How Does Water Leak into a Flooded Basement? (Part 3)
In Oakland, Macomb & Wayne County
Whether your basement is a finished recreational area – or simply a place you utilize for storage – keeping it dry is essential. Unfortunately, with Wayne County’s high water table and excessive amount of annual precipitation leaking and flooded basements occur frequently.
To protect your basement from water, every homeowner should know the common entry points of water into a basement. This 3 part article discusses the reasons your basement may be leaking water or prone to flooding.
Causes of Flooded Basements & Leaks:
(10.) Sump Pump Failure Flooding Basements
Unfortunately, sump pumps don’t last forever – and sump pump failure can cause basement leaks and flooding. Some common reasons of sump pump failure are: power outages, improper installation, lack of regular maintenance, and frozen or clogged discharge lines. Sump pumps can also simply “wear out” due to age.
(11.) Floor Drain Clogs Causing Basement Flooding
Several conditions can cause a home’s floor drains to clog – resulting in a flooded basement. Sewer water from a clog in your home’s sewer line or in the municipal sewer line can cause sewer systems to back up into your home’s drain system. This can result in water coming up through floor drains in the lower levels of your home.
In most cases municipal drain clogs are beyond your control. However, a putting waterproofing system in place that is designed to properly filter out water and drain it away from the home can help protect against floor drain clogs resulting from municipal sources.
(12.) Basement Floor & Wall Joint Leakage
When a basement foundation is dug and poured, an unsecured bond between the footing of the basement and the basement walls results.
The footing is a thick slab of concrete that defines the outer perimeter of a basement and supports the basement walls. Once the footing has cured, the foundation walls are poured.
When the footing concrete is poured into a wooden form, it creates a channel or “keyway”. When the walls are then poured, the new wet concrete fills up the keyway to “lock” the foundation wall into the footing.
This means that the footer and the walls of the basement are actually two separate pieces, which results in space between the floor and wall joint for water to pass through when under pressure.
(13.) Basement Flooding from Plugged Drain Tile
In older homes, drain tiles were typically made from clay crocks that were wrapped in felt roofing paper. Over time this system can degrade, dislodge and be vulnerable to failure – resulting in basement leaks and flooding.
In newer homes, drain tile made from perforated plastic piping wraps around the perimeter of your basement. The tile is wrapped in a cloth sock and then surrounded with pea gravel. Although this system is supposed to be quite durable, it can still collapse or be damaged by outside forces like tree roots.
Flooded Basement Cleanup in Macomb, Oakland & Wayne County
No matter what the underlying problem that has caused your basement leak or flooded basement, we will clean up the flood water rapidly and hygienically – restoring your wet or flooded basement to it’s original dry and sanitary condition. Our trained professionals can also help you identify the cause(s) of the flooding and repair any underlying issues so you do not experience any more basement flooding or leaking in the future!
