Basement Flooding: Protecting Your Basement from Flooding
Basement Flooding: Protecting Your Basement from Flooding–
Basement flood damage can be mitigated by taking some precautionary measures. Here are some steps you can take to help protect the basement in your home:
Exterior of Your Home:
- Ensure the ground slopes away from your home on all sides, including patios and walkways.
- If grade cannot easily be altered, consider installing swales, berms or drains on the upslope side of your home that will capture and divert surface and ground water away from your foundation.
- If your driveway slopes towards your home, make sure there is a drain near its lower edge that captures and diverts water away from the foundation.
- Annually clean and inspect gutters and downspouts and ensure downspouts extend at least 6 feet away from the foundation, preferably onto a splash pad.
- For downspouts tied in to underground lines, ensure the drain lines are clear and free of debris.
- Ensure basement window wells and doors have watertight seals and that window wells remain clear of debris and leaf litter that could block drains.
- Consider installing covers over window wells to keep them clean and dry. Clear plastic covers are available at most home center stores.
- Trim dense shrubs and plants in close proximity to your home so the soil is exposed to sunlight and able to dry.
- Make sure garden borders, debris or mulch do not create dams that hold surface water next to the house.
- Look for cracks in your foundation wall and have a contractor professionally seal or repair any that might allow moisture to penetrate in to the basement.
- Look for voids, depressions or other evidence of soil settlement near your foundation that might allow water to pool, and fill these areas with solid compactable soil, like clay, so that there is a constant slope away from the foundation.
- If you are in an area with a high water table consider flood-proofing your basement by sealing the exterior surface or installing footing drains.
Interior of Your Home:
- Install, maintain and service sump pumps annually & ensure all pump discharges are clear and downslope from the home. Having multiple pumps is preferable to relying on a single pump.
- Consider a back-up power supply such as a battery back-up or generator, so your pump will continue to operate during power outages commonly associated with severe weather events.
- Consider installing a high water alarm on your sump pump that will notify you and your alarm company if the pump fails to keep pace with rising water, before it reaches finished surfaces.
- Consider purchasing a portable emergency pump with a minimum 20 gpm capacity and sufficient discharge hose to reach well downslope of your home.
- Contact your local fire department to find out if they have a pump-out policy – many jurisdictions do.
- At least twice per year and before the winter/wet season, test the sump pump to ensure it is operational.
- Elevate all valuable contents in your basement above the floor level.
- Consider installing a back-flow check valve on any basement sewer lines to prevent back-up of sewer if municipal sewer systems become overwhelmed.
- Consider installing an automatic water shut-off device that will detect plumbing leaks and close the main water supply line valve.
- Ensure all basement drains are clear and free of debris.