A big concrete and paved jungle like Toronto creates some very unnatural water flow issues in our creeks and ravines. About 70 per cent of the water that falls in the city does not absorb into the ground like it would normally. Most of the city can not absorb water and this is why every time we get a good rain our streams seem fill to the brim with dirty rushing water.
If you are interested in making a difference in the quality of our streams and lake then you might be interested in looking at a group called Riversides. They are a non profit organization that is trying to make a big difference, one home at a time. They are huge advocates of homeowners containing as much of their rain water on their own property via rain barrels and of course disconnecting your downspouts.
They are located at a little office at 511 Richmond Street West, downtown Toronto.
Parking was a bit tight so luckily I took the little Smart Car!
They have their own custom rain barrel which does not require the conventional Y diverter as this barrel has it built in.
They introduced me to the low pressure soaker hose called Mr Soaker hose which is designed to operate with rain barrels.
You will see some of their rain barrels around town like shown below at the Common Carrot in the Danforth, in Toronto's east end.
If you live in Scarborough, North York or in or near Toronot and are interested having your eavestroughs replaced or a rain barrel installed visit our website at www.eavestrough.ca
Water in your basement is a common problem in Toronto. The proximity of one house to another, improperly sloped lots, and malfunctioning eavestroughs are some of the the most common reasons for water entering your foundation.
It's important to ensure your eavestroughs are not clogged or overflowing as this water will cause lots of basement problems. You might try fixing your eavestroughs or relocating problem downpipes before you decide to dig. It can be cheaper than digging up the side of your home. Many homeowners will decide to waterproof plus ensure the eavestroughs are up to snuff.
Digging up around your home is a big job. Its a lot of manual labor as most waterproofing companies will shovel all the dirt out to minimize damage to the landscape. Machinery may be quicker but it creates more damage that needs to be fixed later.
It can involve some tight situations.
Getting under decks and porches can be tricky!
It's important the membrane extend around and under the porch. It makes sense to protect your basement from the outside and stopping the water before it reaches the walls. Battling water problems from the inside might be cheaper but doesn't make as much sense to me. In some difficult situations where exterior work is not possible then it makes sense to work from the inside.
It's important to use quality materials as once they are installed they are going to be buried and not easy to fix or replace if something fails.
If possible reroute or extend your downpipes so that they no longer have to go into these the city sewer system. With some Toronto houses, the downpipes will have to be reconnected if there are no options due to the disconnecting of pipes causing a hazardous situation.
Ensure downpipe extensions are long enough so water flows away from your home and away from your neighbours home if close by.
A reputable company to contact for waterproofing is Watertite. I met Angelo on one of their projects and he was happy to explain the process of how to waterproof a house properly. They definitely take pride in their work. They are in high demand with all the fall rains recently. Their website is www.watertite.ca
Are you interested in having your eavestroughs replaced, leafguard, soffit or fascia installed? Do you live in Scarborough, North York or other areas in or near Toronto? Visit our website at www.eavestrough.ca
We get lots of questions about what type of extension works best for safely draining water away from the house. Downspouts in an awkward area like across a walkway are usually troublesome no matter what you decide to use. We often use flip up downspouts that we make or have the extension come off easily with a pin. However both of these require some anticipation of rain and you will have put the flip up down or attach the extension to prevent water from pooling around your foundation. It seems like the obvious choice to hook up an automatic device like the Rainguard downspout extension.
So I bought one of these to give it a try so I could have some real world experience with this on my own home, in Toronto.
It attaches securely to the end of the downspout or elbow easily with a zip tie provided.
Experiment with Rainguard self-retracting Downsput Extention begins
As it rolls out with the water pressure from the downspout it slowly unwinds and lets water out the little holes until it rolls out completely letting all the water out the end where there is a big opening.
Once the rain stops the spring inside the plastic hose will retract itself back into its original compact shape. We had a big rain shortly after it was installed and it worked as promised on the package and retracted almost completely to its most compact size.
Darren with poorly working Rainguard self-retracting Downspout Extension
Limitations of the Rainguard:
1. It seems that on a light rain it will not uncoil very far from its compact position which depending on your situation may not be far enough away from the basement.
2. The little drainage holes on the top of the Rainguard are located close to the start which may be too close to your home.
3. Its thin plastic and the day after I installed it I came home to see that the grass cutters have whipper snipped the side out of it. So much for the longevity factor. Its fragile construction is likely why I have yet to remember finding an operating Rainguard on someone's home.
4. A brisk wind may blow it around as it's fairly light.
Since the one I purchased got damaged so quickly I saw it in action but never had a chance to record it, I have linked to the manufacturers website where they have a video of it in action.
If you are looking for a quality do it yourself leaf guard that is designed by the same company that supplies the professionals you might consider the Alu-Rex Clip N Guard.
It is geared towards the homeowner who wants a sturdy gutter protection but is easy to install with no special tools or fasteners needed. It just snaps in place! It's made of aluminum so it will not rust and is compatible with your aluminum gutters. It comes with a 25 year warranty that you will not have a clog in your gutter.
Cleaning your gutters is an unappealing job on the list of household duties, plus it can be dangerous so having a leafguard will reduce the frequency or eliminate the need to clean at all. A slight breeze will blow all debris away on most homes.
If you live in a treed area leaf guards are a must. With no leafguard your gutters become one big leaf trap. Leaf protection will keep the leaves up, out of the gutter and keep them free flowing. When leaves are kept out of the gutter by a leafguard they can blow away by a slight wind. If the leaves are down in the gutter they will not blow out!
The Clip N Guard comes in 3 foot pieces and snaps down in place under the front lip of the gutter. It's that easy. The holes are large enough to let all the water through but keep the large downspout clogging debris out. Its also easy to remove if you ever want to take a peek inside.
The old screen/mesh leaf guards of the past had openings that are too big and were hard to secure properly. These mesh leaf guards are most likely why most homeowners feel that leaf guards do not work well. They worked okay at best. They required cleaning underneath with too much debris getting into the gutter. This resulted in extra work or charges from gutter cleaning companies. See the picture below of the old mesh as compared to the more modern leafguard design.
The good thing about the Clip N Guard for the DIY homeowner is that it can be cut to length with a good pair of scissors. Most people would have these at home.
The leafguard sits high on the gutter resting on the brackets or spikes that you have in your gutter already. This leaves lots of space under the leaf guard for water to flow unimpeded.
If you have corners on your home there is a template that comes with each box to show you how to properly cut inside or outside corners.
If you are not comfortable working on a ladder then please call a professional and they can handle this project for you. We have professional versions of this leafguard that is screwed down in place. However I wrote this blog post for those who will be doing their own gutter protection so I hope to be of help in your product selection and application. Check out our video below of how easy it is to install.
Th Clip N Guard is currently on special on The Shopping Channel where your order comes with a free gutter scoop for cleaning out your gutter and a free pair of heavy duty scissors. Here is the link:
If you live in Scarborough, North York or another area in or near Toronto and would like a quote for the professional version called the T-Rex or Gutter Clean System which are also made by Alu-Rex then please call our office at 416 615 0443 or visit our website at http://www.eavestrough.ca.
Visit our Google Place page at http://g.co/maps/t9xqc
There are basically 3 main thicknesses of aluminum that are used for eavestrough:
1. .023 of an inch which is most commonly used as it has the widest colour selection and can hold up to most residential applications. It is available in about 35 different colours from our supplier.
2. .027 of an inch which is slightly thicker than the .023 and is available in about 15 colours from our supplier.
3. 0.32 of an inch which is the thickest aluminum that our seamless machines can form. It is available in about 15 colours as well. This heavy gauge is commonly used for the larger 6 inch eavestrough but we have this coil slit down to fit in our 5 inch machines.
We can check the thickness of our heavy gauge .032 aluminum using a digital caliper as shown below:
Any eavestrough company that works with a good supplier of aluminum will be able to provide all these thicknesses of aluminum coil. Our standard .023 gauge eavestrough is our most common thickness on most residential applications. We do recommend the .032 thickness for houses that have snow slides which often happen with slippery steel roofs. If you are thinking of getting a steel roof make sure you plan for snow guards all the way around the home if possible to keep the snow from sliding off and damaging your eavestroughs.
A very important factor for creating a strong eavestrough is to use a quality fastener (bracket) with a space between fasteners of no more then 24 inches. To make an eavestrough stronger simply install the brackets closer together like about 12 or 16 inches apart and there will be much more resistance to ice build up and ladder damage.
See a quality hanger with a large deep screw that will not come loose from the wood fascia:
The standard .023 thickness is more than strong enough for most applications when installed properly. The cost to upgrade to the .032 heavy gauge eavestrough will add about 2 to 3 dollars per foot installed.
A great way to upgrade the strength of any gauge eavestrough is to add a leafguard/bracket system like the T-Rex. It comes in 8 foot long pieces and snaps into the eavestrough before the eavestroughs are secured on the home.
Check out our video of us testing out our standard gauge .023 eavestrough and T-Rex leafguard on a Toronto home
As most Toronto homeowners know (or have heard a bit about) there is a by-law to have downspouts removed from city drains. The city is focusing on the downtown area first because some of the sewer system there is called a combined system. This is where the water coming off your roof may mix with the sewage system. This is a major problem when we get a heavy downpour. The water treatment facilities become overloaded and dump raw sewage into the rivers and lake.Not great if you are one of those who like to swim in the lake in the summer. Anyone who cares for Toronto's water quality may be concerned as well. The deadline for this area is November 20, 2011
Second in priority is an area from about Steeles Ave down to Eglinton Ave, including most of North York. (Check link to map below as this is approximate.) This area has a newer system and is not considered a combined system but still has problems in dealing with all the roof water being added to the storm sewer system. Problems are encountered during heavy rains. The volume is too much and they become overloaded causing the water to back up into your basement. All this water off your roof also concentrates in the creeks and streams causing flooding and erosion. The deadline for this area is December 3, 2013.
Program experts with the City of Toronto can be reached at 416 392 1807 to help clarify any questions you have.
The remainder of the Toronto needs to be disconnected by December 3, 2016, including parts most of Scarborough and Etobicoke.
Key points to make the process easier:
1. Not every downpipe will have to be removed from the drains. The city of Toronto does not expect to have every downpipe removed. You must determine if the property is graded properly to drain water away from your home. Keep in mind that the water must not flow towards the neighbours and create a problem for them either. (If having waterproofing work done on the exterior of your home, do not allow the contractor to remove any of the drains unless there is a plan to relocate the downpipe or allow the water to safely flow away from your home.)
2. Keep water back from sidewalks.
3. If the downpipe cannot drain safely onto the ground in the position it is in then, you must look at the possibility of moving it to another location if feasible. This can sometimes require extensive regrading or replacing of the eavestrough (depending on age of the system).
4. Enlisting the help of an eavestrough/gutter professional will help clarify what is possible and what is not.
5. Some downpipe disconnects require not much more than a few simple tools, an elbow and a piece of downpipe. These are easy for just about anybody to do. We have posted a video below for those who want to do this project themselves. We also provide a link to Toronto's do it yourself guidelines below.
6. If a downpipe is in a poor location it is sometimes possible to delete it completely by using larger downpipes to handle the extra flow and proper grading of the eavestrough to a new location.
7. The homeowner and knowledgeable contractor must determine which downpipes can be safely disconnected. If there seems to be no solution then the homeowner must apply for an exemption.
8. For downpipes that cross walkways consider digging under walkways using 4 inch PVC pipe so that there is no downpipe extension to get in the way. If the property slopes away from the home quickly then this is very easy to do. If the property is more flat then a pop up drain system may be more suitable. The only drawback of this system is that the underground pipes usually stay full of ice in the winter.
9. Draining water onto driveways is not a great alternative for improving the city's water quality as the water just flows out to the street and into a storm drain. This defeats the purpose of the disconnect and can be icy in the winter.
10. It's a great time to think about taking things one step farther and incorporating a rain barrel into your eavestrough system and harvest some of that water for a later time. If hooking up a barrel you will need to add a Y diverter so the barrel can be removed in winter and also redirect the water when the barrel is full. Rain barrels fill very quickly so do not depend on them to contain all the water from a downpipe.
11. Poor grading around your home that can be fixed by filling sunken areas with clay will help get the water away properly. You are expected to do this if it means that the downpipe can be disconnected properly.
12. If unsure of the grading/slope of your ground around your home you can test an area before disconnecting your pipe. Simply turn your garden hose on and let it run for awhile where you plan to put your new downspout. Within a half hour of running the hose you will see where the water is going to go and make decisions based on this information.
13. Built up flower beds around homes are usually not good areas to drain water if there are retaining walls. The walls often hold the water too close to the home plus the water can cause damage to the walls.
Here is a video we put together to assist you in disconnecting your downspouts yourself. It is quite easy to do and will do wonders for the water quality in Toronto and often reduce the chance of leaks in your basement, if done properly. It is about 7 minutes long so may only be interested if you want some technical information. Here is our YouTube link to this video as I can never get it to fit as good into this blog as it should. http://youtu.be/BNJ0mH4_M9M
Here is a link for a not for profit company called Riversides based out of downtown Toronto. They have been instrumental in educating homeowners on the benefits of water conservation and storm water management. You can purchase a rain barrel from them and have it delivered in the downtown. They also have good tips to consider. http://www.riversides.org/rainguide/riversides_hgr.php?cat=2&page=39&subpage=41
Your local hardware stores may have some of the basic size downspouts and colors that you need to do the job yourself. If you need more specialized sizes or colors there is a retail store at Victoria Park and Danforth called Danforth Roofing. We have featured them in a previous blog post: http://torontoeavestroughing.blogspot.com/2010/09/where-to-find-quality-eavestrough-parts.html
Homeowners in the GTA have an opportunity to make a big difference in the quality of the Lake Ontario and watersheds that lead to the Lake. This can be accomplished just by draining or saving your rainwater on your property.
This whole downspout disconnect can seem like a real pain but in many instances getting your downspouts out of the old clay drains around your home might save you lots of trouble with leaks into your basement as they crack and shift and often dump water right along your foundation without you knowing! Out of sight and out of mind can really hurt the wallet down the road when you have to excavate the side of your home to water proof or fix mold problems in your damp basement.
Visit our website http://www.eavestough.ca/ or call our office at 416 615 0443. North Shore Eavestroughing are experts at installing new eavestrough and leafguard systems to protect your home, maximize water flow onto your property and keep it out of the Toronto's storm sewers. We have a $575.00 minimum charge for small projects. Sorry but we so not serve south of Eglinton in the downtown core but hope this information will be helpful for you if you live downtown.
1. Keep all downspouts as far away as possible from window wells when designing your new eavestrough system.
2. If a downspout is close to a window well ensure it is fastened together very secure so that it can not fall apart and fill the well with water.
3. If you suspect that there is not proper drainage at the bottom of the well consult a basement waterproofing company to inspect. There should be a drain at the bottom to take water away so it does not enter your basement.
As shown in the picture below, the downspout drains near the window well. It's very likely that water flows into this window well from this downspout. This window well is in obvious need of attention. A temporary fix would be to add a long extention on the elbow to get the water farther from the basement window.
Have a home in Scarborough, North York or other areas in or near Toronto and need help with rainwater management? Visit http://www.eavestrough.ca/ or call us at 416 615 0443 for a free estimate for your eavestrough and leafguard project. We are experts in Toronto eavestrough.
One of the most popular questions asked when considering a new eavestrough system is which size is appropriate for my home.
The most common size today is 5 inch wide. This will take care of most all residential applications with just a few exceptions.
1. These would include a very large shingle or roof overhang that causes the water to shoot over the top of the eavestrough. This is usually only seen on a clay tile roof where the bottom row of stone tile hangs way out past the fascia.
2. A large roof area flows into a short length of eavestrough. Usually this is in an inside valley area where the flow of water is concentrated.
Six inch eavestrough can handle a higher volume of water because it is not only wider but also deeper. This is good for water flow but does not fit well on homes that have a regular 6 inch wide fascia. The 6 inch eavestrough ends up hanging off the fascia as it is angled down to the downspout and can look unsightly.
Larger 6 inch eavestroughs are generally reserved for commercial applications which normally have at least a 8 inch wide fascia board.
The above picture of a Toronto Home shows an example of a large roof area/valley flowing into a 6 inch eavestrough. 6 inch was used here to help ensure that there will be no water bypassing the eavestrough. Its extra challenging to contain all the water in a area like this because of the speed the water shoots off the inside valley. Because we almost always use leafguard this adds to the challenge. The extra wide eavestrough here helps give more surface area to the leafguard allowing the water to drain faster. Even with the larger eavestrough proper valley splash guards must be used to prevent overflows. Another trick, is to drill slightly larger holes in the T-Rex to allow for better drainage.
The biggest mistake in the book is to install 6 inch eavestrough but not use at least a large 3x4 downpipe. Using a 3x3 downpipe on a eavestrough this size is a waste of capacity.
A properly sloped 5 inch eavestrough with the same large 3x4 pipes installed will drain the exact same amount of water as a 6 inch eavestrough.
The advantage of using a 6 inch eavestrough is that the downpipe size can be upgraded to a 4x5 inch downpipe which will really make sense with such a big eavestrough. However most people will not like the look of these huge commercial downpipes on their home.
In summary 6 inch is generally only required for commercial purposes where the size is proportionate and the downpipes can be upgraded to 4"x5" without looking out of place.
It's very important to understand that the ice build up shown below is usually the result of a heat loss problem in the attic. The heat loss through the ceiling and lack of proper ventilation need to be addressed.
Never let anyone tell you that installing new eavestroughs will have a significant impact on any ice issues you may experience with your home. A proper functioning eavestrough system is definitely an important part of the big picture that may help with this problem but new eavestroughs will not eliminate ice build up, if the heat loss problem isn't taken care of.
Properly functioning eavestrough is essential for proper rainwater management around your home. In a Toronto winter we are dealing with snow melting due to heat loss and that is a different story. Snow melting on the roof will refreeze on the roof edge and eavestrough no matter what condition it is in because of below zero temperatures.
Ways to combat ice:
1. Prevent heat escape through the ceiling by making sure there are no major gaps around light fixtures to let warm air into the attic. This is best done from the attic and is easy to see once the loose fill insulation is pulled back a bit. Use spray foam to seal any gaps.
2. Make sure the insulation is about 16 inches thick to provide about an R-50 insulation value. Ensure it's evenly spread and no bare spots which are often caused by people working in the attic to do electrical and not spreading the insulation back out properly after the work is completed. If you have old style potlights, have an electrician inspect them to make sure they are to code before covering over.
3. Ensure all bathroom vents actually vent directly outside the attic through the roof and not just laid into the soffit.
4. Visually inspect from the attic that the soffits on the home are actually providing fresh cold air. You should be able to see a clear path to the soffit in the form of a baffle attached to the underside of the roof. Often you can see daylight if their is a clear path to a vented soffit. If you plan on getting your attic blown in, ensure baffles are installed if needed to ensure the ventilation to the soffit is not compromised.
5. Ensure that there are enough vents at the peak of your roof to let any heat out.
6. Install heater cables on the roof edge , eavestrough and down pipe. Note that this will not deal with the root cause of the ice. This is just throwing more energy at a energy loss issue. However careful use is needed in some cases. Some houses would require a major renovation to get to the root cause of heat loss due to vaulted ceilings etc.
7. Remove the snow off the roof so it can not melt and cause problems. Some roof tops can be reached from the ground using a roof snow rake which is much safer then going up a ladder this time of year.
8. Inspect soffits from the exterior to ensure that most or better yet all of the soffits are perforated with little holes to let the attic breathe. Unfortunately many homes have a layer of plywood hidden under the aluminum soffit which ideally should be removed to allow for maximum ventilation. To determine this a piece of soffit will need to be partially removed to inspect. Most Toronto and GTA homes built before the 80s will have this plywood. It's there because wood was used to cover in the soffits back then, not aluminum. When the aluminum soffits were done at a later point to cover the old plywood, the installers normally did not remove it to save time. At the very least, make sure there is a 1 foot square hole cut in the old plywood every 8 feet. Every piece of new soffit should be perforated.
Are you interested in new eavestroughs, leafguard, soffit, fascia, insulation or LED lighting for your Scarborough, North York or Toronto home? Visit our website at www.eavestrough.ca
These stripes seen on this eavestrough are called tiger stripes. They are normal on light colored eavestrough. White shows up the stripes the most of course.
These are caused by dirt that sits on the top edge of the eavestrough. The dirt gets washed over the front with the rain.
We have solutions for this if it is imperative that you never want to see tiger stripes. We have can use an upgraded version of the T-Rex which has a built in drip edge.
The picture shown is an example of how they can be cleaned off with great results. The key thing is to make sure it is not left too long or the dirt will stain the finish on the gutter. This gutter was almost 2 years old and cleaned up nicely.
The cleaner we used was Spray Nine which is a multi-purpose cleaner an can be found at Canadian Tire in Toronto.
Interested in a quote for eavestroughs or leafguard in Scaborough, North York or other areas in and near Toronto? Visit our site at www.eavestrough.ca
Every year in Ontario people fall while performing work at heights. Fortunately, there are preventative measures that can be taken to protect workers who are at risk. Ropes and harnesses are required by law for anyone working over 10 feet high.
Inspectors are few and far between so the onus is on the companies to conduct themselves safely.
Toronto Homeowners can do their part by hiring companies that work safely. Don't be afraid to tell the contractor you are hiring that you expect safety on your property.
Knowing what the law is and how it can keep workers safe at heights really makes it hard to turn a blind eye. Some high risk activities are roofing, eavestroughing, painting, and window and eavestrough cleaning.
Reduce your liability and hire smart. You may save a life!
Iced up downspouts are often cause for concern. You may wonder if the ice is blocking the downspouts due to a blockage of some sort. While this can be a factor in some cases it's more than likely just frozen water. The snow on the roof melts off the roof due to heat loss through the attic. The melted snow then runs down into the downspout which is not heated by the roof or in direct sunlight. The water instantly turns back to ice creating an ice filled downspout.
Adding more downspout or larger downspouts are not effective strategies for solving this problem. They will ice up just the same as the problem downpipe. If you really want to solve this you have to go to the root cause which is generally a heat loss issue in the attic. If fixing the insulation or ventilation in the attic is not feasible due to money or logistic reasons then a heater cable traced down the pipe can be very effective to keep your pipes free of ice.
Here is a quick video of a Toronto home with no ice issues. The pipe stays free of ice and snow.
