Your gutter system is one of the most important parts of your home. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most common things that homeowners forget about until there’s a problem. Don’t let out of sight be out of mind – when your gutter isn’t functioning correctly, it could mean major damage! While waterproofing your basement is a good start, damaged gutters can affect your home’s siding and even the roof if not corrected in time.
Category: Seasonal Tips
How to Handle Water in the Basement After Heavy Rain
By: | Published April 30, 2021
Your basement is unique to the rest of your home due to the fact it’s surrounded by the ground. When it rains, the water doesn’t just sit above ground. The ground soaks it up thanks to gravity, and the water works its way below the surface. So now you can imagine your foundation being completely surrounded by not only the ground, but water. The good news is, you’re not the only one dealing with water in the basement after heavy rain. The bad news is that it is an issue, but we’ll show you how you can solve it!
Protect Your Home from Common Spring Water Damage Causes with These Outdoor Maintenance Tips
By: | Published March 30, 2021
The start of spring is a happy time for all. Warmer weather, sunny days, and a return to enjoying the outdoors whether away or just relaxing on a deck! However, spring can sometimes bring a bit too much spring – which means heavy rains and potential flooding. Homeowners should be ready to protect their home against common spring water damage causes. We can help you identify the easiest solutions to get ahead of so you can focus on enjoying the nicer weather!
Inspect Your Roof
Water enters your home either from above or below. While a large portion of homeowners experience surprise water damage from their foundation, it’s worth checking your roof to look for potential spring water damage risks.
An easy way to inspect the roof to find damaged, loose, or missing shingles is to use a pair of binoculars. If you see loose or broken shingles, fix those as soon as possible to protect your home from leaks. Check and repair breaks in the flashing seals around vent stacks and chimneys, too. Any gap in your roof can let water in which can lead to issues like mold.
While you’re checking your roof, you should also pay close attention to the gutters. It’s hard to overstate the value of gutters to protecting your home investment! They are one of the first lines of defense against rainwater
The decomposed leaves and twigs that nature leaves behind after winter may be worse than those in your gutter during the summer months. Pull leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house. Run a hose on the roof and check for proper drainage. If leaks exist, dry the area and use caulking or epoxy to seal the leak.
You can even look at adding extensions to downspouts to carry water away from your home’s foundation. This is important when your downspouts aren’t depositing gutter water far enough away. If your gutters are in perfect working condition but eject the water straight into the ground near your foundation, you may as well not have gutters at all!
Look for Foundation Cracks
A cracked foundation is often the result of frost heaves – soil movement caused by the freeze-thaw cycle – which can leave cracks in your basement walls and floor. Frost heave is particularly common in our area of Toledo, Ohio and the surrounding cities due to how unpredictable the weather can be throughout the winter and even into spring.
If the cracks are less than a nickel-width wide, you can take the following steps to minimize further damage:
- Replace the soil surrounding your foundation with more porous alternatives such as gravel and/or fill sand, which is a blend of sand, soil, and clay.
- Add a drainage system at the base of a foundation, like a French drain, to drain the water away.
- Dig top-level and subterranean reservoirs to redirect water away from your home’s foundation.
- Insulate your home’s foundation to minimize heat loss between the foundation and the surrounding soil. When heat transfers to the surrounding soil through foundation walls, it enhances the freeze-thaw cycle.
- Make sure your gutters are in good working order and drain rainwater at a sufficient distance away from your house – at least 6 to 8 feet.
If the cracks are large or extensive, have the foundation professionally inspected and repaired.
Replace Caulk & Weather Stripping Around Windows & Doors
Houses will frequently settle over time. This happens when the soil beneath the home shifts, often due to changing moisture when the area below or around the foundation experiences major intake of water. This settling can sometimes be identified by looking at door or window frames for unusual gaps that didn’t exist before – or look worse than they used to.
If the gap around a door or window is wider than a nickel, you need to reapply exterior caulk to keep your home energy bill down and the insects out. Check window-glazing putty, too, which seals glass into the window frame. You can add weather stripping around doors too, making sure that you can’t see any daylight from inside your home.
Take a Close Look at Your Driveway & Sidewalks for Cracks and Heaves
Broken concrete or asphalt is more than just an eyesore. It’s a tripping hazard that can lead to painful results. Fix any breakdown in concrete or asphalt before it worsens. You can patch or fill surface cracks, chips or flaking in concrete yourself using cement-repair products. For deeper cracks, settling or sunken concrete, or frost heaves, call a professional.
Evaluate Your Grading
Lawn grading isn’t something most homeowners think about that frequently. But you should! The ideal grading should start with a slope away from your home. Moisture that seeps into the ground still behaves similarly to how you might expect it to on the surface. If your grading is perfectly flat, or even worse, sloping into your foundation, you could be allowing extra moisture to start pressing against your foundation. This is a common cause of significant spring water damage to your home.
Small grading solutions can often be simple. For more serious ones, you may need a major regrading of the area – or you may want to look at investments like a full drainage system as part of a
new waterproofing system
What Is the Ideal Basement Humidity in Winter Weather?
By: | Published February 26, 2021
Winter here in the Midwest means cold weather, ice, and snow. While this can be great for winter sports like skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling, those dropping temperatures outside generally create dropping humidity levels inside.
Toxic House Syndrome Could Make Your Time at Home a Nightmare
By: | Published December 30, 2020
Your home is your refuge. It’s where your family is, your favorite things, and is where you return to rest every night. A home should be a space that’s safe for you, your family and even your pets! But millions across the world are affected by homes that may be worsening their health due to unseen threats that combine to create what is known as toxic house syndrome.
Is Basement Waterproofing Worth It? Absolutely – Here’s Why!
By: | Published August 31, 2020
Owning a home comes with many expenses – some planned, some unplanned. When it comes to protecting your foundation, you may wonder “is basement waterproofing worth it” or should you gamble and wait to repair issues as they happen?
Tips to Winterize Your Crawl Space & Basement
By: | Published October 29, 2018
There may be a few more warm days sprinkled here and there, but winter will be here before you can say, “Jack Frost.” Take advantage of the weather now and winterize crawl spaces and basements before the last leaves fall and snow starts accumulating.
Rainproof Your Home: Easy Rain Water Damage Prevention Tips
By: | Published October 5, 2018
Rain, rain, go away… away from your home’s foundation that is! While rain is important for crops, lawns, trees and flowers, it is just as important to keep rain away from entering your basement and ruining your home’s foundation.
The best way to prevent water damage is to inspect and correct seemingly small issues before they become big issues. One important way to do this is to rainproof your home. Let’s look at some easy rain water damage prevention tips.
Tips for Cleaning Mold Off Walls in Your Home
By: | Published August 4, 2017
When you find mold, it’s more than just an eyesore. It’s a health risk for you and your family. Your first instinct may be to clean it, but it’s important to know the proper way to handle it. In addition to the potential dangers mold and its spores, improperly cleaning mold off walls in your home will likely allow it to come right back. Read our guide on cleaning mold off walls like concrete, brick and drywall to learn the safest solutions for removing these invasive growths.
Safety First
Before you tackle your mold problem, you’ll want to wear some protective gear to prevent illness. Not all mold is inherently dangerous, but identifying which type of mold you have is usually more difficult than simply looking at it. Inhaling mold spores can cause anything from simple allergic responses to severe sickness – for you or your pets.
Your mold-busting gear should include:
- Breathing mask
- Goggles or protective eyewear
- Waterproof gloves
All of these will help you prevent unnecessary contact with your mold. In addition to protective equipment, we recommend opening windows and improved ventilation as you will be working with chemical cleaners.
How to Clean Mold off Walls
Before you clean the mold off your walls, make sure you know what type of wall you’ll be cleaning. You don’t want to cause more damage, and how you clean drywall will be different than how you clean a concrete wall:
Cleaning Mold Off Concrete or Brick Walls
If mold appears on concrete or brick walls, it’s very simple to clean it off, though it might be an indicator of a crack in your foundation. You will need to use a cleaning agent that is antimicrobial, which you can purchase at almost any hardware store or even make yourself. Once you’ve put on your protective equipment, simply scrub the moldy surface with the cleaner until it’s completely wiped away. Some specialized cleaners will have additional instructions – if you’re purchasing a cleaner from the store, make sure to follow its directions closely.
One way to reduce your chances of dealing with moisture problems in your stone or brick basement is DuraShield. These panels create a barrier against moisture, insulating your basement walls and giving it a finished look with no maintenance required.
Cleaning Mold Off Painted Walls
Mold is common in rooms that have a lot of moisture – like your bathroom or basement. Ideally, these rooms should be painted with water-resistant “wash-and-wear” type paint that will prevent mold from growing deeper than the surface. It also makes it easier to clean when you do spot growing mold.
If you plan to use store-bought mold remover, make sure the formula is mild enough to minimize any damage to your paint. It’s possible, based on the severity of the mold, that you may have to repaint or even replace part of the wall. With the mold remover and a rag or towel, spray the affected area and scrub the mold. You may have to do this multiple times. Afterwards, spray water on the area and wipe it with a new towel or rag to clear the surface of any remaining mold remover.
Cleaning Mold Off Unsealed Drywall
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to clean mold off unsealed drywall. Drywall is porous, which means the mold may be visible on the surface, but it’s also growing inside the pores. Without water-resistant paint, it’s very likely that by the time you notice the mold, it’s already inside the drywall too. You can look for mold by cutting inspections holes into the drywall. Remove the insulation and use a mirror to inspect the other side of the drywall.
If mold is growing on the insulation, it will need to be removed and replaced. Likewise, if you find that your drywall has mold beneath the surface, you will need to remove and replace it as well.
Unless you’re trained in mold remediation, the most you can do is temporarily reduce the overall mold growth by using a mold removing cleaner and scrubbing the visible mold away. You will need to contact your local mold experts for an inspection to discover the full scope of your mold damage. Even if you clean away all the mold, if it still has a source and some mold remains, it will continue to grow back.
Mold Encapsulation
Sometimes with porous surfaces, you will have trace amounts of mold that you can’t remove. If that’s the case, your only option may be mold encapsulation. To encapsulate mold, purchase a mold sealant and apply it to the mold after you’ve done everything to clean and scrub it away. This should be used as a last resort if the mold can’t be removed and the surface the mold is on cannot be replaced. If you think you need to do this, you should first contact a mold professional to make sure you don’t risk making the problem worse.
It’s often surfaces like brick or wood that will require encapsulation. Non-porous surfaces, or those that can be easily replaced like drywall should never need to be encapsulated.
DIY Mold Removal Cleaner
If you only see a small amount of mold and don’t want to purchase a mold remover, you can also create your own mold removal solution from common household products. The most common solution is simply a mixture of ¼ cup of bleach with 2 cups of warm water. Pour this combination into a spray bottle and it functions similarly to a store-bought cleaner.
Identifying the Source of the Mold
After you clean away any visible mold, it’s critical that you backtrack and find the source. Without correcting the cause of the mold, it’s guaranteed to come back.
The best way to fight mold is to prevent it
Prevent Frozen Pipes & Water in Your Basement During Winter Vacation
By: | Published December 21, 2016
Winter is back and so is that – dare we say it – polar vortex! We’ve already had our first taste of below-zero temperatures, which has many of us thinking about vacationing in a warmer climate. If you’re doing more than thinking about it – if you’re planning to take a trip away from home this season – you should take steps to protect your home by winterizing your plumbing.
Frozen pipes can be more than a temporary inconvenience. Left unchecked, a frozen pipe could burst, leading to significant water damage and creating an environment where mold can thrive. But by following simple winterizing steps, you can keep your plumbing intact despite the freezing temperatures.
Tip #1: Turn Off Your Water Supply
