Take Charge of your Basement Waterproofing with these 5 Easy Steps

Nothing is more annoying to a homeowner than having water in their home. When it freezes, it makes everything slick and muddy, and it starts to smell after a while. Worse, water pooling and accumulation can cause major damage to your external foundation and basement walls. This is why basement waterproofing is important.

The walls of your home may gradually degrade if water remains near your foundation. The water will seek out and remain in the lowest spots, freezing, and thawing, causing cracks in your foundation to open. The easiest approach to prevent this is to divert as much water away from your property as possible, and we’ve got 5 great ideas for you.

1. Make sure you Seal Concrete Cracks and Foundation Joints using a Concrete Sealant Product

When it comes to water penetration, your exterior is only as sturdy as its weak areas. If you stroll around the outside of your property, you will undoubtedly discover nooks and crannies that want attention. Some common places to look for potential water leaks are: the junction between your concrete pad and asphalt driveway,  Patio and interlocking stones that haven’t been treated correctly with polymeric sand, concrete cracks that are small or hairline, and window joints with outdated caulking in your basement.

While these minor improvements will not completely prevent water from accessing your home, they will go a long way toward preventing severe foundation damage and disasters in the future.

2. Make sure your Gutters and Down Pipes are Clear of Debris

Another fantastic basement waterproofing approach to avoid water infiltration is to clean your eavestroughs and downpipes on a seasonal basis. Leaves and grime will accumulate in your gutters, preventing water from flowing away from your home (particularly during the autumn season). The surplus water has a danger of pouring out onto your foundation if it is not stopped. Water in your gutter system freezes in the winter, causing damage to your eavestrough and downpipes. Worse, owing to the increased weight, your eavestrough may come crashing down on your property.

Many homeowners overlook their gutters since they are generally high up and out of reach from the ground level. If this sounds similar, installing plastic or metal gutter guards that allow water to pass through but keep bigger things like leaves and branches out will help with regular maintenance. You will be able to maintain your gutters less regularly as a result of this.

3. Make sure you use Down Pipe Extensions to Redirect Water

Once your gutters and downpipes are clean, ensure sure the water draining from them is directed away from your home. Many homeowners overlook the need of expanding their downpipe system to allow water to flow away from their residences. There are a few options for accomplishing this. You may connect another pipe to the downpipe coming down the side of the house using an elbow piece and route the second pipe away from the house, much like the downpipe going down the side of the house.

Because installing a solid extension where your downpipe is located might be difficult owing to space constraints, consider utilizing a flexible downspout extension instead. Most downspout extensions may grow to four feet or more, making them ideal for looping around corners. This can assist you to divert water away from the home even more, but be careful where you put the pipe’s end. Remove the water to a safe location where it will not cause you any problems in the future.

4. Make sure you have Good Drainage around your House

Having a good drainage system, which will comprise a combination of weeping tile, drainage beds, and window wells, is easily the most critical item on this list. This system works together to drain water via a layer of 3/4 gravel down to a 4-inch perforated black pipe that accepts water. Water drains through the weeping tiles, moving it to a drainage point and dispersing it over the earth. When you have basement windows that are recessed at ground level, you’ll need window wells. Water may flow down to the gravel bedding and weeping tile laid within the well thanks to the circle-shaped metal that divides the ground from your window. A window well cover is installed over the entrance to prevent an overabundance of water from entering the system and making it difficult to drain.

Because the pipes are buried, it is difficult to repair when this system fails. The crushed stone above it, as well as other types of material in the earth, will block these pipes over time. Digging into the earth to where the pipes lie by the concrete foundation is required to repair them.

5. Make sure you have Proper Grading around your Home

The easiest technique to avoid basement leaks is to divert water away from the outer foundation. Most houses do not have correct grading, which causes water to pool and stagnate in areas where it might affect your foundation. When the snow melts, the water collects on top of your foundation and does not flow away, making correct grading critical.

Grading can be done using topsoil that extends from the foundation to a drainage point or from the foundation to a drainage point. A decent rule of thumb is to make the height difference between the highest and lowest points of the slope at least 3 inches. In the end, the quantity of room you have to deal with will determine this. Extend your grading as much as possible.

It’s a great time to inspect for locations where water cannot naturally drain away from your walls while you’re gardening. Check to see whether your dirt has settled and if it has, build the slope back up.

This is when we enter the picture! Leaky Basement has everything you need for proper exterior waterproofing providing weeping tiles, new drainage beds, and window wells, as well as complete exterior foundation waterproofing work. If you’re having problems with water seeping through your foundation, give us a call and we’ll come out and evaluate your home for free.