Elevate or move appliances
Reduce the risk of water damage by elevating or moving your basement appliances.
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Who should take action
- Homeowners
- Renters
- Landlords and property managers
- All homes with:
- appliances in basements or crawlspaces
- a history of flooding
Benefits
Elevating or moving your appliances is a high impact action that can greatly reduce the effects of a flood on your home and save you money over the long term.
Even a few inches of floodwater can permanently damage your appliances.
Moving your basement appliances to a higher floor ensures they're out of harm's way in the event of basement flooding. Appliances that must remain in your basement can be elevated to reduce flood damage.
Elevating or moving large appliances after they're installed takes effort, but it can reduce costly repairs, insurance claims and the need to replace expensive equipment.
About overland flood insurance
What you'll need
- Dolly
- Elevation structures for appliances
- Tools or materials for wall-mounting and anchoring
Ensure structures and materials are flood-resistant before you start elevating appliances.
What's involved
Check with your local government about regulations such as permits or inspections required before elevating equipment.
Stay safe. You may need to hire a professional to help move or elevate large appliances.
The following appliances should be elevated 30 cm (about 1 ft.) above the basement floor, if they cannot be moved from the basement:
- Washing machines and dryers
- Dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators and freezers
Basement appliances can be elevated on:
- masonry platforms
- stands made of these flood-resistant materials:
- concrete
- cement
- stainless steel
- marine grade plywood
Indoor heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and tankless water heaters can be mounted on walls or suspended from ceiling joists. If basement appliances can't be elevated, consider anchoring them.
Outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps can be mounted on the outside of the home or raised above ground level using masonry blocks or metal stands.
Consult a professional for an assessment before moving or elevating the following appliances:
- HVAC equipment
- Water heaters
- Fuel tanks
Other considerations
- Rented appliances should not be moved without checking first with the rental company
- Moving your appliances might require further electrical or plumbing work
- Fuel tanks that can't be elevated should be anchored to the floor to prevent floodwaters causing them to tip and leak
- Contact the fuel company before moving fuel tanks and their components
- Basement electrical panels and electrical service components should be inspected or moved from areas at a high risk of flooding
- Seek advice from an electrical professional
- If you have experienced flooding on the ground floor of your home, you might consider elevating your ground floor appliances or moving them to a higher floor
- If you rent your home or rent a basement apartment, talk to your landlord and insurance professional about elevating or moving appliances before taking any action
When to do it
- You can raise or move appliances at any time with the proper help
- When buying new appliances that must be located in your basement, plan ahead to place or build your elevated set-up before installation
- Large appliances can be elevated after they're installed, but may require professional assistance
- This is a one-time action and minimal maintenance is required
- Annual checkups on the integrity of supporting structures used to elevate appliances are recommended
Be flood ready
Flood readiness requires regular upkeep just like any other home or property maintenance task. Make checking the condition of your elevated appliances part of your annual maintenance checklist.
Seek support from a local professional, friend, family or neighbour if you're unable to complete this task on your own.