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Rathwood, Mississauga · L4W · L4Z
Forty-year-old homes east of Cawthra where original tanks, valves and basement finishes are now the main source of trouble.
Answered live 24/7 · Free inspection · No obligation
Know the neighbourhood
1970s and 1980s detached homes and townhouse complexes east of Cawthra, sitting on tributaries of the Etobicoke Creek system. Consistent housing age across the area gives us consistent and fairly predictable failures.
East of Cawthra Road toward Dixie Road, roughly between Burnhamthorpe Road and the Highway 403 and Eglinton area, with Rathburn Road and Tomken Road running through it.
1970s–1980s
Detached two-storeys, backsplits and condo townhouse complexes
Many detached homes here still have their original copper supply lines, gate valves and in some cases their original cast iron or clay drain connections. Backsplits with a lower level partly below grade are common and take water through the lower family room. Townhouse complexes from the same era share drains and roofs, and many are now in their first round of major capital work.
The area sits within the Etobicoke Creek watershed, and small creek channels and ravine strips run behind some streets. Those lots back onto lower ground that collects runoff in a heavy rain. Older storm sewers were sized for the rainfall standards of their day, and after a storm like the one on July 8, 2013, the low spots across eastern Mississauga were where basements took water. Downspouts on many older homes still tie into the ground instead of discharging onto the lawn.
Local conditions
These three conditions decide where we look first on a Rathwood call, what can be saved and where the drying equipment goes.
Smaller watercourses through the area surcharge quickly. The streets that took water in the last storm will take it in the next one.
Forty-year-old tanks and shut-off valves failing overnight is the single most common cause we attend across this pocket.
Common element drainage means one blockage affects several units and raises the same ownership question a condo tower would.
Storms on record
Rathwood homes built before the 1990s, and homes that back onto ravine land, carry the most risk. If your basement took water in 2013 or 2024, check whether a backwater valve was ever installed and test it. Disconnecting downspouts from the ground is cheap and helps right away.
Up to 170 mm fell on the hardest-hit parts of Mississauga. Little Etobicoke Creek, which drains this part of east Mississauga, was on the City's list of creeks at capacity, and lots that back onto the small ravine strips here collected runoff from the streets above them.
More than 106 mm fell across the city in a few hours. The low spots behind Rathwood's ravine lots filled first, and older homes with downspouts still tied into the ground saw water come through the foundation wall.
More than 126 mm fell over about ten hours. The low pockets across eastern Mississauga, Rathwood among them, were where basements flooded. It is the storm many owners here still measure their basement against.
The City has scheduled dredging and rehabilitation of the stormwater pond at the Tomken Road transitway station, which takes runoff from the land around Highway 403. Pond work like this restores the storage that silt takes up over the years, so less water is pushed back into nearby sewers in a heavy storm.
A call we get often in Rathwood
A call we get often here: an original or second-generation water heater has rusted through in the furnace room, and the owner finds the lower level wet in the morning. The water has run under the carpet in the rec room and wicked into the bottom of the panelling or drywall. We extract the water, lift and check the carpet pad and take readings up the walls. The old finishes often hide moisture, so we look behind them before anything is closed back up.
Through the year
Snowmelt runs toward the ravine-backed lots and into lower-level windows on backsplits that sit close to grade.
Heavy downpours surcharge older storm sewers, and homes without backwater valves can see sewer water come up through the floor drain.
Mature trees drop leaves into eavestroughs and into the shared drains of townhouse complexes just before the late-fall rains.
Original gate valves and old shut-offs that are only turned once a year can seize or start leaking when someone finally tries to close them.
Most requested here
Lower levels in backsplits and two-storeys are where water ends up, whether it comes from a tank, the sewer or the ground.
Basement Flood CleanupOlder drain connections and storm sewers built to older standards make backups more likely during heavy rain.
Sewage & Category 3 CleanupPanelling and carpet from earlier renovations hold moisture out of sight, which is where mould tends to start.
Mould RemediationBefore it happens
Replace an original gate-style main shut-off with a quarter-turn ball valve so it actually closes when you need it.
Ask the City of Mississauga about disconnecting downspouts that still drain into the ground or the foundation drain.
Have the sewer lateral camera-inspected if your home still has its original clay or cast iron connection.
On a backsplit, make sure the lower-level window wells have covers and drains that are not filled with debris.
Local questions
Not covered here? Call and ask a restoration manager directly.
(877) 738-2893The lower level of a backsplit sits partly below grade with windows close to the ground. Surface water reaches those windows and the walls behind them before anything else. Window well covers and good grading around that side of the house make the biggest difference.
In many 1970s and 80s complexes the main drain lines are common elements, but the line inside your unit may be yours. It depends on your corporation's declaration. We document where the blockage was so the corporation and your insurer can decide who covers what.
Usually yes. Older panelling is often glued or nailed straight onto furring strips with no vapour barrier, and the wall behind it stays wet long after the surface looks dry. We check with a moisture meter before removing anything.
Our average arrival in Rathwood is 35 min from the Dundas Street West base in Cooksville. A restoration manager answers live, 24 hours a day, and sends the nearest equipped truck while you are still on the line.
Next door
Every hour counts
Drywall wicks moisture upward at roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) an hour, and mould takes hold inside 24 to 48 hours. Call now and a certified crew reaches your street tonight.
