Perma-Seal will be glad to help you with preventing a wet basement. Even if you aren’t the handiest homeowner in the world, it doesn’t mean that you can’t help to protect the basement of your home from dangerous leaks. In fact, there are many things that you can easily do on your own to help minimize the chance of coming home or waking up to a flooded basement. Please take a look at the list below and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
1. Maintain your window wells – A lot of homeowners might not give much thought to the window wells around their basement. However, if they’re leaking, it’s only a matter of time before this moisture gets inside of your home and causes problems. Make sure that your basement windows have a tight seal against the foundation of your home. If you notice any gaps, you can fill them with a waterproof caulking material. Also, make sure that you have a cover over your window well to prevent unwanted debris or small animals from getting inside and clogging the interior drain.
2. Extend your gutter’s downspouts – When you extend your gutter’s downspouts, you’re putting the outlet for water drainage even further out from your home. This means that whenever there’s a heavy downpour or melting snow on the top of your roof, the moisture will be sent out and away and far away from your home’s foundation. As it is right now, you may have a downspout that releases water very close to your foundation, and this is not good! The water can pool up and eventually seep into the ground and into your family’s basement.
3. Clean your gutters – Again, it’s important to take care of your gutters! If they’re clogged, rain water won’t be able to be directed to your downspouts like normal. Instead, the water will pool up and spill over the sides of your home. This moisture can surround your foundation and eventually find its way inside through tiny wall or floor cracks.
4. Do away with bad grading or landscaping – Sure, your landscaping project may have taken you months to complete and the finished product looks beautiful. However, if it wasn’t thought out very well, water could be easily trapped around your plants or decorative pieces. Eventually, this moisture will seep into the soil, and can make its way into the basement of your home. Needless to say, this moisture can cause a lot of serious damage over time!
If you would like more information about how to prevent a wet basement in Chicago, IL, or Northwest Indiana please give your local basement waterproofer a call at 1-800-421-SEAL!