A Windsorite’s flooding solution
Ron Brant is no stranger to flooded basements. He says he has seen thousands.
“I’ve seen people cry to me. Like old people are just done. They won’t even go on vacation because they’re afraid their basement is going to flood when they’re gone,” said Brant.
Brant has 45 years as an inspector for insurance and restoration companies and his Remington area home has flooded twice.
Following the most recent flood in 2017 he decided a solution was needed. Brant created the No Indoor Termination System.
“In other words the sewer lines do not terminate in your house anymore,” he said.
Brant has a sewer injection pump and a sizeable sump pump in his basement. He explains the sewer lines are eliminated from the basement so any water that comes up from the sewer lines ends up outside.
“We divert those to outside from inside the house,” he said. “Then we pump everything from inside the house into those lines outside.”
The pipes are found in a breathable wooden box out front of his home.
Brant feels his system is more fail safe than a backflow valve.
“If the backflow valve closes due to the storm everybody that’s in the household does not know that backflow valves close and keep using stuff in the house, showers, toilets and everything so you’re actually backing that stuff up in your own basement,” he said.
The No Indoor Termination System has an automatic water shutoff to the house if the sewer injection pump fails or the power goes out.
“It keeps you from letting your own sewage back up into your basement because the backflow valve is closed,” Brant said.
With enough heavy weather events in the last few years Brant feels his unit is well tested and now has a Canadian and U.S. patent.
Although the price tag may yet be consumer friendly he’s hoping to partner with municipalities to help bring his system to the public.
Rob Vidamour, president of Winmar, has seen the unit and says, “it’s a viable option. I think the functionality of it is practical. It could go retro. It can go new home. I think it would fit."
As of mid-afternoon Wednesday the City of Windsor said it has received less than a handful of flooding calls.
Officials attribute the low volume to a steady rain throughout the day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.