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Does your basement or crawlspace resemble a swimming pool in the winter? Heavy winter precipitation is a real threat to basements and crawlspaces in many parts of the country. The problem is this: Rainwater or snowmelt spills off the roof, pours down gutters and downspouts, and saturates the ground. Eventually, water pressure builds in the ground and squeezes water through foundation or slab cracks. The result is a flooded crawlspace or basement.
The best first step toward solving this problem is to control water flow off of your home’s roof, gutters, and siding. Another important step is to seal up or repair cracks in your home’s foundation walls or slab.
If, despite diverting water flow and sealing up cracks and fissures, water continues to pool in your basement or crawlspace, you have a couple of options. One is to consult a basement waterproofing contractor about how waterproofing or new drainage systems might solve the problem. This can be very expensive, so get two or three bids.
Another option is to automatically expel the water from the basement before it has a chance to collect with the aid of a sump pump. A sump pump system utilizes drain rock and tile along the foundation and/or under the floor to collect groundwater. Drain tile carries the water to a basin buried at the low point of the basement floor. When water fills this basin, or “sump tank,” to a certain level, a pump turns on. This pump, which is partially or completely submerged in the basin, discharges the water away from the house or into a sewer through a hose.
Depending upon where and when your house was built, it may already have a sump pump. If you’re unsure about whether or not your home does, look in the basement for a heavy cover with a discharge pipe sticking out of the top (it’s usually at the lowest point of the floor). If you can’t find one and basement water is a severe problem, seriously consider installing one.
If a damp crawlspace is the extent of your home’s moisture problems, make sure that none of the foundation vents are blocked—improper ventilation can cause chronic dampness.
To kill mold or mildew, mix about 3/4 cup bleach with 1 gallon of water in a clean garden-style sprayer, and, wearing old clothing, goggles, and a respirator, spray the area (don’t breathe in the spray). Following application, wipe off the mildew with a rag, or scrub with a brush, if necessary. Then spread 6-mil polyethylene (plastic sheeting) across the dirt area so that it reaches up to the top of each foundation wall and staple it to the mud sills. Be sure to cut it away at foundation vents and openings so it doesn’t block airflow.
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