Are April showers bringing water into your basement? Water in your basement can be an annoyance: It can put you on clean-up duty each time it rains, and it can prevent you from using your basement or parts of your basement as you’d like to. It can make your basement feel damp and smell musty. Water and your basement can go beyond an inconvenience, however. It can lead to mold growth and foundation damage that can be costly to reverse.
What’s causing that water leak?
To solve your basement water woes, you have to find the source of the problem. Most often, water leaks into a basement because of improper drainage. A home’s drainage system should cause water to flow away from the home each time it rains. If that’s not happening, the water pools against the foundation and seeps into the basement.
Very often when basements leak, the gutter system is to blame. When gutters aren’t functioning properly, they fail to keep water safely away from the base of your home. You’ll likely have to inspect your gutters to locate the source of the problem. Clogged gutters can overflow when it rains, dumping water directly against your home’s foundation.
Sagging gutters, cracked or damaged gutters can pose the same problem. It could be that the gutter system itself is flowing just fine. However, when the water flushes out of the downspouts, it might be pooling against your home. Downspouts should deposit water at least four to six feet away from your home.
How can you fix gutters to fix basement leaks?
If you determine that a failing gutter system is causing your basement flooding, it’s crucial to get the system working smoothly as soon as possible. Neglecting your gutters can damage your siding, soffits, and foundation, among other things. Clogged gutters are an easy enough fix; make sure you clean out your gutters at least twice a year to keep your gutters flowing. If you dread the task of cleaning your gutters, or if your heavily wooded lot makes leaves a constant problem for your gutters, you might want to consider installing gutter guards to keep debris out of gutters and prevent blockages.
Have you walk around your home and noticed that gutters are cracked, have holes or are sagging away from your home’s roof-line? If so, it could be time for a new set of gutters. Call in the professionals to have your gutter system evaluated. If the gutter system is flowing smoothly but water is being deposited too close to your home’s foundation, you can solve the problem with simple gutter extensions. In addition, you can have an underground drainage system installed to usher water away from your home’s foundation.
Are you ready to stop basement leaks? Call The Gutterman of TN!
If you’re sick of a wet basement or worried about the damage that water is causing to your home’s foundation? Call The Gutterman of TN! From replacing a failing gutter system with seamless gutters that will keep water safely away from your home’s foundation to installing gutter guards to prevent gutter clogs, The Gutterman can help you keep water away from your basement and protect your home’s foundation.