Protecting Your Investment

A leak, of any form, is a homeowner’s nightmare. Repairing a leak typically involves damaging other aspects of the home (creating holes in walls in order to find and repair the leaks). These repairs can be expensive and inconvenient to a family’s everyday living. A leak in the home is a pain but a leak in a basement can become a tragedy. Leaks in the basement often go undetected for periods of time long enough to cause serious damage to the dwelling. A home is an individual or family’s greatest investment. The misfortune of an entire floor becoming flooded will ruin the value of your home. The best way to deal with water issues, leakage and waterproofing in a basement is to locate it, repair it or try to prevent the issue all together.

Sources Of Basement Leaks

Leaks in basements can come from various areas for various reasons. There isn’t a basement in existence that is 100% safe from water leakage whether through basement ceilings, walls, floors, and/or windows.

If the water damage is coming from outside, there is a simple way to determine exactly where the faulty area is located. Using a common garden hose, run a stream of water to saturate the soil around different areas of the house to find the leaks. (Or you can simply wait for rain)

Damage To The Home And Property

• Water damage and other leakage in basements create mold and/or mildew. Mold and mildew spores affect asthma and allergy symptoms in residents. Certain levels of mold are considered dangerous causing a dwelling to become inhabitable.
• Water damage can also ruin flooring and wall materials triggering needed repairs that can be expensive. This type of water damage also prevents necessary spaces like basements from being used effectively.
• Over time wet basements or basement walls can become structural liabilities if not resolved resulting in even worse damage to the rest of the home.

Ways To Prevent Leakage

• Caulking the Basement Window

Something as simple as caulking could solve your problem. If your windows have already been leaking for some time, the framing around the window could be damaged and rotting resulting in additional repairs being necessary.

• Install a Window Well

Consider window wells for your basement windows. A window well is a curved piece of steel insert with corrugated pipe that is used to block moisture from the window area when it is below grade level. It drains away water that enters the area. If you have a window well without gravel, you may want to consider adding gravel inside the well.

• Add A Window Well Cover

Over time, window wells can become clogged with leaves, dirt and even snow. They need to be cleaned out from time to time. Purchase window well covers to help decrease the amount of water and debris that enter the window well area. Do your research and consult a Steelway professional to find the right cover for your situation or repairs to your current covers.

Steelway Cellar Doors has the professionalism and skill necessary to help you protect your investment from water damage and leakage. Visit us today and preview our wide selection of window wells and covers and ask about our custom designs.