Foundation Water Damage: What to Do When It’s More Than Just a Basement Leak.

Damaged foundation

Water on expanding soil caused this basement wall to bow.

Bill Loden, a seasoned home inspector from Madison, AL tells Consumer Reports: “If there are 10 things that can go wrong with a house, 15 of them have to do with water.”

Having dealt with water intrusion problems for the past 20 years we know that he is not exaggerating.

Water can be especially hard on foundations because, being entirely or partially buried in wet soil, they are the areas of the house that are in constant contact with water. Rain water, if not properly controlled and diverted, can inflict an enormous amount of damage in a home’s foundation, sometimes compromising its structural integrity.

Water affects foundation in three main ways:

Hydrostatic Pressure:

It can cause more than just basement leaks. When the soil around the foundation is over saturated with water, the resulting hydrostatic pressure can push the walls inward, causing them to crack and bow. This can happen all of a sudden, during a period of heavy rains, or overtime.

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Are you Flood Smart?

This was the year in which many homeowners, especially in the Northeast, learned a tough lesson the hard way.

When it comes to flood safety, there is hardly a home in the U.S. that sits in an absolutely flood-free zone. And if the home happens to have a basement, it is not even a matter of if, but when the basement is going to flood. Mother nature is not the only one that can get it under water.

A single inch of water in a basement, especially in a finished one, can cause thousands of dollars in damages.

How much? This little calculator, from Floodsmart.gov, will give you an idea of just how much a flooded basement can cost.

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Recovering from a Basement Flood

One day, you go down in the basement after a heavy rain and find it under water. Your possessions soaking or drifting in the pool it now became.

You look at the picture with a mix of disbelief and dismay. It might take a minute before you become overwhelmed by worry, contemplating cleanup costs, losses, damages, the hard work ahead, the mess.

Will the furnace still work? How about the water heater?

You decide you need to do something, but you don’t know what or where to start. You need to call for help but doesn’t know who to call.

This article will give you a step-by-step guide to recovering from basement flooding and taking all the necessary steps to prevent that from happening again.

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Can You Afford a Wet Basement?

 

wet basement

A Wet Basement can be a huge financial burden

Your Wet Basement May Be Costing You More Money Than You Would Pay to Have it Fixed

Your basement is unsightly, unpleasant, and uncomfortable. It is dark, dingy and smells horribly. However, since you only use it to store some items or as a laundry room, you don’t really care much about how your
basement looks and feels like. You only go there when strictly necessary and rarely spend more than a few minutes in it.

Truth is that your cave-like basement is more than just an eye sore. It might be costing you a lot of money as well, and in more than one way.

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After it rains, basement waterproofers should be busy

This seems like common sense. If there has been a big rain or a lot of it, a basement waterproofing contractor should be busy. Right? Makes sense.

But what if a waterproofing company isn’t that busy after a rain? What does this mean?

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