The basements of our homes are probably the only place in the house that is the most susceptible to water damage. Based on a study done by insurance companies, almost all homes experience water damage in the basement at some point, some more than others. The mail culprit is clogged and overflowing gutters which are caused by heavy rain.
Water in the basement can cause a lot of damage to your home. This problem doesn’t only promote mold growth and damage your walls or flooring, but it can also damage your other belongings and compromise the structural integrity of your house. But it’s not all that bad. The problem can be helped and water damage in the basement restored with professional service.
Overflowing gutters is the most common cause of water in the basement
Throughout the year, leaves, twigs and other types of debris can accumulate in your roof gutters and clogging them. When heavy rain season comes (like monsoon season in Arizona), the water cannot flow properly and the gutters start overflowing.
The overflowing rain water can then enter your basement through the foundation or tiny cracks in the walls. But this can all be avoided. Make sure that you regularly inspect the gutters throughout the year, to see if they are clogged. Especially pay attention to this if there’s a storm coming. It’s best to be prepared.
Damaged and leaking pipes
This is yet another common cause of water damage in your basement. Unfortunately, you cannot regularly maintain this like you can with the gutters, but you can check from time to time if there are signs of burst or leaky pipes.
Once you found the source of the problem and stopped the flooding, you need to make sure that the damage pipes are replaced or patched so that there’s no future risk of water damage in the basement of your home.
Backed-up sewage
Just like your gutters can get clogged from debris and leaves, the same can happen to your sewer drain. Of course, the reason for clogging won’t be leaves or twigs, but most likely hair from the shower, food bits from the kitchen sink etc.
If the clogging happens somewhere near your basement, the wastewater will start backing up and flow in the other direction, flooding the basement. Since wastewater is considered to be dirty water, it’s imperative that you handle this problem as soon as possible to minimize the risk of health problems caused by wastewater.
Excessive groundwater
Groundwater can also lead to water damage in the basement. Even though the majority of homes are designed with a drainage system that will prevent this, heavy rain can cause the groundwater level to rise and the drainage can’t handle it. This automatically leads to overflowing, flooding your basement with water through the foundation and walls, just like with overflowing gutters. To avoid this problem and minimize the risk, we recommend that you install a curtain drain in addition to your drainage system.
What do to when there’s water damage in the basement?
The first and most important thing you need to do is to turn the power of and unplug any electrical appliances you have in your home. Water and electricity don’t go together.
The next thing would be to try and salvage anything you can from the area that was affected by water damage. Your top priority should be important documents, valuable items and electronics. Items and belongings that you cannot salvage, you should throw them out.
Once you removed everything you can, you need to remove the water from the basement and dry the area. This can be a long and tedious process if you’re doing it on your own. So instead, you should contact a professional water damage restoration service that has the necessary tools, knowledge and skills to make this process quicker and safer.
