Have you ever come home and found your basement and the contents floating away? If so you know all about how badly water can damage your belongings and most importantly all about water damage restoration. There are many different reasons basements flood. Your job as a homeowner is to prevent water getting into your basement in the first place. Prevention is the key to prevent water damage.
The most likely reason your basement becomes flooded is due to natural causes. Rain, snow melt and flooding can all lead to rain coming in to your basement. In order to prevent this from being the source of your problems add an extra sump pump. It will cost far less than having to have water damage restoration completed in your basement. It is essential that you track the water flow away from your house. This is especially true when you live on or near a lake or river. If you are aware that a heavy rain is coming and that your home is prone to flooding another way to help is by adding sand bags to the homes foundation. This is really only in special cases that you know the rain and floods are coming. This is common with homes that are close to inland lakes and rivers in the spring season when snow is melting and the rains are heavy.
Another reason basements flood is because of the way the land around your home does not allow for penetration of the rain water. If the ground has a high water table level around your house the ground can be easily flooded. This causes the extra water to stay on the top of the lawn which could easily cause the water to flow towards the house and flood the basement. If this is the case for your home it is best to dig pathways away from your home to alleviate the gathering of water in your basement.
Another reason the puddles occur in the lawn around your home that could lead to a flood in your basement is from having an uneven yard. The best way to handle this is to make sure that any areas that are low lying are away from the home. It is also important to slope any areas around your home away from the foundation. This will prevent the water from running into the basement area of your home.
Gutters and downspouts are an important piece in directing rain water away from the base of your home. In order for them to continue to work properly you will need to keep them clean and free of debris. It is important that in the winter you keep the gutters free of ice damns to allow for water to freely move away from the house instead of building up creating an area that could puddle. Foundation cracks should be filled and gutters cleaned every six months to prevent and fix minor damage. Water seal paint can be found at most local stores and it is advisable to use it to seal the concrete blocks around the foundation.
Water damage restoration is expensive and time consuming. If water does get into your basement valuables and precious family heirlooms can be damaged. Preventing water from seeping into your basement in the first place is a lot easier, cheaper and less time consuming than dealing with the after math of water damage.