5 Tips to Maintain Catch Basins on Your Property

Standing or pooling water is one of your asphalt pavement’s worst enemies. Water that collects over time in a single spot on your pavement can eventually erode the surface asphalt, causing cracking, potholes, and other extensive costly damages. That’s why every commercial and residential property has a catch basin.

Catch basins, which are more commonly referred to as storm drains, prevent flooding and significant property damage from occurring by allowing runoff water from heavy rainfalls as well as nearby lakes and rivers to safely drain away. A broken down or clogged catch basin can cause a series of problems, including flooding and water backlog (when water doesn’t drain properly, it moves back up the drainage pipe and overflows the system). Maintain your catch basin regularly to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.

Here are five tips to maintain your catch basin to keep in good working condition for a long time.

Clean Your Catch Basin Regularly

Since the purpose of your catch basin is to drain water, it’s highly likely that some potentially hazardous materials such as abrasive chemicals and oil leaking from vehicles can also end up in the mix. Sometimes, these types of substances can be extremely corrosive and cause extensive internal damages to your drainage system, preventing it from performing at full or optimal capacity.

Corrosive substances including certain chemicals can quickly erode the interior of your storm water drainage system if they’re not removed immediately. For that reason, it’s important to carefully clean out your catch basin at least once a month or as needed if you notice that it’s malfunctioning.

Always Keep the Grates Clear

Large pieces of debris such as litter, leaves, and sticks can sometimes become lodged in the grates of your catch basin. This creates a blockage, preventing water from completely draining off of your property. Not only that, the longer you neglect to clean out the debris stuck in the grates, the more debris your catch basin will collect. Eventually, you’ll notice large amounts of water backlog and pooling on your property, which can lead to extensive damages such as asphalt erosion, cracking, and potholes.

While it’s always important to clean up any litter on your property, pay special attention during the changing of the seasons. Fallen leaves during the autumn are a particular nuisance when it comes to catch basin blockages because the damper they get, the harder they are to remove and more leaves will continue to collect on the grates of your catch basin.

Flush Out Your System Periodically

Every catch basin has a designated debris collector that needs to be cleaned out on a regular basis. While this can easily be seen and accessed for routine cleaning, the internal mechanisms of your catch basin can’t. After you’ve removed and cleaned out the debris collector, you should also flush out the drain pipe with a hose to ensure there’s no additional debris stuck in there. Failing to do so will only lead to further debris accumulation over time and eventually the buildup of organic matter in your catch basin will cause it to overflow by preventing the water from draining properly.   

Keep Your Whole Property Clean

Cleaning your commercial property and thoroughly removing all debris is the best way to ensure your catch basin stays in excellent working condition for a long time. Even though all catch basins have designated debris collectors built in to them, limiting the amount of debris that actually ends up in your drainage system makes its job a lot easier and extends its lifespan considerably.

Of course, there are other perks to cleaning your asphalt parking lot regularly. Not only does it look clean, but it will also function a lot better and leave a good impression on anyone and everyone who uses it. Comprehensive property maintenance boosts your business’s morale and company culture while also showing that you take pride in your organization. It’s an investment in the success and future of your business.

Hire a Professional Contractor to Repair and Maintain Your Catch Basin

Cleaning your catch basin is pretty straightforward, but performing intricate catch basin repairs is far from a DIY project. When it comes to extensively cleaning out the underground areas of your catch basin, hiring a professional and experienced contractor in your area is in your best interest.

In fact, you should keep professional contractors on retainer to come in and thoroughly clean out your catch basin for you at least once a month. That way, you can rest assured that your catch basin will always be in peak working condition and that you won’t have to replace it as often. Professional catch basin maintenance helps keep your drainage system free and clear of debris a lot longer and it saves you a lot of money in the long run.

After all, frequent catch basin repairs and replacements are far more cost-prohibitive than investing in routine cleaning and maintenance procedures. Professional contractors have their reputations on the line and the last thing they want is for their work to be deemed subpar. To ensure your overall satisfaction with the final product, they’ll always deliver optimal services to guarantee your catch basin performs at its best at all times.

As one of the leading asphalt pavement and catch basin maintenance contractors in Toronto and the GTA, Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. is committed to ensuring your storm drainage system is working properly. We have a large team of experienced contractors and have been working in the industry for over 25 years. Whether we’re working on your asphalt pavement or your catch basin, all of our work comes with a comprehensive seven-year guaranteed warranty. We’ll inspect your drainage system carefully to identify the source of the damage. If your catch basin is well past its prime and beyond repair, we’ll make expert recommendations and install a new one for you.

We value our customers and their loyalty speaks for itself. Contact us to book a consultation with one of our experienced contractors!