How Water Seeps Into Your Basement

Around the Kansas City area, the spring weather typically brings torrential downpours that can lead to homeowner anxiety for fear of a wet and flooded basement. In Kansas City, during April on average, the rain falls for 9.4 days and regularly aggregates up to 3.71" of precipitation.

Let’s address How Water Seeps Into Your Basement so we can get a better understanding of how it happens, how to avoid it, warning signs to look for once it begins, and effective repair solutions. 

RELATED: 8 Warning Signs Of Water In Your Basement - https://www.piermagic.com/signs-of-water-in-your-basement 
 

How water seeps into your basement around the Kansas City area can be attributed to a variety of factors, including: 

Footing Drain Clog

As with any drain, over time they can become clogged with debris. A footing drain generally consists of a perforated 4-inch plastic, PVC or flexible ABS pipe installed underground around the perimeter of your home to keep water out. These typically have a filter fabric that keeps large particles of debris out, however smaller fine particles work their way through the fabric and can cause drainage issues over time. Once this happens hydrostatic pressure and build up can lead to basement water issues.

Hydrostatic Pressure

According to Basement Health Association , groundwater enters a basement through the floor slab or appears in an area known as the cove joint, which is where the floor and walls meet and is commonly referred to as hydrostatic pressure. (https://basementhealth.org/services/basement-waterproofing/) 

In the case of hydrostatic pressure, the water weighs more than 60 lbs. per cubic foot. In the case of a major rainstorm, the soil could be saturated with water. In this case a home’s foundation could have thousands of pounds of hydrostatic pressure building up against the foundation walls. At some point the water will work its way into the foundation walls through cracks. Around Kansas City during the Spring, some weeks it will rain for days and days. This will cause saturation, and ultimately you're at risk for water seeping into your basement. 

Soil Settlement Issues

Kansas City soil is expansive clay and without the proper foundation contractor, issues can occur quickly when a foundation is poured improperly. After the foundation is originally poured by the home builder, dirt is filled back in, and often times not compacted. The soil can settle very easily. As this happens the settlement can cause voids under the foundation walls. This can lead to foundation cracks, which ultimately allows water to seep through into the basement. 

Sloping

One critical aspect of water in your basement relies on the sloping. It’s important that water is able to travel away from your foundation by means of an acceptable slope. One way to test the slope is to take a walk around your property after a heavy rain. If you have spots with standing water, you should seek foundation repair expertise. If these puddling areas are near your foundation, the water will sit there much longer giving it ample opportunity to leak into your basement. 

So one might ask…. How can I repair this? Ask our team at PierMagic to provide a free estimate for this solution. Our crew will typically come in, assess the situation and ensure the ground around your house slopes away from your foundation for at least 2 or 3 feet. Our team can provide some solutions on how to do this cost effectively with a solid solution. 

RELATED: Article titled “How’s Your Slope?” https://www.polymagic.net/hows-your-slope/

Downspouts

Let’s explore another possibility on How Water Seeps Into Your Basement – through downspouts. As a homeowner, check your downspouts. They are a vehicle for transporting a lot of water away from your home and are key to leading the water away from the basement. Naturally, your roof is a water collector, so if you think about all of the water that hits your roof during a torrential downpour, you can appreciate the job of the downspouts as they channel that water down and away from the home. Simply buying and connecting downspout extensions will direct all that water further away from your foundation and is a miniscule expense. This will prevent further damage and water issues in your foundation and basement. 

Waterproof Barriers 

When the foundation damage is done, it’s too late for a temporary repair. It’s time to call in the experts for a permanent solution. At PierMagic®, we engineered our own waterproofing systems to keep water out of your basement permanently. Each situation is different and that’s the approach we choose to take. We examine what is causing the leak and recommend the best solution for each specific scenario. In a perfect world, every home’s foundation would have consistent moisture content in the soil. The way we obtain this goal is by installing a waterproof barrier around the home and replacing the soil with a footing drain and gravel. This will leave enough soil on top for vegetation and landscaping. The last thing you want is for water to gather around the home’s foundation and that is exactly what we will prevent. Our waterproofing barrier also removes the pressure on the foundation wall which will prevent the foundation from eventually shifting. If you allow the foundation to shift, even just a little, you are more likely to experience cracks. 

We hope you found this article how How Water Seeps Into Your Basement helpful as we are in the midst of the KC Spring weather. Let us know if we can help you in any way. We offer free assessments!