June 28, 2019

Summer is in full swing here in Upstate New York and even though we associate this time of year with hot, sunny days, it also can be a time of heavy rain.  Long stretches of dry days followed by a heavy rainfall can cause pooling in your yard if the soil is too dry to absorb water, which then can cause issues in your basement.  Furthermore, if you haven’t taken the proper measures to prepare your foundation for potential water entry, you could experience serious issues. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent water from entering your home, so you should be sure to:

• Extend your drain pipes on the exterior of your home to navigate water away from the foundation

• Continuously clean out your gutters so water doesn't pool and can run out smoothly

• Consider investing in window well covers to discourage water from pooling inside the wells

• Be sure the soil surrounding window wells is at least an inch below the rim so it doesn't flood over

• Add additional soil to any spots that have become oversaturated

• Increase the slope of the soil around your foundation so runoff can flow away from the walls

If you do find that your home has water in it, be sure to contact a professional to assess the severity of the flooding.