How Water Enters a Home and Basement
Freezing and thawing, settling, or even natural phenomena like tree roots can cause a home's foundation to warp and change.
Keeping a home dry shouldn't be a persistent effort, but there are many ways rainwater or other water sources can enter a home and cause flooding, especially in the basement. Homeowners must be aware of the ways basement flooding can happen to prevent flooding from occurring and to be fully prepared if it does.
Poor drainage
If a drain is shallow, heavy rainfall can drive in soil and cause silty or sandy buildup. If enough buildup enters the drain, it can create a compact obstacle that forces the water to flow around and out of the drain. Additionally, if there is a flat entrance to the front door, water that falls around the door may start seeping in under the doors and into the home.
Clogged gutters
Maintaining gutters is crucial to ensuring water doesn't inadvertently enter the home. Gutters should remain clear throughout the year to allow for the free flow of water. However, especially during the fall, gutters often become clogged with leaves. Regular inspections can help with this problem. Without proper gutter maintenance, water can overflow and run down the house's walls or come crashing down altogether, causing moisture in unusual areas.
Footings
Basement footing supports and protects the house's foundation, but water can easily seep in where there are cracks or gaps. The underside of the footing is also susceptible to cracks that allow water in. Additionally, the water around the foundation may shift in unusually cold temperatures, being pushed further into the foundation. The situation can quickly be exacerbated in locations with a high water table.
Floor and wall cracks
Freezing and thawing, settling, or even natural phenomena like tree roots can cause a home's foundation to warp and change. When this happens, cracks open up in walls and along the floor, allowing water to enter the basement unimpeded. If water pushes against the wall from the outside, this could lead to cracks, eventually allowing the water to seep in. Mortar joints in walls are the most common points of weakness for these situations.
Pipes
Basements usually serve as the point of entrance for a home's utilities. Cracked and leaking pipes can lead to flooding surprisingly quickly. Pipes must be carefully maintained to ensure no damage could eventually lead to a pipe bursting and causing a flood.
Sill plate
The sill plate forms the bottom horizontal connector to which vertical attachments are anchored. The sill plate's outside face is typically covered with siding and wall sheathing, but this covering can be subject to issues. Water can enter and slowly seep into the basement in the space between these materials.
Existing humidity
Humidity creates significant problems in basements. Warm air holds more water vapor than cold air. During summer, the air humidity in a basement is likely to rise. Since basements are warmer than the surrounding areas, the humid air condenses, leading to dampness in the basement. This causes mold over time and increases the difficulty of drying out a basement if flooding occurs.
Sump pump failures
Sump pumps help push water out of basements when needed but don't always work perfectly. Sometimes, the outlet hose becomes blocked, or the engine on the pump stalls. Many issues could cause the pump to malfunction, leading to flooding since there's no way to get the water out of the basement. If there is a particularly large amount of water, the pump can become overwhelmed, halting progress.
Fixing A flooded basement
There are some DIY tricks to temporarily fix the effects of moisture in a basement, but the problem needs to be repaired properly to resolve the issue completely. There are many ways that a basement or home interior can become flooded, so consulting an expert is always best for a proper diagnosis and solution.
Accurate Builders of the Chesapeake provide foundation, basement, and crawlspace installation and repair for the greater Baltimore area homeowners.
