How to Maintain Catch Basins in Toronto

Standing water from rain and melted snow can prematurely age your asphalt pavement and cause extensive structural damages to your commercial property. Every property needs a high-quality drainage system and excellent catch basin maintenance practices to prevent costly water damages. Hiring professional catch basin cleaning services in your area is a good place to start, but there are a few things you should know about how your property’s water drainage system works as well.

How Does a Catch Basin System Work?

Catch basins go by several different names including storm drain, surface water drain sewer, storm sewer, or stormwater drain. Regardless of what you call it, they all serve the same purpose: to collect excess runoff water from your property and redirect it toward your local drainage or sewer system.

Excess water around your property can lead to a series of structural problems for your asphalt pavement and your building. Standing water promotes bacterial growth, which leads to mould infestations throughout your property. Moreover, standing water on your property disintegrates asphalt pavement over time and leads to internal structural weaknesses that can cause your pavement to buckle under even the slightest pressure. As the name suggests, a catch basin collects that water and uses a system of underground pipes to direct it away from your property directly into the nearest sewer system for disposal.

In fact, puddles or pools of water throughout your property are a clear-cut sign that there may be something wrong with your catch basin or water drainage system. Without thorough and consistent catch basin maintenance, you run the risk of having a clogged drainage system that can lead to water overflow that backs up onto your property.

How to Select a Catch Basin for Your Property

To ensure complete excess water drainage, it’s important to select a catch basin that’s the perfect fit for your commercial property. Consider the following factors when shopping around for a new catch basin.

• Size and slope of your property. Catch basins come in a wide range of sizes and designs to accommodate different types of properties. Knowing the exact square footage and the direction in which the ground on your property slopes is essential to choosing the correct catch basin for your needs.
• Local seasonal climate. Catch basins will inevitably come into contact with a variety of outdoor elements including freeze-thaw cycles, temperature changes, rain, snow, and sleet. Although they’re not completely invincible against constant exposure to these elements, the catch basin you select should be capable of withstanding them for long periods of time before requiring repairs or replacements.
• Sump pump size. The purpose of the sump pump is to prevent large pieces of debris from entering and clogging your drainage system. Sump pumps feature a metal grate that catches large pieces of debris and keeps them out of the drain. To move water through the drainage system at a rapid pace, the length of the sump pump has to be longer than its width. The size of the sump pump also depends on the size of the catch basin.
• High-quality asphalt application. Asphalt is typically used to secure the outer grate of the catch basin in place. It’s important to make sure the asphalt is properly installed, compacted, and set to seal the surrounding areas of the catch basin and prevent leaks, cracking, or water damage.

Tips for Proper Catch Basin Maintenance

Catch basins are usually installed in areas of your property that collect the most water due to the direction in which the ground slopes. Changing the direction of the ground slope is a costly endeavour that involve overhauling the entire foundation, levelling it out, and re-installing it. Installing a catch basin that’s capable of collecting all or most of the excess water on your property is a far more worthwhile and sensible investment unless you have unlimited funds to spend.

Any outdoor fixture that’s regularly exposed to various environmental elements will eventually need to be replaced, but here are some great catch basin maintenance tips that can help extend the lifespan, functionality, and performance of your drainage system.

Remove Debris as Often as Needed

All catch basins come with a built-in tray or separate area to collect various types of debris and organic matter. These can include leaves, twigs, bits of grass, litter, etc. It’s important to clean this collection train often to prevent the debris and organic matter from clogging your catch basin and resulting in water backflow. Keep a daily or weekly schedule to clean out your catch basin depending on local weather conditions in your area and traffic volume and flow on your property.

Clean Out the Grates and Flush the Drainpipe

Sometimes, excess debris, dirt and sediments can get trapped in the exterior grates of your catch basin. This hinders the functionality of your drainage system and can lead to severe blockages. After removing debris from the collection area, it’s important to thoroughly clean the grates and remove stuck-on dirt and debris that prevents the smooth flow of water.

Once you’ve cleaned out the grates, the next step is to flush the drainpipe. Dirty water that’s left inside the drain contains small sediments and contaminants that can damage various structures on your property. Use a hose to flush out the drainpipes with fresh clean water to clear out any remaining dirty water inside the drains and pipe system.

Limit Use of Toxic Chemicals on Your Property

Commercial property owners often use toxic chemicals such as ice melters, de-icers, winter salt, and even cleaning solutions without thinking about the environmental or architectural repercussions. But these chemicals can degrade the inside of your catch basin. Chemical residues can also clog your drainage system and infiltrate your local water supplies and have a negative impact on the wildlife in your area. Try to limit the use of harsh or toxic chemicals on your property to avoid these problems.

Sweep Your Property

Another way to keep your catch basin in tiptop condition and prevent it from getting clogged with litter and organic debris is to give it a good sweep on a regular basis. Depending on the amount of traffic your property gets and the weather conditions in your area, try to do this at least once a week to limit the amount of garbage.

Hire Professional Catch Basin Installation, Maintenance, and Cleaning Services in Toronto and the GTA

Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. provides extensive catch basin installation, maintenance, and cleaning services for commercial properties in Toronto and the GTA. With consistently excellent customer service for nearly 30 years, we’ve more than earned our A+ rating on BBB. Contact us today to get a quote!