If your basement leaks after heavy rainfall, don’t ignore it. Standing water can quickly lead to structural damage that will require costly repairs.
Many believe the source of foundation failure to be rising groundwater levels, but oftentimes hydrostatic pressure builds in the soil around your home’s foundation and causes issues.
Clogged Gutters
Clogged gutters can drain rainwater directly down your house’s walls and into its basement, particularly if the soil around its foundation slopes towards it. Water may even seep through porous concrete foundation or floor-wall joints into its watertight interior space.
Winter snowmelt often exceeds drainage capabilities and accumulates quickly into a mass that cannot drain into the soil, creating an ice dam which accumulates, freezes, and then creates leaks in its path.
Moisture in the basement poses both health and environmental risks, as it can damage furniture and stored items stored there, leading to mold growth and mildew growth. If water enters your basement after heavy rainstorm, turn off electricity and gas services before calling a waterproofing company to assess what the issue is and devise a plan of attack for its resolution.
Clogged Downspouts
Builders install drainage pipes and damp-proofing layers near a home’s foundation footing to catch any leaking water and direct it away from it, however these protections can become worn-out over time, leading to rainwater flooding back towards its source, creating hydrostatic pressure that forces moisture through basement walls.
Soil saturated with rainwater becomes more porous and expands, leading to hydrostatic pressure which in turn forces water through basement walls, often creating cracks or leaks in them.
Grading around a home’s foundation can also contribute to flooding during heavy rainfall. To reduce pooling of water near basement walls and avoid potential leakage issues, the land directly surrounding your foundation should have an outward slope that slopes away from it.
Foundation Cracks
As rainwater seeps into the ground, it raises the water table and exerts hydrostatic pressure against basement walls, which is compounded by cracks or weak spots in them. Without relief of this hydrostatic pressure, walls may bow inward and eventually crack requiring extensive foundation repair work to restore them back into their proper positions.
Good drainage is the cornerstone of preventing basement flooding during and after heavy rainstorms. Your yard must slope away from your foundation, while gutters and downspouts must be free from obstruction to avoid overflow. Window wells must drain freely without clogs to keep water from pooling around windows.
If unexpected puddles appear after heavy rainfall, seek professional advice immediately from home inspectors and structural engineers. If it turns out to be due to non-structural cracks rather than structural ones, waterproofing products such as C-channel wall anchors and carbon fiber wall straps could provide the solution.
Waterproofing
As soil becomes oversaturated around your house, hydrostatic pressure may exert force against its foundation walls, forcing water through any cracks in the floor or wall to create leakage in your basement floor and wall and into your living space.
Developers typically excavated soil to form a bowl shape before pouring a concrete foundation. Once complete, they then backfilled with looser, less dense dirt which doesn’t drain as quickly and absorbs water more rapidly than its hard counterpart.
If your basement leaks after heavy rainfall, it is crucial that it is addressed as quickly as possible in order to avoid mold growth, mildew growth and structural damage. Install a drainage system which works in conjunction with your sump pump in order to direct excess water away from the space and outside your home; additionally it would be wise to add waterproofing membranes in order to protect walls and floors from moisture damage.