The Impact team was contracted by a local Scarborough resident to tackle their extreme water drainage problems. In this situation, the home owner was getting ready to construct a new home in the Scarborough Golf Club area. The owners already live in the adjacent home and were well aware of the extremely bad water drainage problems they had experienced in their own home.
The existing basement was constantly wet but the drainage issue really became apparent when they started excavating for the new house. The pit they dug for laying the foundation was constantly filling with water, halting work and delaying the progress. Impact was called in to consult on the issue and construct a superior system to deal with the water drainage problems.
Our first course of action was setting up dewatering for the foundation pit. This would be an ongoing pumping system to drain the pit of the water which was halting the progress of the excavation. The water was making the ground too soft and unsafe to continue digging. Once we set up the dewatering the excavation continued and made significant progress.
To tackle the extreme water drainage problems with this property the IMPACT team designed a superior weeping tile and sump pump system. We strategically laid weeping tile inside and outside of the foundation to collect the access ground water and deliver it to the sump pit. We installed a massive fiberglass sump pit – 6 feet deep by 3 feet wide. This pit will hold a huge amount of water, perfect for a property with water drainage issues.
IMPACT and the property owner knew it would be counterproductive to be frugal regarding the pit size and composition. It is extremely important to get a pit that is big enough to handle the amount of water going to it while also being made out of a material with a long lifespan like fiberglass.
Inside the sump pit IMPACT will install a duplex pumping system. That means the system will have not one, but TWO parallel cast iron ½ HP submersible pumps. These heavy duty pumps can discharge up to 2” diameter solids and will last a very long time. Each sump pump will be mounted on its own rail system, ensuring they are easily accessible for maintenance. Furthermore, they will be mounted with an alarm and control panel that will even be wired so the owner can remotely monitor the system. This means that no matter if the owner is on vacation or out shopping, they will receive a notification on their cellphone or through email if there is an issue.
Once the superior weeping tile and sump pump system is in place, the ground is sloped and graded appropriately. This required recycled stone backfill to bring the footing up to grade. We then laid ¾” clear limestone gravel which is an essential part of the system. It allows the water to flow through and then into the weeping tile.
The superior system IMPACT designed may seem like over-kill but will ensure this home never has any wet basement issues. Providing the owner with peace of mind that the new property would never experience water drainage problems.
