In the month of February, the combination of heavy rains and melting snow can saturate the soil. And for many homeowners, the wet ground can lead to moisture in their basements. This can manifest itself in musty basement odors, moisture on walls or outright water intrusion.
Wet basements can be cause for alarm, and remedying basement issues can be difficult and expensive. French drains, waterproofing materials, and other professionally-installed solutions may be necessary. But here’s the good news: The majority of moisture-related issues can be remedied in three simple, low cost steps.
The key to dry basements is obvious and simple – take steps to move water away from the home’s foundation. The easiest ways to do that are to clean gutters, extend downspouts, and check the grading around the foundation.
Cleaning gutters
Gutters are meant to capture water flowing from the roof, directing it into downspouts which will move the water away from the home. If gutters are clogged and the water can’t be directed into downspouts, it will sheet down over the edges of the gutters, accumulating right next to the foundation wall. That puddled water can then seep through the wall into the basement.
To avoid problems during wet winter months, clean out gutters in late November or early December, after the last autumn leaves have fallen.
Extending downspouts
Downspouts take water from the gutters and direct it away from the home, typically at the corners of the foundation. However, downspouts alone are poorly designed and don’t adequately achieve their goal of moving water away. The bottoms of typical downspouts are only located a few inches away from the home’s foundation.
Splash blocks, typically made of concrete, plastic or resin, are placed at the bottom of the downspout and can further direct water away from the home. But even with splash blocks, most of the water exiting the downspout remains within one to two feet of the home’s foundation wall.
Extending downspouts using corrugated pipe can carry water 6 to 8 feet further from the home’s foundation. These downspout extensions can easily be installed by a homeowner and can be placed on the ground. As a more elegant solution, they can be buried under the soil, terminating at an outlet in the yard.
Regrading soil
When a new home is built, the ground is excavated, the foundation is poured, and the soil is put back in place around the foundation. But in the years after the home is built, the soil compresses, and does so at a faster rate than undisturbed soil around it. As a result, around the perimeter of the home, the ground slopes toward the foundation. During rainfalls, this slope causes water to puddle around the exterior foundation wall, eventually seeping into the basement.
The obvious solution is to regrade, piling soil up against the foundation so that it directs rainwater away from the house. Clay soils are most preferred since they are less absorbent than other soils. The water more easily runs off rather than being absorbed into the ground.
In conclusion
If you’re detecting elevated levels of moisture in your basement or any instance of water intrusion, do check the three items mentioned above. You might find that with minimum effort and expense, properly maintaining gutters, downspouts, and soil grading can solve the problem much of the time.
It is possible that if these steps do not work, a more involved, professionally-installed solution might be required. But our recommendation is to try these simple steps first.
