There is plenty that can be done right now to prevent your Idaho Falls, Idaho basement from flooding! The good news is that you probably wont have to spend much time or money to make it happen. Mostly, you want to keep water from gathering on the lawn next to your basement.
Here’s how to accomplish that:
• Clean your gutters along with downspouts. If they usually are clogged, the water will just run down the walls and stay near the home.
• Extend your downspouts faraway from the house by affixing the black, corrugated plastic pipe that one could get at any home improvement store. The pipes should extend no less than 10 feet away from the house or any other structures.
• Re-grade around the perimeter of your dwelling to promote positive drainage away from your foundation. You can shovel compacted soil on the below-grade walls to create no less than a two-inch-per-foot slope up against the foundation. You can then cover that soil with normal topsoil mix and mulch.
• Become especially careful of sites where two walls intersect, creating an inside corner (such as where your chimney meets your own home). These spots are notorious regarding water build up.
• If you do have a sump pump, make sure it’s working by opening the cover and pulling through to the float. You will then hear the electric motor running.
• Make certain the sump pump discharge pipe exiting your own home is extended far from your foundation walls to avoid having that same water infiltrate back in your foundation drainage. You can use the same type of plastic pipe that you simply used to extend the downspouts.
• Buy a backup power source on your sump pump. If you lose electricity in a storm, you can still make sure your water doesn’t rise through the foundation of your house.
• If you have outdoor steps leading right down to a basement, make sure the drain at the bottom of the steps is free from any blockage.
• If you have window wells that are below grade, remove any debris and purchase a plastic cover to keep rain and debris out.
If your Eastern Idaho basement does happen to end up flooding call 1ST RESPONSE Restoration immediately at 208-684-0201
(208) 684-0201