Carpet Cleaning in Minneapolis / St. Paul MN

Ways To Avoid Basement Flooding – Gutters and Grading

Basement flooding problems are best diagnosed by working your way down from the gutters and downspouts, to the lot and foundation drainage, and then to the sump system.

Gutters and Downspouts

Water pours off your roof into gutters, then into downspouts. If your gutters are full of debris they will overflow and dump water right next to your foundation. If the downspouts are dumping the water right beside your foundation, it drains directly to the drain tile and can easily overload your home’s drainage. Make sure downspouts extend at least six feet from your basement wall. Also, be sure the water does not drain toward your neighbour’s basement walls.

Clean debris from gutters regularly. If they overflow even when clean, replace them with larger size gutters and downspouts.

Lot Grading

If the land around your home slopes in toward the foundation, rainwater heads right for the drain tile around the basement and can overload your foundation drainage system. The land around many homes settles over time, and then slopes in toward the foundation. If your lot slopes inward, you’ll want to fill in and grade the lot so that, for at least six feet out from around the foundation, the land slopes away from your house. Be careful not to build up the grade above your homes siding.

Build up the ground around your house so that water drains away from your basement walls. Also, examine sidewalks, patios, decks and driveways. These can settle over time and cause water to drain back towards your basement walls.

Extend downspouts so that water flows away from your house and does not collect next to the basement walls and windows.

We hope these tips help keep your basement dry this spring.  Tomorrow we will talk about the sump pit system.

If you do have a water damage problem in your home call Green Clean Carpet.Care.Restoration. at 763-789-9600 for immediate assistance.  www.greencleancare.com