Water Penetration at Home

COMMON CAUSES OF WATER PENETRATION
The causes of water penetration can be minor, readily apparent and fairly easily corrected or, in some cases, hard to detect and correct. Common causes of water penetration include:

• No gutters or downspouts to handle the roof water run-off.
• Overflowing gutters or downspouts that discharge rainwater at the foundation.
• A property that is relatively flat or slopes toward the house allowing surface water to collect against the foundation walls.
• Run-off from the street flows unobstructed down the driveway of a house located below street level.
• A subgrade basement entryway or window well that lacks a drain or cover, or has a clogged drain.
• Surface drains, catch basins, or underground lines that are clogged, saturating the soil or sending water toward the house.
• High indoor humidity that leads to condensation (or sweating) on cool surfaces (walls, floors, water pipes).
• Groundwater level (water table) that is close to or above the level of the crawlspace or basement floor.
• Naturally occurring underground water flow.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
In developing a plan of action, it is important to address the cause of the condition and not the effect. You want to try and stop water before it seeps in and causes damage rather than trying to find ways to handle water after it has seeped through the foundation.

Due to the various factors that might be involved, a special program or plan of attack will need to be developed for each situation. The illustration shows some of the basic water management techniques available.

The best way to determine the cause of water penetration is to walk around the perimeter of your house after it has been raining heavily for several hours. Notice how the gutters and downspouts are handling the roof run-off. If there are no gutters, check to see if the roof run-off is accumulating at the foundation.

Also check to see if there is a flow of surface water toward the house. Armed with this basic information possible solutions can be developed.

We suggest you start with the following inexpensive remedies first:

• Add gutters and downspouts if lacking and if roof run-off doesn't drain freely away from the foundation.
• Clean out gutters and downspouts; repair leaking sections.
• Make sure downspouts terminate onto splash blocks or run into a leader that extends away from the foundation. If needed, pipe water to the curb or a storm sewer, if acceptable.
• Make sure the overall site and foundation grading is sloped away from the house and work on providing a good stand of grass. If necessary, add drains or swales on sloping areas to divert water flow away.
• If the foundation grading is flat or slopes toward the house, raise the grade (but not too close to the siding) so that it slopes 1-2 inches per foot for at least 3 feet from the foundation. Check any catch basins or underground drain lines, clean out as needed, and confirm water flow.
• Be certain that window wells are clean, drain quickly, and if needed have a plastic covers to shed water. A recessed basement entryway should have a working drain and, if necessary, a cover.
• If the driveway is below street level, installing a berm at the street will help minimize street run-off.
• If your basement tends to be damp, add a portable dehumidifier and run it when needed (which may be year round).
• If there is significant seepage, install a sump pit at the lowest level of the basement and pipe the discharge out and away from the foundation. If a pump exists, make sure it is set and working properly and discharges the water to a suitable point.

If the water penetration conditions subside after these steps, and seem to hold up after a full year of normal weather conditions, then a coat of quality waterproofing paint can be applied to interior foundation walls. First clean the walls of efflorescence, mildew, peeling paint, etc. and seal all joints, cracks and holes with a waterproof sealant. This paint coating will not hold back water, but should help control dampness.

The above steps should help improve most typical water penetration conditions. However, if the house is on the side of a hill, or water ponding occurs due to poor surface or soil drainage, or if there is a chronic water table problem, professional help will be required. Major work may include installing exterior and/or interior drains around the perimeter of the foundation. When contemplating work by a contractor, always obtain several estimates so that an informed decision can be made.

Remember, these tips are only general guidelines. Since each situation is different, contact a professional if you have questions about a specific issue. More home safety and maintenance information is available online at housemaster.com.

This information is provided for general guidance purposes only. Neither DBR Franchising, LLC nor the local HouseMaster® franchise warrants its accuracy and assumes no liability related to its use. Contact the local franchise office and/or qualified specialists for advice pertinent to your specific house or circumstances. © Copyright 2008 DBR. Each HouseMaster franchise is an independently owned and operated business. HouseMaster is a registered trademark of DBR Franchising, LLC.