4 Tips for Preventing Basement Water Damage

Preventing Basement Water Damage

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Whether you experience a flooded basement due to a storm or a malfunction in your plumbing system, you face more than just the risk of damage and expensive repair costs. Flooding in your basement can lead to unhealthy mold growth and even dangers with electrical equipment installed.

To avoid these issues, you should learn the best practices for preventing flooding and basement water damage. These range from doing some simple home maintenance to applying safeguards.

Read on for four tips to prevent water in the basement and the damage that can occur.

1. Keep Your Gutters Clean

Do you want an easy way to help prevent water in the basement? Simply clean your gutters at least twice a year.

When you put off cleaning your gutters, the debris prevents proper draining, especially during heavy rain. Unfortunately, that means water can instead go right down into your home’s foundation where flooding can start to occur.

So, try to clean them every fall and spring.

2. Maintain Your Sump Pump

If you don’t already have a sump pump, getting one can go a long way toward preventing house water damage if you’ve had a frequent flooding issue. But if you do have one, you still need to maintain it properly or still risk flooding.

You can try putting water directly in the sump pit as well as listening to see if the pump turns on when there’s a lot of groundwater. This will help you test whether the pump works.

If you notice any issues, it’s worth calling a plumber as soon as possible so they can perform any cleaning or sump pump repairs needed. They can also check for issues like water damage from condensation that can indicate other problems.

3. Locate and Seal Cracks

As your home ages, cracks can appear in the walls and foundation. On top of that, your plumbing system can have gaps around it that add to your home’s flood risk.

You can purchase caulk and seal these spaces and gaps yourself cheaply. You can also consider getting a professional inspection or even a waterproofing treatment to further prevent home water damage.

You can get professionals to locate and seal cracks as well, like those who specialize in waterproofing Newcastle.

4. Position Your Downspouts Properly

Poorly positioned downspouts can lead to water damage in basements when the water isn’t pushed away from your house’s foundation. So, instead of letting that water go down toward the bottom of your house, try turning them so the water drains outwards and away into your yard.

This usually means purchasing some supplies, digging a trench, and installing an extension. You’ll want to pay attention to your yard’s grading though so that the water does truly flow away.

You Can Prevent Basement Water Damage

While there’s no guarantee you’ll never experience water in the basement, you can implement these tips to gain some control over your home’s risk.

If you do still face flooding, you should contact a professional for basement water removal as soon as possible. You should also always have your homeowners’ insurance policy information handy so that you can make a claim if you experience basement water damage.

Our blog has other home improvement and maintenance content that can help. Go check out our other posts!