With the changing colors of the leaves comes the colder weather, and more rain.

Here’s our best basement waterproofing tips to help you prevent water from leaking into your basement and keep it dry throughout the fall.

1. Clear Your Gutters and Downspouts of Debris

One of the main causes of water leaking into your basement is clogged gutters and downspouts. The clogging here makes the gutters overflow, leading to the development of puddles around your foundation.

When puddles form, the water will begin to slowly seep through any weaknesses or cracks in your basement walls and then collect in the basement. To avoid this, clear any debris in your gutters and downspouts to stop water collecting there. You can also use splash blocks or concrete gutters to extend your downspouts, so the water is directed away from your house.

2. Fix cracks in your foundation walls

As part of your regular home maintenance, it is essential to fix any cracks in your foundation walls. Any cracks provide an easy avenue for water to seep into your basement. By regularly checking for, and fixing any cracks, you can help avoid any future damage. You can use epoxy to fill these cracks and then apply sealers to make them more durable. Or even better, bring in the professionals to ensure a high-quality repair.

3. Keep your basement windows in good condition

Water may also find its way into your basement through the basement windows. In most cases, this will happen if the windows are not adequately sealed or they’re broken. Reseal the windows if necessary and repair broken windows asap. If the problem is due to your window wells filling during heavy rain, consider installing window well covers to stop this.

4. Grade your lot

The slope of your lot may also be the culprit if you find that your basement continually has leaks. Check if the land is sloping towards your house. If it is, this could be why water is seeping into the basement via your foundation, and any cracks. You can fix this by grading the lot to ensure that the land slopes away from the house so it doesn’t direct water to the foundation anymore.

5. Install a drainage system if needed.

Installing an interior or exterior drainage system can provide a long-lasting solution to basement water problems. The type of system you need will depend on your property. Interior drainage effectively directs water out of your basement and away from your home. Pipes under your floor collect the water and carry it to a sump pump or French drain which pumps the water away from your house.

If you have an issue with exterior water putting pressure on your foundation, you’ll need an external solution. Installing outdoor pumps or digging trenches are often effective techniques for draining this water

How we can help

Dealing with water in the basement can be a hard nut to crack especially if you have no idea how that water gets in. For the best results, call in basement waterproofing experts to identify the best solution for your basement. Call us today, for a free inspection.