Sump pumps & backwater valves
The defining Woodbridge job. Subsidy-eligible, and it works in a blackout.
Woodbridge
In Woodbridge, the basement is the whole story
The Humber runs right through here. A storm that's a nuisance in a Maple subdivision is a wet basement in parts of Woodbridge, and most of our work in this community is about keeping water on the correct side of your floor.
Why water is the Woodbridge problem
Woodbridge grew up around the Humber River, and the river is why the community exists and why it floods. Hurricane Hazel hit the Humber valley here in 1954 and did enough damage that the floodplain has been taken seriously ever since. That's the history behind the conservation lands you see along the river today — land that was left open because building on it turned out to be a mistake.
None of which helps if you're standing in an inch of water at midnight. What matters is that low-lying Woodbridge properties see two distinct problems, and homeowners routinely mix them up:
- Groundwater rising under the slabThis seeps in at the joint where the floor meets the wall. It's a sump pump job — either you don't have one, or the one you have can't keep up.
- Sewer surcharge pushing backThis comes up through the basement floor drain, and it isn't rainwater. When the municipal sewer fills faster than it can drain, the overflow finds the lowest opening on the line — which is your floor drain. A backwater valve is the answer.
Where the water shows up first tells us which one you've got, and it's the single most useful thing you can tell us on the phone.
The old village is a different job
Around Woodbridge Avenue and Market Lane the housing predates the subdivisions by generations. Those homes tend to have clay sewer laterals running out to the street with big mature trees planted over them — and roots find clay joints reliably. They don't crack the pipe. They slip a thread through a joint that's already slightly open, follow the water, and thicken until the line is packed.
Cutting roots clears the blockage. It doesn't close the gap they came through, so they return. If yours has been snaked twice we'll tell you honestly that you're renting a solution rather than buying one, and what repairing or lining that section would take.
Worth knowing: Woodbridge is a Vaughan address, so the City of Vaughan backwater valve subsidy applies. We prepare the paperwork as part of the job.
Most requested here
What Woodbridge calls us about
Weighted heavily toward water where it shouldn't be.
Sewer line repair
Root-packed clay laterals in the old village. Located before anything gets dug up.
Recurring backups
If it's backed up twice in a year it isn't a clog, it's a symptom. We find out which.
Storm emergencies
Answered at any hour. If water's coming in now, phone beats form every time.
Questions
Basements, drains and storms in Woodbridge
Why does my basement flood every time it rains hard?
There are three routes water takes into a basement, each with a different fix. Up through the floor drain means the sewer is overloaded and pushing back — a backwater valve problem. Seeping at the floor-and-wall joint means groundwater and a sump pump. Around a window means grading, not plumbing.
What does a backwater valve actually do?
A one-way gate fitted into your main drain line. Waste flows out normally, and when the municipal sewer surcharges and tries to push back, a flap closes and holds it out. It is mechanical, with no power supply, so it works in a blackout. Vaughan subsidises part of the installation.
Do tree roots really break sewer pipes?
They do not usually break them. They find a joint that is already slightly loose, push a hair-thin root through toward the water, and thicken until the pipe is packed solid. Cutting the roots clears the line but does not close the opening they came through, so they come back.
Do I need a sump pump if my basement has never flooded?
If you have a sump pit with no pump in it, yes. If there is no pit at all and no water in decades, probably not — retrofitting one is a significant job and we will not sell you something you do not need. A backwater valve is usually the better spend.
My sump pump runs constantly. Is that a problem?
Constant cycling in dry weather usually means one of two things. The check valve has failed, so water the pump just pushed out drains straight back into the pit. Or the float switch is stuck. Both are quick fixes. Left alone, a pump cycling every couple of minutes burns out its motor.
Water in the basement? Call now, form later
We answer 24/7 and we'll talk you through it while we're on the way.