Successful basement waterproofing means dealing with the challenges brought by different seasons. Preparing for winter’s low temperatures, freezes, and thaws ahead of the cold weather is vital to keeping your basement dry.
Address Foundation Cracks
Foundation cracks allow unwanted water to seep into your basement. They can also cause structural damage to the rest of the building. Unfortunately, foundation cracks can quickly form or worsen in the winter.
While temperatures may remain cold overall, there will be some fluctuations—especially at the beginning and end of the season. Snow and ice melt when it’s warmer, then that water refreezes when temperatures drop again. When water freezes, it expands, causing or exacerbating foundation cracks. If this freeze/thaw cycle happens repeatedly, even small cracks can become significant.
Before winter fully sets in, you should check your foundation for any cracks or damage. Even if you have addressed this issue before, it’s always possible that new cracks have formed. Call your local basement waterproofing team to locate and fix any foundation cracks so your basement can make it through the winter undamaged.
Timely Gutter Cleaning
Although your gutters are not physically near your basement, they can play a big role in keeping your basement free of water. When working correctly, your gutters allow water—including melting ice—to flow through a downspout and away from your home.
When gutters are clogged, water and ice melt can overflow and drain directly towards your foundation. This leads to a higher likelihood of water seepage, water damage, or flooding.
You can avoid overflowing gutters by checking them regularly and removing leaves, twigs, and other debris, especially in the fall. Cleaning your gutters allows them to function properly and will help keep your basement dry as well.
Sump Pump Installation and Maintenance
A sump pump is an additional pump installed in your basement to sense and remove excess water before it makes it inside. If you don’t have a sump pump, installing one to deal with melting snow and ice from winter weather is a good idea.
If you do have one, it’s important to talk with your basement waterproofing team to ensure that it’s ready for winter weather. Just like any pipe, your sump pump discharge line can freeze in the winter.
If it freezes, your discharge line may be damaged. If the discharge line is compromised, the sump pump won’t be able to remove excess water and your basement may be in danger of water damage or flooding. This can be a major issue when winter snow and ice melt, as well as causing lasting problems throughout other seasons as well.
From insulating discharge lines to installing “anti-freeze” devices, there are a number of options to protect sump pump discharge lines from cold weather damage. Contact your local basement waterproofing team to find out the best solution for your property.
For assistance with wintertime basement waterproofing in Rochester and the surrounding region, call BelowDry Basement Waterproofing today! We are a local, family-owned company with over 15 years of experience and our team is ready to tackle any basement waterproofing problem you might encounter. We are fully licensed and insured and we offer outstanding customer service as well as 24/7 emergency support. BelowDry Basement Waterproofing—solving your wet basement problem for good!