How To Avoid A Wet Basement: 4 Waterproofing Tips

When water seeps into your basement, it can cause major headaches, not to mention serious and costly damage. The water most often comes from rainfall and melting snow. It is important to take the necessary precautions to prevent water damage in your basement to keep your home and valuables safe. Check out these tips to avoid a wet basement:

1. Evaluate Downspouts: It’s also important to check your downspouts for any clogs when evaluating your gutter system. Also, make sure that downspouts are at least five feet away from your home, so water is properly diverted away from your home. This may involve the addition of downspout extenders.
2. Check the Interior: Check your walls and floors for cracks. If you believe that water is seeping in where the wall meets the floor, use cement to fill any gaps. Hydraulic cement can be mixed with water and applied at the base of your ceiling in an inverted “V” pattern.
3. Design you Landscape Accordingly: Make sure that your yard is sloping away from your foundation wall. Change the grade of your yard by adding soil until the grade is highest at the house’s perimeter. This will encourage water to runoff and away from your basement walls.
4. Gutter Systems: Most importantly, take a look at your gutter system. Gutters are important for diverting water away from your home. If your gutters are clogged, or failing in any way, this can lead to serious problems, such as a basement flooding. Therefore, it is important to clean out your gutters, to ensure there are no clogs. Installing gutter protection, such as LeafFilter’s micromesh system, will help prevent your gutters from clogging and eliminate the need to climb a ladder to maintain your gutter system.