Improving Your Gutter System is Quick & Easy Solution
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The most common cause of basement and crawl space moisture is rainwater or melted snow that isn’t routed away from the house. If you find wet basement walls and floors right after a storm, then the problem is most likely runoff. Runoff gathers at the base of the foundation and seeps through cracks in the walls and footings.
Identify the Cause of the Flooding
After a big storm, walk around your house and note where there are any pools of water. If there are big puddles near the foundation then there is a problem with runoff. Check to see if any downspout seams are leaking. Look at how the ground slopes. It should slope away from your house at least 1 inch vertically. Next, look for unsealed cracks on the driveway. This could be another way water is collecting below grade. Look at the driveway curbs to see that they are routing the water to the street.
Solutions For Wet-Basement Problems
Patch cracks in the foundation, driveway and cover window wells
Look for cracks where the basement floor meets the walls and under windows and doors. Seal basement walls with masonry caulk or hydraulic cement. Patch cracks in the driveway with an asphalt patching compound. Cover window wells with clear plastic covers which keep water out but still let light in.
Improve Gutter System
Extend downspouts at least 4 ft. away from the house and install a splash block to help disperse the water. Another option is to drain the rainwater from gutters into a dry well – a gravel-lined hole or a tank that filters out the water slowly into the ground. Install the dry well in a 3 foot deep hold at least 10 feet from the house. Cover it with soil and place a plant on top to mark the location should you ever need to fix it. Maintain your gutters. Repair any leaking seams in your gutters or invest in seamless gutters which are virtually leak proof. Clean gutters so they don’t clog and overflow or install gutter guards or leaf screens.
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Regrade the Landscape
Whether it is from the street or from the way a driveway or walkway is pitched, if rainwater is running toward the foundation, it needs to be redirected. Regrading around the foundation is one way to fix that. Ideally the ground should slope away from the house at least ½-inch per foot and be at least 8 inches away from any siding or wood trim.
Install Interior Drains
For extreme cases when flooding is caused by a high water table pushing against the foundation from below and grading or gutter work hasn’t solved the problem, homeowners may need to install interior gutter systems that catch basement water and channel it to sump pumps, floor drains or French drains.
