Hello there!
Just a quick note in regard to the “atmosphere river” the Seattle area is experiencing, Loren and I are concerned about water intrusion into homes, especially basement leaking and flooding.
We received a recent note from one of our clients about a water intrusion issue they were having where water is getting into their basement. Such a bummer, but sadly is not uncommon in our area with heavy rains, but it prompted us to send out this email with some tips and resources in case you encounter water issues (apologies to those who don’t live in the PNW who are receiving this email).
What can you do to help you minimize the chance of this happening in your home during our very wet periods of rain?
- Start with the easy stuff and make sure to clear your gutters and the downspouts periodically. Also, keep your exterior drains clear. This includes the ones in the street near your home, and if you have driveway drains near your garage, or floor drains just outside your back/basement doors, these are big culprits so make sure they are clear and draining freely. When these drains back up, the water easily flows into your house.
- Next take a look at where the water from your gutter downspouts is going. It should flow away from your house, and not drain right next to your house’s foundation. You can cheaply purchase flexible downspout extenders to add to end of your downspouts and have them all drain at least 3-4 feet away from your house.
Ideally your downspouts should be draining into a round drain pipe that goes down into an underground perimeter drain system, but these can not be 100% trusted especially in older homes as these underground drains can get blocked over time. If you see water bubbling back up this drain pipe, it is blocked and not working. Get your downspout out of that drain, and divert it away from your house until you can have a contractor come out and assess your drainage needs.
Resources
For immediate clean up and drying:
- ServPro (they work with most (if not all) home insurance companies)
For follow-up to ServPro to fix the issue and prevent water from getting into your house:
R&R Foundation
We hope this helps you and your home have a nice, dry, and leak-free holiday season.