Maintenance
5 Steps to Preventing Basement Flooding
Before digging up your entire basement to install French drains there are several things you can do to your home to help your sump pump protect your foundation and basement from flooding. These are relatively easy projects and can be completed by most handy homeowners. These are our 5 top, mostly DIY, ideas for prevention.
Extend Your Downspouts
Extending your homes downspouts is perhaps the single most important thing to do to prevent basement flooding. By using a gutter hose and positioning it so that the water will run away from your home, you are moving a ton of water away from your foundation and eliminating the need for the extra work for your sump pump. This is a DIY job, if you want to keep it inexpensive and you don’t mind some above ground pipes. if you want a more professional, underground system, tied into a storm drain, dry well or leading to a natural swale on your property, Sump Pump Gurus can install a rain water management system to handle your gutter and sump pump discharge water.Installing a sump pump and/or French drain gives the water a path to drain, and be pumped away from your foundation relieving the pressure. While this is a great preventative measure, and will help prevent future damage if you already have hairline cracks, it should still be prepared.
Clean Your Gutters
After having a sump pump installed, you’re not quite done. The pump will remove unwanted water but you should be sure to clean out/check your gutters every spring and fall. Clogged gutters will allow water collected by your roof to pour over them onto your foundation, setting the stage for new problems in new areas. If you don’t have French drains, letting this water run down your foundation walls, could create the need for them or worse, cause foundation and settlement cracks.
Use Window-Well Covers
We highly recommend window-well covers on your basement windows. They can be inexpensive, standard sized from a big box home improvement store or custom fit units that are extremely durable and wind and water tight. Installing these will protect your home’s window-well drains from getting clogged, debris & leaves collecting and your wells filling up causing leaks and cracks from forming from water pressure.
Perform Proper Landscaping
Sometimes, basement waterproofing is as easy as looking at your yard. Your home should sit at the top with the yard slightly sloped down away from your home. If you’ve had problems with basement flooding, this is always the first place to look. If you notice it tends to slope toward your foundation, you can have it graded to do the opposite. Also, if you have landscape beds around your foundation, you can use a heavy mulch that will help absorb water when it rains. You can do this yourself with bags or truckloads of soil or leave it to a professional.
Patch Foundation Cracks
Most homes will have a few cracks here and there in the foundation, especially if your basement has flooded previously. If you see cracks, we suggest patching them ASAP with an epoxy injection kit or hydraulic cement readily available at most hardware stores.
If you don’t have a sump pump, and spent some time patching cracks, installing window-well covers, and extending downspouts, and still have water problems in your basement, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Sump Pump Gurus.
The pumps in your Downingtown basement are a vital part of your safe and clean home environment. If you have doubts about your pump’s performance, you can add an additional sump pump or a separate pump, (a backup sump pump, battery powered) in case of failure of your primary pump.
You can keep them running safely and properly with DIY maintenance or by contacting one of our team at Sump Pump Gurus in Downingtown. Our technicians are expertly trained and here to serve you. Call Sump Pump Gurus, we’re standing by to help you resolve your sump pump and sewage ejector pump problems.