front of the Window Well. I would cut three holes in the Well Metal, and put a mesh covering over each hole -- fine enough mesh that water can get through it, but not dirt. The reason I would put three pipes in instead of one is because if one pipe happens to fail (because debris gets stuck in it and causes the water to fill up in the Window Well), that still would leave you with two other possible exits for the water. Those seem like better Odds to me! And at the very least, put a good solid layer of gravel in the Base of the Window Well to help the Water drain away.

You can Build a Dry Well -- a large trough, if you will, filled with a layer of gravel, weeping tiles (big pipes with holes in them), then a whole lot more gravel. The hole is then covered with soil and incorporated into your normal Landscaping. We have a Dry Well at the back of our Walk-Out Area, just in case.

If you are still having a huge issue with Water, and it's threatening to come into your home, go out and rent a Trash Pump (I asked Dwight, and that's really what it's called), and put it in the water to drain the body of water away from the house. Dwight's renting one during this crazy Flood we're having in Okotoks, right now. Thank God we built up on the hill (the River is one acreage over from ours), but there has been enough rain to create another separate 'body of water' too close to the house for Dwight's taste, so he's off to rent the Trash Pump -- about $55./day. This is not exactly the way I had hoped we would one day have 'Waterfront Property'! ha,ha!

Oh, and if you don't know how to use the Water Pump System, for goodness sake call someone else in -- don't take any chances with stuff like this. Remember: Your Life first, then others, then waaay down the list -- stuff.

< >

Home Safety - Home Safety - Gas Safety - Plumbing Emergencies - Water Problems - Flooding - Electrical Safety - Power Utility Bills

<>

The situation in New Orleans and the Surrounding Area is so horrific, right now. You can use this Link to pop in and make a Donation, if you can. Mostly, they just need money, but if you are skilled (and you very well might be, since you're on my Building Site!), you can always let them know that, too, if there's something else you could do to help. Click here for more info on how to deal with Flooding. Normal Flooding, though -- this makes our Flood in Alberta this past Spring seem tiny, but all floods cause massive amounts of damage, so maybe there's an idea you will find useful for you.

<>

SITE MENU

Home Improvement Shopping ** Great Dads 'n Grads Gifts!

Recipes -- Cheesecake ,Cinnamon Buns, Salsa Chicken , Macaroni Salad ,Chicken Noodle Soup, Taco Spaghetti , Easy Pie Crust , Creamy Peach Pie , Great BBQ Marinade , 'Pass da' Pasta, Rosemary Steak, Onion Barley (an Aphrodisiac!), Stuffed Green Peppers, Fruit Puffs , BBQ Veggies, Apple Crumble for One , Barbequed Meatballs, Gambling, Everything Else!!

< >

<

	Web www.buildyourownhouse.ca

To Top

<

>