There are several reasons why water may enter your basement. Flash floods, drainage problems, and appliance failures are some of them. This article lists down some DYI steps to deal with such situations.
1. DIY Steps to Keep Water Out of Your
Basement
Be it a small crack or a huge one, water always finds its
way. And there are several reasons as to why water
enters your basement. Flash floods, drainage problems,
and appliance failures are some of them. When water
accumulates in the basement, it becomes a ground for
mold and termites to grow. If you want to avoid this from
happening, you can get in touch with one of the water
damage restoration companies. You can also indulge into
some DIY steps for preventing water getting into your
basement. Here’s what you can do to keep the water out.
Seal those gaps
As mentioned above, water has a tendency to leak
through cracks. If there are gaps around plumbing pipes or
2. concrete walls, water can enter into a basement. Make
use of polyurethane caulk or hydraulic cement to seal
those gaps. Check if the water still enters after sealing. If it
still does, you might have to resolve the groundwater
problem as mere sealing won’t work.
Keep downspouts away
The downspouts that help you to get rid of excess water
should be kept five feet away from the house. You can do
so by adding metal or plastic extensions to the
downspouts. You can also install an underground drain
pipe so that the gutter runoff remains far from your house.
Waterproof the basement walls
Moisture and condensation often form on the basement
walls. Apply sealant on the walls to avoid this from
happening. Apart from this, you can also waterproof the
basement walls with silicate based concrete sealers,
concrete coatings, plastic sheets or waterproofing paint.
Also consider waterproofing the outside walls of the
basements so that you can fill the gaps in the foundation if
there are any. This process might prove too expensive as
you will need to excavate around the house.
3. Invest in a sump pump
When you install a sump pump, it will protect your
basement during floods by pumping the water out. If the
level of water in the basement goes up, the sump pump is
smart enough to discharge the water outside the house.
But before installing one of these for your house, conduct
research on how to find the right sump pump and use it.
Get the rain gutters cleaned
When the gutters are blocked, it results into the water
pouring in your home’s foundation creating the risk of
basement flooding. Hence, make sure that you get rid of
leaves or branches, debris etc and check if there are any
loose particles from the asphalt roofing in the gutters. If
there are any loose gutter straps, you must tighten them.
In case of any gunk in downspouts, you can get rid of
them by pouring a lot of water with the help of garden
hose.
4. If your basement is already flooded, you must get in touch
with the water restoration service provider so that you do
not have to deal directly with floodwater. If not, you can
take the steps mentioned above and protect your
basement.
Fore more info :
http://www.servicemasterbyar.com/services/water-damage/