Foundation Fault Fears Mount as Water Collects in Basement

Irene was searching for information on a program to address her lead water service lines on her local municipality’s website when she found information about available service line protection from Service Line Warranties of Canada.

“I have an older house and I thought that the coverage could be very useful,” she said.

So, she enrolled in coverage to help protect her water and sewer service lines and her interior plumbing and drains.

Months passed, and Irene had a string of unexpected home repairs that drained her savings, although her plumbing was holding up.

“As I was having work done, other things were uncovered that were unexpected and I had to throw money at,” she said.

Then came the day Irene found water collecting around the basement drain. She feared that it could signal a problem with her foundation, given all the recent home repair issues she had been experiencing.

“There was water pooling around the basement drain,” she said. “There’s a dip there where the water was pooling, and I thought that it was probably ground water, but it smelled funny.”

So, she made a call to Service Line Warranties of Canada in September, and Aqua Drain and Sewer Services, a local, licensed and insured plumbing company was dispatched to Irene’s Ottawa home to address the issue by hydrojetting the drain to remove any debris or blockage, then using a camera to examine the line for breaks to confirm there were no further repairs needed at the time. Service Line Warranties of Canada paid the nearly $900 cost for the repair, and Irene had no out-of-pocket cost for that visit.

“It was thought that maybe I would have to get a sump pump installed or have the foundation dug out,” she said.

The line had been cleared, but Irene was still worried about the potential for ground water seeping through the foundation. Then the water came back up. In January, she set up her own test to see if water seeped up when she used her drains. When Irene flushed her toilet and water began coming up in the basement, she knew that it was not a foundation issue.

Instead, she called Service Line Warranties again. Aqua Drain returned to examine the line and found a small break in the sewer line. The plumber recommended replacement of five feet of the sewer line, an elbow and clean out. Irene was relieved that the problem wasn’t bigger.

“I’m just glad that it was only a small section,” Irene said.

Service Line Warranties paid the benefit amount of $3,000 directly to Aqua Drain for the repair.

“(Aqua) was courteous and the problem was solved, so I was happy with that,” she said. “I’d be happy to have them back.”

The breakage in Irene’s sewer line, caused by the normal wear-and-tear of everyday use, would probably not have been covered by her basic homeowners insurance, so it was lucky she had enrolled in a plan offered by SLWC. Because she had coverage through SLWC, a qualified plumber was dispatched to her home without any effort on her part.

“I didn’t have to spend that extra $1,000 on a deductible (with the homeowners insurance), so it really worked out for me,” Irene said.