How to Prevent Basement Water Problems in Munster, IN 46321
One of the sure signs of the arrival of spring in the Midwest, more reliable than robins, crocuses or Opening Day of baseball season, is water. Snow melts, rain falls and things get soggy for a while and all this moisture often leads to basement water problems in Munster, IN homes.
Obviously, there’s nothing much that can be done about the abundance of water outside homes in Munster but there’s plenty a home owner can do to prevent all that water from finding its way into the basement. A few simple precautions can eliminate a whole lot of trouble so who wouldn’t trade a few hours (and maybe a few bucks) of avoiding a problem for many days (and many dollars) of fixing it after it’s too late?
4 Ways to Prevent Basement Water Problems in Munster, IN Homes
The most common foundations in Munster (and the rest of northwest Indiana) are concrete block and it is common for seepage to occur through mortar joints or through the porous block itself. There are 4 simple ways that Munster homeowners can prevent this seepage in the spring or at any time of year. They’re nothing extraordinary – 3 of the 4 are just normal home maintenance.
- Keep Gutters Clean – Heavy spring rains beating on the roof means a lot of water has to go somewhere. On the average-sized Munster home, just one inch of rain means that the gutter system has to collect 1500 gallons of water and it can’t do the job if it’s full of leaves, pine needles or other debris. When all this water hits a gutter that can’t handle it, it has only one place to go and that’s to pour over the edge on to the ground below. Of course, this means that it gets absorbed right next to the foundation where it will, at best, find its way into the basement or, at worst, swell the soil and intensify pressure on foundation walls that can results in cracks and foundation movement.
- Extend Downspouts – The cleanest gutters in the entire state of Indiana won’t make much of a difference if the downspouts that drain them aren’t properly maintained and discharging in the right place. If downspouts are nothing more than straight pipes they are discharging all that water on the ground right next to the foundation. Downspout extensions that run at least 10 feet away from the foundation will carry water beyond the “zone of failure” and prevent over-saturated soil around it. Underground extensions will eliminate unsightly plastic “snakes” and ensure that the drainage system remains in place, safe from landscapers, kids playing and dogs being dogs.
- Cover Window Wells – Window wells are designed to let light and air into basements that would otherwise be dark and stuffy. In the proper size and design, they can also provide an emergency exit. Of course, window wells can collect rain water, so they must be equipped with a proper drain that can be connected to interior or exterior drain tile systems. Window wells that remain uncovered can also collect debris – leaves, dirt, trash, dead animals – that can clog or block the window well drain, creating yet another source of basement water problems in Munster homes. A properly fitted window well cover will eliminate debris and allow the window well to drain. One word of caution – the cheap plastic “bubbles” from the big box store are throwaways. Unless you want to replace your window well covers every year, invest in quality.
- Check Grade and Landscaping – A little beyond normal home maintenance, it still pays to make sure the lawn outside a foundation in Munster doesn’t have a “negative” grade – sloping toward the house. Grading problems are rare and can be a big job to fix. More common are planting beds and their raised borders that trap water around the foundation. These are generally an easy repair for a homeowner and can make a big difference in keeping the basement dry.
Preventing basement water problems in Munster isn’t always easy but it’s necessary to maintain a healthy, stable home. When a homeowner needs help in keeping their basement dry, they can turn to U.S. Waterproofing. We’ve been helping homeowners with their basement water problems for more than 55 years and many Munster homeowners are among our more than 300,000 satisfied customers. Why not ask for our free advice?
