water damage repair is all about prevention. The goal is water diversion, as well as relieving the soil outside your foundation walls of hydrostatic pressure. Professionals are capable of installing a waterproofing system for your basement, but there are some ways you can use to add to the waterproofing of your space. The purpose of this article is to enlighten you on what you can do as a homeowner to waterproof your basement.
Preventing Hydrostatic Pressure
Homeowners, contrary to popular belief, can actually prevent hydrostatic pressure, which is the water buildup that’s in the soil next to foundation walls. This is the type of pressure that’s the major cause of foundation cracks. It also creates water seepage and leaks.
As a homeowner, you can fix the hydrostatic pressure problem by maintaining your gutters and downspouts. Make sure that you don’t let drain pipes or broken gutter dump water right at the soil that’s next to your home’s foundation. Also, keep grade sloping and landscaping away from your home’s foundation, as well as your yard’s drainage. The constant introduction of water will only weaken the components that make up the property’s foundation.
During the winter season, don’t allow snow to pile next to your home’s foundation. Come springtime, the snow will melt, which will then drain into the soil and create massive hydrostatic pressure. To sum it all up, do everything that you can in order to ensure that the soil that’s around your home is as dry as possible. If you do so, it will greatly help in the protection of your home and investment.
Inspect It Yourself
The biggest problems that arise in water damage start out to be minor issues. If small problems are caught early and fixed as soon as possible, they wouldn’t cost a homeowner a lot. What’s more, a minor problem can be given an easy fix. To avoid a major headache, we suggest you take the inspection of your basement waterproofing into your very own hands. Yes, we know you don’t have the eyes of an expert, but it doesn’t require a professional to catch small cracks and water stains.
If you catch even the smallest of cracks or stains before they become a massive crack or leak, you will be able to save yourself tens of thousands of dollars that you would have spent on hire professionals to fix your home’s foundation.
When performing the inspection, watch out for mold and mildew growth. Do you smell a musty odor anywhere within your basement? Does an area in your basement seem dank and wet? If you see any problem, then call a professional right away to take care of it. If you don’t, the problem will only escalate as it won’t go away if you leave it be. When it comes to DIY water damage restoration, always remember that you need to be smart in assessing your particular situation.