Basement Waterproofing in SK and MB, including Yorkton, Estevan & Regina.

Floods From Basement Stairways in Saskatchewan and Manitoba

An open hatchway door in Rivers that's flooded.

Leaking hatchway doors are a nuisance for homeowners who'd like their basement to be dry -- especially in a finished basement.

When you waterproof your basement, you'll want to be able to count on it to be dry -- and to stay dry from that point on. If your basement is flooding from the stairs and hatchway entryway, then the job is not done.

How Hatchway Entrances Are Constructed

Understanding how hatchway doors are designed can help you see how they leak.

Hatchway entrances are typically constructed separately from the foundation walls. This entryway is usually designed as a concrete shell that's bolted on to the foundation walls after they're built. Often, stairs will come already built into the pre-cast entryway.

After the hatchway is installed in place, metal doors are fixed on top. If necessary, the stairs are built inside, and the construction is completed. These hatchways are usually not sealed to the foundation walls.

Keeping basement doors and stairways from flooding water into your home!
Get a FREE Quote!

Our solutions install quickly and are backed by a written lifetime warranty! To schedule your basement waterproofing quote free of charge and with NO obligation, contact us today! We serve throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including Yorkton, Brandon, Regina and many surrounding areas nearby.

A flooded basement in Oxbow where water entered through the hatchway door
Drawing of a hatchway entrance leaking.

(Above) A hatchway entrance constructed separately from the rest of the home. This makes it vulnerable to flooding from many different areas.

(Below) This diagram of a flooding hatchway entrance shows how water flows in from around the hatchway doors, through wall cracks, and where the hatchway door and your foundation walls meet.

Where Basement Stairways Flood

Hatchway entrances leak from three critical points:

1. Underneath Metal Hatchway Doors

Metal hatchway doors are not flush with the concrete frame they're attached to. As rain builds up on the doors, it will slide down the doors and pool on the concrete around the edges of the doors.

From this point, the water has two paths that it can follow -- it can either continue to flow down to the ground, or it will slip underneath the metal hatchway door and onto the stairs inside the hatchway.

2. Where The Hatchway And Foundation Meet

The concrete shell of the hatchway is mounted to the foundation walls via bolts, which are drilled through the concrete of the foundation.

Because it's rare for this joining point to be sealed by the contractors, it is a major weak point where water can flood through to your basement.

As groundwater builds up around the foundation during a rain event, it presses in on this weak spot and allows significant flooding.

3. Through Cracks In The Concrete

Like any concrete structure, a hatchway entrance will begin to form cracks over time. Water will flood through these cracks, move to the stairs and end up flooding into your basement area.

Some old-fashioned hatchway doors were built with loose panels of wood (instead of metal), with little or no attempt to keep water out. Water easily floods through the gaps in these doors.

Once water builds up in a hatchway entrance, the puddles will expand into the basement.

Stopping Flooding Through Hatchway Doors

Our grated drain system installed on a leaking basement staircase in Regina.

The TrenchDrain™ system is designed with a grated opening on top that collects water and sends it to your perimeter drain.

Meant as part of a perimeter drain system, it's a great way to keep hatchway flooding out of the basement, and away from your furniture and belongings.

No matter how water is flooding into your home from the hatchway doors, our TrenchDrain™ Hatchway Door System is a great way to keep it out of your basement space.

The TrenchDrain™ is designed with a half-round pipe section, with a grated top fitting. When installed, it's flush with the rest of your concrete floor for a clean, professional job.

The TrenchDrain™ is meant to be used as part of an existing perimeter drain system. It spans the staircase, collecting water that spills down and directs it to your drain and sump pump system. This system can span the entrance of the hatchway, or can be extended inside the hatchway itself.

Other Uses For TrenchDrain

TrenchDrain is fully compatible in homes that have a radon mitigation system installed. A simple ball-and cup mechanism seals the drain when not in use.

We also sometimes recommended this system for use along garage doorways, as well as for other entrances where water may intrude into your home.

Learn more about our perimeter drain systems.

We Can Stop Your Hatchway Door From Flooding Your Basement!

Whether your hatchway doors are leaking or you have some other basement flooding problem, your local waterproofing experts at North American Basement Systems have the solution you need. From leaky hatchways to flooding floors, iron ochre issues, wall cracks, or even ugly basement windows, we have it all!

We'd like to meet with you and show how we can make your basement dry -- all the time! Contact us today to schedule your free basement waterproofing quote!

Each free quote comes at no obligation and includes an on-site inspection, personal consultation, and free written cost quote. We'll also send along a complimentary copy of our full-color waterproofing book!

We serve the Saskatchewan and Manitoba area, including Brandon, Regina, Yorkton and many nearby areas.

Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.

Serving SK and MB including the Greater Regina area
Our Saskatchewan and Manitoba Service Area
Cities in Province of Saskatchewan
Alameda
Alida
Antler
Arcola
Ardill
Assiniboia
Avonhurst
Avonlea
Aylesbury
Balcarres
Balgonie
Bateman
Beaubier
Belle Plaine
Bellegarde
Bengough
Benson
Bethune
Bienfait
Big Beaver
Bladworth
Briercrest
Broadview
Broderick
Brownlee
Buena Vista
Bulyea
Bushell Park
Candiac
Cardross
Carievale
Carlyle
Carnduff
Caron
Caronport
Central Butte
Ceylon
Chamberlain
Chaplin
Claybank
Coderre
Colfax
Colgate
Congress
Coppersands
Corning
Coronach
Courval
Cowessess
Craik
Crane Valley
Craven
Creelman
Cupar
Cymric
Davidson
Davin
Deer Valley
Dilke
Drinkwater
Dummer
Duval
Dysart
Earl Grey
Edenwold
Edgeley
Elbow
Emerald Park
Ernfold
Eyebrow
Fairlight
Ferland
Fertile
Fife Lake
Fillmore
Findlater
Fir Mountain
Fleming
Flintoft
Forget
Fort Qu'appelle
Francis
Frobisher
Gainsborough
Gladmar
Glasnevin
Glen Ewen
Glenavon
Glenside
Glentworth
Goodwater
Gouldtown
Govan
Gravelbourg
Gray
Grenfell
Griffin
Halbrite
Hanley
Hawarden
Hearne
Herbert
Heward
Hodgeville
Holdfast
Imperial
Indian Head
Kayville
Keeler
Kenaston
Kendal
Kennedy
Kenosee Lake
Khedive
Kincaid
Kipling
Kisbey
Kronau
Lafleche
Lajord
Lake Alma
Lampman
Lang
Langbank
Lebret
Lewvan
Liberty
Limerick
Lipton
Lisieux
Loreburn
Lumsden
Macoun
Main Centre
Mankota
Manor
Markinch
Marquis
Maryfield
Mazenod
Mccord
Mclean
Mctaggart
Meyronne
Midale
Milestone
Minton
Montmartre
Moosomin
Morse
Mortlach
Mossbank
Nokomis
North Portal
North Weyburn
Odessa
Ogema
Ormiston
Osage
Oungre
Oxbow
Palmer
Pangman
Parkbeg
Parkman
Parry
Pasqua
Peebles
Pense
Penzance
Pilot Butte
Prairie View
Qu'appelle
Radville
Redvers
Regina
Regina Beach
Riceton
Richardson
Riverhurst
Rockglen
Rouleau
Rush Lake
Scout Lake
Sedley
Shamrock
Silton
Simpson
Sintaluta
Southey
Spring Valley
St Victor
Stalwart
Steelman
Stony Beach
Storthoaks
Stoughton
Strasbourg
Strongfield
Summerberry
Torquay
Tribune
Trossachs
Truax
Tugaske
Tuxford
Tyvan
Verwood
Vibank
Viceroy
Waldeck
Wapella
Wauchope
Wawota
White City
Whitewood
Wilcox
Willow Bunch
Windthorst
Wolseley
Wood Mountain
Woodrow
Yellow Grass
Yorkton
Zehner

Our Locations:

North American Basement Systems
350 5th Ave Box 22041
Yorkton, SK S3N4B2
1-306-500-1620