Basements are one area of the house that is most susceptible to moisture and water damage. This is because they are generally below the grade of the house and surrounded by soil. There are many problems attached to this, such as toxins from mold, rotting of the foundations and poor air quality to name but a few.
While there are many ways to treat this, lets look at how to prevent water from entering the basement. To put it simply, diverting the water away from the houses foundation is one of the best ways to stop it. Some ways to do this are making sure your gutters and downspouts are installed correctly and are not blocked. Downspouts and gutters need to be positioned to drain as far away from the foundation as they can, ideally 10 feet away. They also need to be installed in such a way that water does not come back and start pooling around the foundation.
The house also needs to have the correct amount of slope (or grade) which would again prevent pooling around the foundation. If this is something you’ve noticed, there may need to be some evening out of certain areas.
If your home is situated at the base of a hill or incline, a good method to prevent water run off is to build small ditches known as swales. These will divert the water away from the house, ideally around 10 – 15 feet away. In this way the water will not be able to reach the foundations of the home.
From this simple discussion, its easy to see why stopping the water from reaching the houses foundation, is one of the best ways to prevent water in the basement.
