If you’ve had plumbing changes to your home, whether it be from a leaky pipe or simply an upgrade, you may have some relatively valuable scrap metal on hand that can be converted into cash if you take advantage of the metal recycling services at your local metal recycling center.  In Toronto, there are many companies that will buy the scrap metal that you would have otherwise thrown away during renovations.

Sell scrap metal after next Toronto renovation

Identifying Old Plumbing

Old plumbing is usually comprised of copper tubing and brass fittings.  Copper has a golden brown color and is fairly easy to bend with your hands, as opposed to steel pipe, which is gray or rusty in color and quite rigid.  A magnet will stick to steel, but not copper, and gives you an easy way to tell the difference if the pipe is painted to where you can’t see its natural color.

Pricing

Copper generally pays between $2.63 and $3.16 per pound.  Fittings at each end of the tubing are usually a different metal.  If yellow in color, they are known as yellow brass and are generally worth between $1.58 and $2.10 per pound.  If you don’t remove the brass fittings and sell them separately, the company buying the tubing will have to make a price or weight allowance for the difference in value.

Steel pipe and fittings will only bring somewhere around 8 to 11 cents per pound, so it is important to sort them out of the copper and brass when selling.

Other Plumbing Parts

Other plumbing scrap includes faucets and thin tubes that carry water from the supply line to the sink.  The lines will typically be silver colored, since there is a layer of chrome plating on the brass to keep the surface from corroding, and give you the clean shiny look you prefer.  If you make a deep cut into the line, you will see a yellow color under the chrome.

Brass faucets can be chrome plated or simply finished in a way that shows the bronze color without allowing corrosion.  Again, getting below the chrome coating will show you the true metal you are dealing with, and these will be bought as yellow brass.

Pricing or Lack Thereof

Cheaper faucets over the years had been made from zinc or plastic with the same shiny silver-colored finish – zinc will show grey when you cut through the chrome and is only worth a few cents per pound.  Plastic is fragile and will break under a hammer – I’m unaware of anybody that buys plastic faucets.

Armed with this knowledge, you are set to make a little money from the next plumbing renovation project, assuming you don’t let the contractor carry off the scrap metal where they will most likely sell off for scrap metal.

Dave Fusselman is the owner of Fusselman Salvage, a Missouri metal recycling center in Moberly, MO. Visit his website at www.FusselMetals.com for more information on recycling scrap metal or find more of his writings on his Google+ page.

When your basement leaks you may panic.  Most people just want the water out.  Unfortunately, living in the Toronto area may mean you have a higher chance of having one of those leaky basements.

Who would think that all those curvy roads and dead end streets could have something to do with a basement leak?  Unless you’ve spent some time learning the geography of Toronto you may not understand the correlation between your basement leak and the roadways of your surroundings.

Underground river in Toronto

Toronto Waterway History

Many years ago Toronto was filled with waterways.  They gradually became quite invisible, filled with developments of new homes and businesses and diverted into sewer systems.  If you lifted a sewer manhole cover on one of the streets downtown you might be surprised to hear the sound of rushing water.  Many years ago, in the latter half of the 1900’s, Toronto residents and officials agreed that there was a need for better sanitation as well as clean drinking water.  The city built water filtration plants and a sewer system, using those old waterways.  It only made sense then, seemingly an affordable way to improve Toronto.  The plants and system are the reason that many of those old waterways are no longer seen.  There are actually a group of people working together to find the lost waterways, the pathways that the ice age created.

While these hidden and “lost” waterways are fascinating, interesting to explore and a great part of Toronto’s history they may mean a leaky basement in your future.

Toronto rivers under the city

Risk of Basement Leaking Rises

Basements leak for a few reasons; all of them include water close to the foundation of your home.  For some local residents those hidden waterways are actually beside or under the foundation of their home meaning they have a “high” water table.  This high water table increases the chance of your basement leaking and leaking often.  For some homeowners, leaking may only occur when the area is over saturated with rains, almost flood like conditions.  If you’re one of those homeowners living within distance of a hidden waterway or even on top of one, it doesn’t take a flood to make your basement leak.  If you live among the paths of these waterways, the odds that your basement will eventually flood are incrementally higher.  Basement leaks never get better on their own.

What to Look For

If you see leaking at the base of the basement wall (i.e., where the wall and floor meet) or if you basement leaks often those waterways may be contributing to those leaks.  If you have block walls in your basement is water may actually be wicking in through those blocks.  Cement blocks are porous and when the blocks fill up the water has no place to go but in the house.  If you pull storage items or boxes away from the wall and see stains on the wall or on the items the odds that your basement is leaking are pretty good.  A normal basement leak typically occurs when the ground is over saturated.  Most homeowners only have to worry during and after periods of heavy rain.  Most Toronto residents worry pretty frequently.

The Don Valley river in Toronto

The Cost

Long term leaks damage your home.  Basements often hold many storage items and in some cases memories of days gone by.  Memories can’t be replaced and those leaks can destroy them forever.  Not only can water cause damage to your items it can also damage the structure of your home.  Another way water can take a toll is on your health.  Mold can be hazardous to your help in certain situations and if you have allergies, you know the toll it takes.

What to Do

The situation is not hopeless!  There are basement waterproofing options that provide a permanent solution to the problem.  When you have your basement repaired by a contractor whose expertise is waterproofing they are experienced in dealing with your situation.  Not only do they provide a permanent solution, they are able to provide long term warranties.  As always, you want to hire an expert.  Your basement waterproofing professional should have a business history, more than a few years, they should be insured and they should have references.

A Dry Basement

The benefit of having a dry basement can’t be underrated.  You’ll be adding usable space to your home.  Once you’ve solved those nagging basement leaks you can feel confident in finishing your basement and enjoy your basement, even if you’re sitting on top of one of our wonderful, historic waterways!

Have questions about your leaky basement?  If you live in Toronto or the surrounding GTA, give Nusite a call and schedule your free inspection and estimate today.

 

image credit

 

 

Contrary to what the name suggests, a weeping tile system isn’t the type of tile that a homeowner would install as flooring, or even roofing, within their home. A weeping tile system is actually an intricate drainage system that is intended to protect the foundation of your home from water damage.

Whether you live in an area that gets several inches of rain during the rainy months of the year, like we do here in Toronto, or you simply have a lot of greenery in your yard that requires regular irrigation, water from any source can saturate the soil surrounding your home. When this soil becomes saturated it can lead to erosion and cause shifting of your foundation, which can lead to instability of your home, cracks in the foundation and other costly problems you don’t want to deal with.

Understanding the Basics of a Weeping Tile System

Interior vs. Exterior Weeping Tile System

It is important for a homeowner to understand that there are two different types of weeping tile systems to consider: interior and exterior. An exterior weeping tile system sits buried outside of the home along the foundation as a means to prevent moisture before it is able to penetrate. While an interior weeping tile system sits on the inside of the basement running along the floor, or lowest points of the basement, to help manage water that passes underneath or through the foundation.

Exterior Weeping Tile System

An exterior weeping tile system is composed of an intricate piping system that surrounds the earth around your foundation. These plastic pipes are typically 4” in diameter and have holes or slits punched into them. When it rains, water from the surrounding soil finds its way to these holes and is carried at a slight incline to a disposal area or sump pump, so it is safely relocated away from the foundation of the home. Because water is likely to transport the surrounding soil into your drainage pipes, most are covered with rot-proof material that keeps the holes from clogging, which can help to extend the life of your weeping tile system.

weeping tiles installed on exterior foundation in Toronto home

Some of the reasons why homeowners consider an exterior weeping tile system over an interior system include:

  • The indoor space of the basement is never compromised
  • Removes water pressure from affecting the foundation of the home entirely
  • No need to prepare for professional installation, as all work is done outside of the home

However, just as there are advantages to an exterior system, there are some disadvantages that homeowners have to consider:

  • Landscaping will oftentimes have to be moved or destroyed surrounding the home in order to properly install weeping tile
  • Water from beneath the basement is not drained with this system
  • Typically more labor is required to properly install an exterior weeping tile system, so this project can last longer than an interior system installation
  • Costs associated with this home improvement project are typically higher

Interior Weeping Tile System

In order to create an interior weeping tile system a trench along the perimeter of the basement floor is created and holes are drilled into the concrete blocks within these trenches. Plastic pipes with holes are attached next to the footing so that water can pass from the surrounding foundation into the pipe which will flow into a drainage system that leads to the sump pump. Then, professional installers will attempt to cover up these piping systems once more with concrete repair done over the footing so that the aesthetic appeal of the basement isn’t necessarily compromised.

Interior weeping tile system in Toronto basement

Some of the reasons why homeowners would consider an interior weeping tile system over an exterior system include:

  • No damage done to the outdoor landscaping of a home
  • Home improvement project can be completed faster than an exterior system, and typically for a lower cost
  • Relieves and removes water from beneath the foundation and outside of the foundation to the sump pump
  • Can be installed year round

Some of the disadvantages associated with an interior weeping tile system include:

  • Basement is unlivable during the installation of the weeping tile system
  • Exterior sealant installation is necessary for a stone or brick foundation so water does not leak through masonry
  • Two feet of foundation within the basement will need to be exposed for installation. Removal of drywall, insulation and flooring is to be expected.

Understanding the basics of interior and exterior weeping tile systems can better help you to prepare for the type of drainage system that is right for your home. Once you have identified the system that is best for your home you can begin to search for a professional weeping tile installation company that can get the job done right!