Tips For Preventing Basement Flooding
Here are a few tips to help you control ground water around your house, which is the source of most basement flooding.
- Make sure your gutters are clean and clear of obstruction.
- Check the downspouts on your house. Is water flowing freely out the bottom opening? The water should discharge a few feet away from the foundation wall and should have a clear unobstructed path that leads it well away from the house. Make sure splash blocks are centered under downspouts so that the water is directed properly. You can also simply install a drip edge. This is a piece of metal mounted on the edge of the roof to prevent water from curling underneath the edge of the roof and bypassing the gutters.
- If you have downspout extension pipes, make sure they are hooked up and pointed in the right direction to direct water away from the foundation.
- Look around your yard. Are there sizable puddles forming? If so, you need to fill in low spots or dig out channels so the water can flow away. Check your patios, walks and driveways. They should slope away from the house. If they are improperly sloped, the best solution (timely) solution is to layer mortar and brick or flagstone on top of an old slab, yielding a very attractive and properly sloped surface.
- Check the joints between walks, patios, drives, and the house, if exposed to direct rain, must be sealed with an appropriate caulk. Your local home center will have a variety of sealants that should be effective in this easy do-it-yourself project.
- If you have a driveway that slopes down to the house, make sure the drains are free of debris.
- Install covers on your window wells and stairwells. Clear plastic, dome-like covers are available at most home center stores.
- To prevent window wells from filling with water, cover them with plastic well covers or a sheet of plywood that leans against the house. Make sure all your window wells and stairwells have raised lips around their edges to prevent water in the yard from flowing into the well during a downpour.
- Trim dense shrubs and plants so the soil is exposed to sunlight and is allowed to dry as quickly as possible.
- Make sure outer storm windows are closed. (Most people just check the inner windows.)
- Make sure garden borders, debris or mulch do not create dams that hold surface water up next to the house.
- Inspect any exposed walls inside your basement. Caulk any gaps or cracks.
- If you have a sump pump, make sure it is plugged in and working by dumping a few gallons of water into it and confirming that it discharges the water properly.
- If all that fails, make sure your interior drain is clear and that anything vulnerable to water is up off the basement floor!
- Keep things in the basement at least one foot off the floor and at least on foot away from the walls to allow good air circulation and minimize the damage caused by possible moisture. Don't keep important documents, files, photos or memorbilia in the basement, in case it does get flooded.
