A wet basement will start to smell and feel nasty at some point. Besides, it can cause a lot of damage to the walls and floors of your house, damage the roofing, and encourage mold. While you can easily rid of some wet basements by just clearing gutters and diverting gutter away from the foundation, others usually give a much harder time. This is especially true if it is coming from some more serious sources. When this kind of situation happens, the action taken must be a very serious one.
As a result of this, this article will talk about five of the strategies you can use to keep water out of your basement.
- Installation or replacement of sump pump
One thing the major strategies that can be used to keep water out of your basement is installing or replacing a sump pump. A cast-iron sump pump can give proper protection against basement flooding. The most effective sump pump is the battery-powered one so you should get that.
In addition to this, you can also consider adding interior drainage as it is also known to be very effective when it comes to dealing with basement water issues.
- Pumping the water
Another thing that you could do to keep water out of your basement is pumping it. If you are not able to keep subsurface water out, you will need to channel it from inside. To be able to do this, you will have to saw around the perimeter of the floor a channel. You will then chip out the concrete and then lay perforated pipe inside the hole. Doing this allows the pipe to drain to a collection tank that is located in the basement of the low spot where you have a sump pump shooting out of the house.
- Basement waterproofing
Another thing that can be done to keep water out of your basement is basement waterproofing. When this is done, water will be impeded from over-flooding your basement. Water won’t be able to dribble into your basement through gaps or cracks anymore.
- Plugging the gaps
Sometimes, water enters through cracks around plumbing pipes. In that kind of situation, what you have to do is plug the openings with polyurethane caulk or hydraulic cement. This is something that you can do by yourself and it wouldn’t cost you much.
When you install an interior drainage system, it puts out the water. However, it won’t make the walls waterproof; hence, you will still need an exterior system. To do this, you will need to ensure the openings and gaps are plugged.
- Checking roof for damage
Lastly, you should consider checking your roof for damage. You should look for shingles that are missing or worn as well as other signs of possible damage that could occasion a roof leak.
If you follow the 5 strategies listed above, you will be able to keep water out of the basement of your home.