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!

But first, let’s start with why it’s so important to address this issue.

Why Should I Fix My Basement Leak?

A damp basement is often thought of as something we just have to put up with. Letting even a small leak in your basement during the rainy season can cause serious side effects not only in your basement, but throughout your home. When moisture levels become even slightly imbalanced, you could end up with mold growth, efflorescence, mildew, rusty appliances, and more. It’s safe to say you definitely need to take care of the issue with water ending up in your basement after rain.

What to Do If Your Basement Leaks When It Rains

Take a Look at Your Grading

No, we’re not talking about that report card that your child brought home. Proper grading is all about the slope of the ground around your home. A home’s grading is a natural, first line of defense when it comes to handling precipitation properly.

The best way to think about the grading around your home is to make sure gravity is on your side. If your grading is sloped toward your home, gravity will naturally take over and push water against your foundation which can cause basement leaks in heavy rain. When you have proper grading in place, you’ll have much better odds of allowing gravity to do what you need it to do…keep water away from your foundation.

Check Your Gutters and Downspouts

After you’ve ensured your grading is properly sloped away from your home’s foundation, you’ll want to take a look at your gutters and downspouts. Gutters and downspouts are key to ensuring the rainwater that falls is falling as far away from your home as possible. Properly working gutters and downspouts will keep the rain that the ground soaks up further away from your foundation, which in turn helps prevent your basement from leaking, even in a heavy rainfall.

When it comes to gutters you’ll want to start by making sure the water is flowing as it should. First, you need to keep your gutters from clogging. Just like the drainage pipes in your home, if gutters get clogged, you’ll have some serious water issues. You can test out the flow of the water and simulate rain by spraying a good amount of water from a hose onto your roof.

Once you’ve ensured a proper flow of water, you’ll want to be sure the downspouts are extended as far away from the foundation as possible. It’s a general recommendation you should have downspouts extended at least six feet away from the foundation of your home.

Again, the goal with gutters and downspouts is to keep the water from ever hitting near your foundation in the first place. The less moisture that reaches your foundation, the lower your risks of dealing with water in the basement after heavy rain!

Inspect Your Basement Walls and Floors for Cracks

A common cause of water in the basement after rain is due to a cracking foundation wall. Like a cup with a hole serves as useless for holding liquids, your foundation is useless for keeping water out of your basement if they’re cracked. Even a tiny hairline crack can be enough to cause serious issues, especially if you let it go.

If you do find cracks in your basement walls or floors, do not just put them off as being “part of every normal basement.” Yes, there are many causes when it comes to why your foundation is cracking, and they aren’t all related to water pressure. Regardless, a crack in your basement wall or floor is a weak spot that can lead to water in the basement after heavy rain

One of the scariest things about a cracking foundation is what you can’t see. On average, there are four times as many cracks on the outside of your foundation compared to the amount of cracks on the inside, or what you can see in your basement. This is due to the amount of pressure the outside of your foundation walls are under from the surrounding ground. When rain water is able to build up around your home’s foundation, it causes even more pressure, which can lead to more cracks.

An ideal solution to a cracked basement wall is a simple, yet effective, crack injection. The best repair method forces the bonding agent deep within the crack, ensuring no space goes unfilled. This is the best way to ensure water never slips through the cracks again.

If You’ve Fixed Everything You Can and You Still Have Water in the Basement After Heavy Rain…

Install a Professional Waterproofing System

A professional waterproofing system is the best way to ensure you never have to worry about your basement leaking when it rains again. If all else fails, you’ll have a system in place that controls the rain water in a way that keeps your foundation from being negatively affected by the rain and more importantly keeps your basement dry.

The best way to think about professional waterproofing is that it’s an investment. Many people wonder if basement waterproofing is even worth it. Like many other home improvement projects, basement waterproofing will surely increase the value of your home and get it off the market quicker if you decide to sell. More importantly, a professional waterproofing system will bring you and your family peace of mind. The system will serve as a permanent solution for keeping your basement from leaking when it rains.

Consider EverDry Toledo to Serve Your Home

No seriously, you won’t be disappointed. We’ve had more than 20,000 customers, many of whom dealing with water in their basement after heavy rain. We recieve calls nearly everyday from people in our area saying they need help because they’ve noticed their basement leaks when it rains.

The reason they call us? Because they know our basement waterproofing options are better than what anyone else can offer. On top of that, we offer a lifetime warranty for all of our customers, so they never have to worry about waterproofing ever again. We have an excellent reputation, but don’t just take it from us, hear what our customers had to say about their experience with EverDry, and read our Google reviews. Below is one of our customers, Stephen’s story.

“My basement was a swimming pool whenever it rained or we had a snow melt. It was coming in the walls and there was no stopping it. We called EverDry Toledo and the person who came to see us was very knowledgeable and supplied a number of options to solve the issue. We elected to have them go ahead with the best plan and the crew started the work soon afterwards. Frankly it was a mess as they had to trench the inside and outside of the house to put in new footers, drainage tiles and a sump pump. The crew worked efficiently and were god about communicating as the job went along. Since this was done. we have had no leakage at all… bone dry and even with the lake that forms in the back yard after heavy rain there is no sign of it getting into the house! I highly recommend EverDry Toledo! I have recommended them to neighbors and one of them is having work done this week!”
Stephen S.

Protect Your Home – Schedule a FREE Estimate for Your Waterproofing System

If your basement is leaking when it rains, EverDry Toledo can help with a FREE waterproofing estimate! We’ll help you find out if your home is at risk for water damage and which solutions will best serve you.

Contact us online to schedule an appointment or give us a call at (419) 469-5833 and schedule your inspection today!

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