Should You Waterproof Your Home? Let’s Discuss Reasons to Keep Your Basement Dry this Winter.

If you’re a home owner, it is an incredibly scary moment to find water in any area of your home where it shouldn’t be. Water damage can happen at any time, and 98% of the basements in America will suffer from water damage or flooding at some point.

Why is it important to waterproof your home? Main reasons include health and safety for you and your family, but there are other reasons to keep your home as dry as possible. But regardless of how much waterproofing you do to your home, there are times when a professional restoration company will need to come in and repair the issues.

How can you prevent massive water damage to your home? Let’s talk about it below.

Why Waterproofing is So Important to Your Home Maintenance

When you initially waterproof your home, or ensure that your waterproofing is still in place, you are essentially verifying that your home is protected against the elements. We know that water in the wrong place in our homes is not good, but how bad can it really be to find a little water on the floor?

• ·The structure of your home may be in danger. If there is water in your basement, it had to come from somewhere. Typically, this means that the soil around your home’s foundation is saturated, and also prone to water seepage. This means that this water is pushing up against the sides of your home which effects the edges and joints – most commonly where the floor meets your walls.The issue with this is the fact that the water is hidden! You don’t know there is a problem until the water has caused walls to bow, foundations to crack, or even water to come into the home. By this time, the problem isn’t something that can be prevented, but instead must be repaired to prevent further damage.
• ·Protect your foundation. If you have a basement as part of the foundation, most likely it is made of concrete and it can be prone to cracking under the pressure of groundwater that presses against the thin floor. This can cause cracks and standing water. When this happens, it leads to mold and mildew, two things that can affect the health of you and your family! Repairing your home’s foundation can be a large undertaking, but professional waterproofing teams can assist with projects that may be too much work for do it yourself projects.
• ·Protect your health and the health of your family. We discussed the importance of keeping the moisture out of the home to prevent mold and mildew. How bad can a little mold be? The answer is incredibly bad. Mold growth may begin as early as 72 hours of water arriving in your home. Mold loves dark moist areas (like a basement!), and thrive in untreated areas. This area is perfect for harmful mold to grow and get into the vents of your home. Mold spores can cause asthma, breathing problems, infections, and much more. Once you spot a patch of mold, call in the professional mold removers right away. You may think that wiping away the stain and covering it with bleach will kill the mold issue, but the truth is, a professional has more tools and tricks to ensure that the mold is COMPLETELY removed, even from the areas that you can’t see.

How to Waterproof Your Home Against Flooding

We always recommend that a professional restoration team evaluate your home before you begin any work. It’s incredibly important to know what issues could potentially arise, and how to prevent them from turning into larger problems down the road. If you cannot bring in a professional to waterproof your basement, you can take the following steps to hold you over until the professionals arrive.

• ·Add in a floor drain and sump pump. A simple floor drain is perfect for a basement. This is located below the basement floor (get ready to do some digging if you haven’t already installed one of these!), and water that comes from the soil around your home is routed to this drain, rather than it accumulating into a puddle on your basement floor. A sump pump keeps water out before it even arrives, and if water does find its way into your basement, it will automatically remove it.
• ·Keep your gutters clean and well maintained. Gutters are something that need to be cleaned regularly. If you allow debris to gather in your gutters, rain and water have no where to go other than into your home. Typically, gutter cleaning should happen once a year, but you may be able to push it to bi-annual cleanings. While you’re removing the leaves from your gutters, verify that the drains are not too close to your home. If gutters cause water to drain against the foundation of your home, this can lead to basement flooding.
• ·Check your roof for leaks. This one seems a little obvious, but if you suspect water damage in your home, check your roof for leaks. If there is not an active leak in the roof, verify that there are no signs of leaks on the walls or the floor. Keeping your roof maintained is extremely important to keep out unwanted water.

Call Lamunyon Dry Out & Foundation Repair Today

At Lamunyon Dry Out & Foundation Repair, we serve the Topeka, Clay Center, and Wichita areas of Kansas and help with all of your waterproofing needs. We use many different techniques including a proprietary waterproofing system unlike others you will find in our area, installation of sump pumps, dehumidifiers, etc. and always customize our restoration services to your home’s needs.

We would love to assist you as your work to waterproof your home against the elements – contact us today for any water restoration needs.