This Post May Contain Affiliate Links
A basement is an excellent addition to any home, offering extra space for the kids to hang out, a home office, or even a games room. To keep your basement as a useable space, you will need to make sure that it is properly maintained. Basements have the potential to receive all sorts of damage caused by water if the rest of your home isn’t properly maintained.
Sump Pump
If your basement is lower than the water table, you will probably find that groundwater naturally finds its way into your basement. Obviously, this is something that you won’t want to leave, as it could eventually damage your home. In this situation, a sump pump is an ideal solution. A sump pump will pump away the water that has gathered in your basement, and allow you to drain it off elsewhere, where it won’t be able to cause any damage to your home. You will find that sump pump prices vary so you should be able to find one that suits both your needs and your budget.
Keep Your Gutters Clear
Cleaning your gutters may seem a little strange when talking about maintaining basements, especially as they are at opposite ends of the house. However, a blocked gutter can quickly cause problems throughout your home, and in particular in the basement. As the lowest point in your home, your basement is especially susceptible to damage from a blocked gutter, or from downpipe that’s not doing its job correctly.
Blocked gutters can cause water to leak down the side of your home instead of being channeled away from it along the gutter and then down through the downpipe. Over time water leaking down and gathering at ground level could penetrate through to your basement. Even if an actual leak doesn’t occur, if left unchecked it could lead to damp and mold forming on the walls of your basement. Damp and mildew are not only unpleasant to look at it, but they can also cause your basement to smell of damp, and the mold could spread to your furniture and other items in your basement. Black mold can be harmful to your health and can be responsible for a range of health problems, so avoiding mold forming by preventing the cause of it is the best course of action to take.
To prevent problems with your gutters, they will need to be cleaned at least once a year, and maybe more depending on how clogged they get. If trees surround your home, you will find that the guttering gets blocked up by leaves and twigs more quickly, so a more regular clean is a good idea.
Keep it Dry
Aside from water leaks, smaller amounts of water and moisture can also have an impact on your basement too. Make sure that you don’t dry your laundry in the basement, as this will add extra moisture to the air. If moisture still seems to be a problem, you may want to use a dehumidifier.
Leave a Reply