4 Ways to Prevent Your Basement From Flooding During a Storm

Spring is just around the corner. Soon all the winter snow coming down will become spring rain. When it rains, the water has to go somewhere, right? As a homeowner, it’s important to make sure you know where water is ending up around your house to prevent flooding in your basement or crawlspace, especially in a big storm. Groundwater collecting around a house’s foundation is one of the biggest causes of basement flooding. Basement walls are made of concrete, which is a porous material. This means that even if your foundation’s walls are in good condition if water remains in the ground long enough around your home, it can find its way inside and cause all sorts of water damage.

Here are a few ways to help make sure groundwater gets properly drained away from your home so that water is less likely to collect during storms and end up in your basement.

Gutters and downspouts. When was the last time you cleaned out your house’s gutters? Gutters and downspouts can easily get clogged with leaves, twigs, and dirt, preventing them from working like they should and moving water away from your home. It’s also important that downspouts extend at least 5 to 6 feet away from the base of your house. Otherwise, you’ll simply be funneling rainwater toward your basement walls.

Sloped landscape. Is the ground around your house sloped so that water will run away from your house? If the land around your home is flat or even pitches down toward your home, it’s likely you’ll end up with drainage issues as water will trickle toward your house rather than away. A 5 percent grade is recommended for most homes, meaning there should be a difference of at least 6 inches in the 10 feet closest to your house. To put it another way, the land closest to your house should be 6 inches higher than the landscape 10 feet out from the house.

French drains. French drains are simply a gravel-lined ditch in the ground inset with a perforated pipe. Installing these drains is a super effective way of funneling stormwater away from your foundation and depositing the water in a more desirable area. This is a great option if you have a perpetually wet area close to the foundation of your home.

Basement sealers. Basement sealers are a waterproof coating you can apply to your interior concrete basement walls, helping to keep water from seeping through the concrete’s pores.

If your basement or crawlspace does flood, give us a call. We can minimize damage to your home and property. We do inspections and estimates!

Water Extraction Experts specialize in water damage restoration, sewage cleanup, mold removal, fire & smoke damage restoration, flood damage cleanup.  We have 3 locations to serve you.

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