Dee from Toronto, Ontario writes: "We are having a new home built with the laundry room on the second floor. We were told the washing machine would sit in a trough, which was lined with rubber and has a drain. It has been finished with only a drain and we are concerned with the risk of floodin...
When water backs up in your basement, whether it is contaminated sewer water or just a burst plumbing pipe, if it stands for more than 24 hours it is probably beginning to create mould.Just drying out the drywall may not be enough. When drywall gets wet it usually swells and retains a great deal...
Gary in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba wants to put a hot tub on the main floor of his home, but he is rightly worried about if the floor can carry the weight.The answer is that very likely you will need additional support. Now obviously you don't want to call the local permits department to find ...
No flooring company recommends any kind of wooden floor in a bathroom, and even fewer (fewer than no?) who would recommend it in a basement bathroom where you might not only have water constantly spilling from the top but maybe moisture coming up from the floor.You want to do it anyway? OK, here...
Rose & Donald in Aurora, Ontario had a sewer back-up a while back. They cleaned up and then redecorated the basement, laying cushion flooring directly over the concrete. Now they have random spots coming through the vinyl that won't go away.If good cleaning products can?t remove the spot...
Dale asks about hardwood floors over concrete.If the concrete floor is above grade, like is common in a new condo, no problem.If the concrete is in a basement, below grade, then you have potential serious moisture problems, and hardwood really doesn't like excessive moisture.Generally it is not r...
INSPECT, MAINTAIN OR INSTALL BACKFLOW DAMPERS UNDER THE BASEMENT FLOOR BEFORE DOING ANY RENOVATION WORK IN A BASEMENT.
Installing a backflow valve between you and the city requires cutting into the concrete floor. With our changing weather, this valve is almost always necssary and generally cod...
Dear Sir, After the recent power failure and considering our changing climate conditions we are looking into putting in a back-up sump pump. Presently we have a Zoeller M-53D Mighty-Mate Submersible Sump Pump for Dewatering and Effluent. We have made a couple of inquiries. Some plumbers recommend...
There are many water spill or flood detectors on the market; some hard wired, some battery operated, some free standing, some tied to central alarm systems. The battery operated models are quite mobile and good for seasonal tasks like spring flooding or specific tasks like the bathtub overflowin...
Every spring basements get flooded with water and I get flooded with letters about basements turned into swimming pools. Although there is a lot of information on this site about the problem, let me summarize and link it together. For solutions, see PREPARING FOR A FLOOD
The spring thaw is the...
