Why is my basement flooding?
So, you go downstairs to do laundry and you find a puddle of water on the floor. You check out your washer and find that nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. You look around your basement and can’t seem to figure out where the puddle has come from. You have someone else check out the area and they can’t seem to figure it out either. You try to ignore the puddle of water, but it seems to constantly be there every time you go downstairs and it seems to be getting bigger. What do you do? Call Master Lift Foundation Repair! When you call Master Lift Foundation Repair, we’re able to provide you with a free estimate of what’s going on with your home, whether it’s a foundation repair or waterproofing problem. When you find water in your basement with no clue how it got there it might be a much bigger problem than you even realize. There are many reasons that your basement might be flooding and to properly fix the problem you should call a professional to figure out what’s going on with your home. Master Lift is able to provide you with the assistance you need for foundation waterproofing. At Master Lift Foundation Repair, we offer many ways to waterproof your foundation with our many services. One of the ways to have waterproofed foundation is by having French drains and a waterproofing membrane installed. For more information on French drains read Everything You Need To Know About French Drain Systems and The Pros And Cons Of A French Drain System.
What’s Causing The Water Damage In My Home?
When you find your basement to be wet without any reason as to why, it’s a good idea to do some research and call a professional to come check out what’s going on with your foundation. Below are a few reasons that your basement could be wet, but we highly recommend calling a professional to come see what’s going on with your foundation. In addition, we also recommend having your foundation waterproofed so you can avoid any possible leaks and water damage. Basement flooding can happen at any time, especially in Oklahoma, which means you should prepare your home with foundation waterproofing to ensure you don’t have to pay more money to repair your home after water damage.
There are two ways your foundation can have water damage in it. First, pay attention to whether the water could be because of wet weather. Has it rained recently? Have there been any storms in the last few days? If not, then it could be a different type of issue with your own foundation that’s causing water damage in your basement. If the weather has been dry and there’s no sign of water coming in from outside, then it could be an interior issue.
Dry Weather
The two reasons for your basement having water damage are caused during dry weather. If the weather has been dry in the last few days when you noticed the water damage, then your basement might have water damage because of the two reasons listed below. Keep in mind, this is only during dry weather.
Failure Of Foundation Drainage
This occurrence generally happens more because of living in a lower area. If you live in an area that’s lower than the area around it, then gravity could have something to do with a failure of foundation drainage. When you live in a lower area a pump has to work all of the time to correctly keep the water at ground level to keep the water level lower than the basement floor. A failed foundation drainage is from disintegration overtime and when it begins to degrade, the area will not drain properly. This specific problem can also be attributed to wet weather as well if a pump is not working properly.
Failed Sanitary Lateral
A failed sanitary lateral occurs when the sanitary sewer level begins to disintegrate over time. Like everything that makes up your home, items begin to degrade over time and the sanitary sewer lateral is no different. When the sanitary lateral begins to degrade, items such as tree branches can poke holes into the lateral, which results in a backup or a collapse. When this happens, the water that infiltrates your basement is generally wastewater and should be fixed immediately. To avoid this issue have your lateral inspected at least every five years to ensure you don’t have to face a failed sanitary lateral.
Wet Weather
The two reasons listed below are caused due to wet weather. When you noticed the puddle was it raining outside around that time? If there was a huge storm and you came downstairs to find your basement flooded, then you could probably chalk it up to a wet weather problem. Wet weather problems for flooded basements will be treated differently and to avoid this issue you should consider foundation waterproofing.
Seepage
When it rains outside and the water tables rise, the water can begin to enter your basement through any cracks, holes, or pathways that flow into your basement. As your home gets older, you’ll begin to notice it settles and cracks, holes, and other areas of entry are created. When your home ages water can enter your home through many different ways. Even if your pipes and the foundation is new, you’re still liable to get water into your home because of cracks and holes.
Backed Up Sewer
When it rains a lot, storm sewer laterals can begin to get clogged up because of the excess water. Generally storm sewer systems are operated well, but when there is an overload of water, the system will get clogged and back up. When this occurs it’s because the sewers are full or because the flow is clogged up. You’ve probably noticed that when it rains a lot the water is unable to go down the sewer system and stays in the streets. This is because of a back up sewer.
For a free basement inspection contact the professionals at Master Lift Foundation Repair and we will send our staff engineer out for a free inspection. Tulsa - 918.398.6600 or Oklahoma City - 405.226.1456
