Cleaning up a flooded basement after rain seeps through your foundation walls can be your worst nightmare. It involves great work and can cost a significant amount of money to fix the damages and replace the items lost. Save yourself from this mess by taking these steps to prevent basement flooding.
Clean your roof's gutters. Ensure your gutters are free of leaves and debris. When they get blocked, they'll dump rain water against your foundation and increase the probability of your basement flooding.
Extend your downspouts. Protecting your basement from flooding entails making rain water drain as far away from your house as possible. One way of achieving this is by extending your downspouts at least 10 feet from your home. You can get plastic or metal downspout extensions at home improvement stores.
Re-grade around your house. Make sure the grade around your home slopes away from your house at a rate of at least one inch per foot. This will help drain water away from your house and prevent it from flowing back into your foundation and basement.
Check exterior foundation and basement for cracks. Fill all cracks in your foundation with epoxy. Apply masonry sealer to indoor cracks. If you come across serious damages, let a professional take care of them.
Ensure your sump pump is working. It's important to include a sump pump in your arsenal of flooding protection tools. Open its cover and pull up on the float to ensure it's in good working condition. You should hear the pump motor running. It's a good idea to have a backup power source for your sump pump.
Install window well covers. If your basement windows are at or below grade, you should install window well covers. They'll help in diverting water away from the framing and windows.
You can give yourself a greater peace of mind by purchasing flood insurance for your property. For more useful tips on preventing basement flooding, please contact us at Air Assurance. We've proudly served the Broken Arrow area since 1985.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Jana Guothova/Shutterstock”