What Never To Do With A Wet Basement
We often discuss how you should deal with a wet basement, giving you the best tips and insider tricks to keep your home dry. But there are a couple of things that you should never do when you find you have a leaky basement. Doing any one of these things can cause major problems, so make sure to avoid them all!
Let The Water Set
While you may hem and haw a little bit over other repairs in your home, a wet basement should never sit for longer than necessary. Whether you’ve simply found a leaky pipe or you have experienced severe flooding downstairs, the longer the water rests down there the worse the problem will become.
Even the smallest amounts of water will make their way into the cracks of your home’s walls and foundation, causing mold, mildew, attracting rodents, and making small cracks bigger and bigger. You must eliminate water as soon as you find it to minimize the potential damage it can cause.
Only Check Your Basement For Problem Areas
Yes, you may have a pipe that’s dripping in your basement or condensation in the guest shower. But you might also be experiencing wet basement issues because of factors found outside your home. Check to see if your gutters are clean and properly sweeping water away from your home’s foundation. Also take a look at the windows to determine if they are airtight. If not, you should seal the edges to prevent water from coming into the home.
Ignoring Drains
Basement drains are a handy way to get rid of water, but they still need to be cared for or else they, too, will clog. Make sure your drains are not blocked up. If you don’t, you could simply make matters worse by trying to drain water out of your home but then only creating another pool of water.
Doing It Yourself
It can be tempting to want to take care of your home all by yourself, but a wet basement is quite a different issue than wanting to repaint the outside of your home or adding a shed out back. A wet basement can mean severe and permanent damage to your home. Because of this, it’s always advised to hire a professional to handle further services. Drying out your home is one things, but trying to do much more than that without a professional’s opinion will likely end up costing you a lot of money, time, and give you little to show for it. Instead, hire a professional like AA Action Waterproofing to ensure the job gets done right the first time.