Water damaged basements

There are not many things that are as upsetting to someone than showing up at home and finding a water damaged basement, or getting to the ground level and stumbling upon water damage all around and feeling helpless. The damage can be quite extensive ranging from wet carpets or worse, damaged hardwood floors and water damaged walls. Soaked belongings can likewise be destroyed particularly if the water damage has been going on a long time prior to being found and valuable items like family heirlooms and photo albums will just make matters worse. But knowing the causes of wet basements and how to prevent water damage can help avoid this frustration.

In order to fix a basement that’s suffered water damage and prevent it from occurring again it’s it imperative to know where the water came from in the first place. When water damaged basements occur for the first time, it is important to work out if the water issues are going to happen again or whether it was a one-off occurance. Essential to solving this question is determining where the water is coming from. In and around Sacramento and other built up cities there are four common sources of water that can cause basement damage, firstly surface water running down foundation walls and then into the basement. Groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure can also cause major issues. Storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system can back up into the home’s existing perimeter foundation drain and leak into the basement. Although this can only happen if the perimeter foundations drain system is connected to the municipal sewer system. Lastly sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home’s drain system, can cause sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.

To help eliminate, or at least reduce the risk of water damage due to water entering the basement follow these handy tips:

• Water found in basements and under a house can be indicative of a plumbing leak or unacceptable drainage, which can result in structural issues and mold problems which could force the fact that amold removal expert needing to be hired.
• Check your gutters frequently and clean any debris you find to prevent clogs.
• If your home is in an area with a lot of trees that loose their leaves, purchasing gutter guards could be a time saving investment.
• Your downspouts should protrude several feet out from your homes foundation in order to carry rain water away from your house. If they don’t, you can purchase extensions that attach to your downspouts.
• Check where the gutters meet the stucco on the outside of you home, sometimes builders don’t stucco behind the gutter end piece correctly and water could be pouring into your home without you knowing.
• Fill in any low spots around the house and amend any cracked paved areas or paving that slopes towards the house so water drains away from the foundation.
• Inspect door and windows for cracked or missing caulking and replace as needed.
• Check for damage or deterioration around the flashing at chimneys, skylights, vents and other junctions.
• Check the grade of the earth around the house to determine if it slopes towards or away from the house as that may be the source of the water? If they do slope towards the house, an engineer may need to be called to evaluate the situation and come up with an appropriate solutions.
• Investigate your gardens irrigation systems to make sure you are not over watering and causing excessive run-off towards the foundations? Avoid placing lawn irrigation next to the house.