A basement leak is an inconvenient and troublesome problem. Whether a basement is springing its first leak or has been flooding repeatedly for years, homeowners with leaky basements face many obstacles:

Diagnostics:

A suggested first step is to determine the origin and location of the leak. Visible cracks or imperfections are good to note. Determining the source can help in diagnosing the cause of your basement flooding. Once a cause is determined, remediation and prevention can follow.

Material Damages:

Taking inventory of what has been damaged is an important step for homeowners. Often, possessions suffer enough to require replacement or repair. This can be costly for homeowners, especially those who rely on their basements for storage. In the worst cases, heirlooms, photos, and other irreplaceable items are susceptible to water damage, and the consequence of losing such items is immeasurable.

Clean Up:

Once exterior conditions have dried up, cleaning a flooded basement can require hours of labor and sometimes even a paid waste management solution. This can become costly and exhausting for the homeowners. Mold and other atmospheric dangers can become of further concern in the case of a leaking basement, which can skyrocket maintenance costs and cause discomfort or illness to residents.

Many homeowners are left to wonder when their basement will leak or flood again. The only way to eliminate this concern is to learn how to prevent further damage. The first step in prevention is to determine the cause of the leak.

Causes of Basement Water Leaks

• Foundation Cracks: Imperfections in the structural integrity of your home can invite ground-water from run-off, excessive rain, snowmelt, and local overflow into your home.
• Drainage Dysfunction: Saturated soil in your yard leaves water with nowhere to go. Water immobility can cause your basement walls to bow, crack, or buckle. Basements completely below-ground are especially susceptible to such damage.
• Hydrostatic pressure: Standing water essentially puts increased weight on your home’s foundation, which renders it more susceptible to future leaks and problems.
• Gutter Directivity: Some gutters direct rainwater too close to the foundation of the home, which will leave you with flooding and perpetuate your water problem.

Solutions to Basement Water Leaks

Controlling and properly managing water leaks in the basement is essential to protecting the structural integrity of your home. Consider the following solutions:

• Combat soil saturation and move water away from your home with professional landscaping solutions. This option may be costly for some homeowners and require permits and allowances from city zoning officials.
• Install a sump pump to force the motion of water away from your home. Sump pumps are a viable solution but require backup in case of a power outage.
• For best results, implement a Hydraway drainage system. Hydraway offers proven durability to keep your basement dry and damage-free. It’s 7 to 25 times more effective than its competitors with an 80 percent inflow, and it can withstand 11,000 pounds per square foot!
  
  

Intech Anchoring Systems can direct you in choosing products and services to fit your unique circumstances. Visit us at mdti.net or call 800-223-7015 today to schedule a consultation.