Maintaining Your Basement to Minimize Water Damage

7/7/2020 (Permalink)

You don't want water getting into your basement.

Here in Western New York, we’ve already dealt our fair share of storms this year and we can expect to see even more once winter rolls around. Every time that there’s a storm, we get a huge influx of calls here at SERVPRO of West Seneca/Lancaster. Most of the time, these calls are about water damage in a basement.

Why do we see so much water damage in basements? Because water tends to flow to the lowest point it can find. If it can make its way into your basement, it will, causing not just flooding but structural damage and issues with mold as well.

How can you minimize the risk of water damage in your basement? Here are three tips.

Maintain Your Gutters

Your gutters are designed to keep water away from your house, but if they’re not maintained correctly, you can run into serious trouble. Clean your gutters regularly to ensure that they’re not clogged with leaves or other debris. Make sure gutters are attached properly to your house. Finally, run a hose on your roof to check for proper drainage and leaks.

Inspect and Replace Caulking

If your caulking is deteriorating, replace it. Scrape out any eroding caulk and then recaulk as needed. Caulk is sometimes all that stands between water outside your home and water in your basement.

Check Your Sump Pump

When’s the last time you checked on your sump pump? You may take for granted your sump pump’s ability to extract water from your basement, but if it is not properly maintained, it can fail when you need it most.

Testing your sump pump is easy – just remove the lid and slowly pour water down into the well. If your sump pump is working normally, it will turn on once the well is filled, complete a cycle and turn itself off. If that doesn’t happen, then you have a problem.

Of course, no matter how prepared you are, water damage can still happen. If you’re dealing with water damage in your basement, give us a call at 716-674-1103 – we’re here to help!