WHY DOES YOUR BASEMENT FLOOD DURING THE WINTER?

It's the thing every homeowner worries about - a basement flood! Floods can be destructive as well as expensive to fix. They can weaken the foundation of your house and ruin valuable property. A flood can happen in any home with a basement. So, to prevent a soggy disaster you need to take action. 

 Floods are a really big concern during the ice and winter season. Water damage can cause a flood in the basement even in winter. During winter, all the water storage was kept as ice, underground. As spring arrives, the ice thaws almost suddenly and causes basement flooding. 

Water damage can be caused by a lot of reasons like ice dams melting and leaking into buildings and damaging the walls. Flooding can cause a huge risk to your homes. From water overflowing to your foundation damage to damage in your electricity wirings. 

Here are some of the major reasons why does your basement flood during the winter -

1. Basement wall and floor cracks

It is commonplace to find a leak in your basement walls and floorings. Excessive moisture needs a place to escape. The cracks in walls and flooring are the best place to hide and then the moisture flows through the soil. That leads to pressure in the walls and causes flooding in the basement.

2. Basement heat

During winter, there is snow almost everywhere near your home. But, in your basement, there is heat. Which causes the snow to melt around your home and keep the moisture intact. But, the moisture has nowhere to go, so it flows through the cracks of the wall and leads to flooding. 

3. Sump Pump

Sump Pumps are designed to clear the water out in the basement and keep the basement dry. If your sump pump is not installed correctly, it will lead to storing damaged pipes and the water in the basement, and eventually, it will be flooded down there. 

4. Damaged pipes

One of the common reasons for flooding during winter is damaged pipes or burst pipes. Now, pipes bursting is a common result of poor plumbing. But, during winter, when the water freezes, the pipes expand and burst. That causes immediate leaking and leads to flooding. 

5. Type of soil

The type of soil around your house plays a huge role when it comes to flooding. Make sure you have the right type of soil around your home. The wrong soil will lead to flooding 

These are the most common reasons for flooding during winter. You can always take precautions or take remedies afterward. Here are some tips that you should follow immediately after flooding 

●      Basement flooding not only causes property damage, but it also takes a risk toll on your family members. The main point is don’t let anyone go down the basement if your basement does not have a circuit breaker. If your circuit breaker is not in your basement, shut your power off, immediately. 

●      After shutting the power off, you need to get the water out immediately. The sump pump has obviously;y failed, so you need to purchase a new one. Try to get the water out carefully with a mop and bucket. You need to do it as soon as possible, otherwise, molds have a chance to grow.

●      After getting the water out, you should get out all the wet equipment. Whether it's a couch or bookshelf or anything else. Place them in a place where they can dry. Rip up the carpet too. 

●      Then, dry the basement. You have to buy several fans or industrial blowers. You can hire professionals too at this point.

●      Call the professionals to prevent the growth of molds in the basement. Since dark and wet places are the suitable place for molds to grow, you have to take steps.

●      And lastly, to avoid future flooding, try to find out the cause and prevent it. Whether it’s because of the weather or any leakage. Take precautions beforehand. 

These are the primary steps you need to take care of right after the flooding. The next step should always be calling the professionals to clean up your basement after flood damage. They follow a several step process to clean the basement - 

●      Finding the cause

●      Informing the insurance company

●      Restoration beginning

●      Extraction of water

●      Restoration of the carpet

So, it’s quite clear that you will need flood damage repair professionals if you face the problem of flooding in your basement. If you need flood damage repair Santa Ana, you can find them by clicking the link below. 

CONCLUSION 

The above reasons are the primary causes why your basement floods during winter and the steps you should take to prevent you from any hassle. And, after the primary steps, you should hire professionals for the rest of the work, to make your basement more efficient, and repairing it will prevent you from future floods. 

To know more about the best flood repair in Orange County, follow the link. 

Author Bio:- Jacqueline Lewis

Jacqueline is a content marketing manager who formerly worked at Cali's Choice Plumbing & Restoration. She is a writer, editor, and content strategist for plumbing services. Making her knowledge and skills a power, she amplifies the readers’ knowledge about the ways of water leak and slab leak detection and their reciprocation. 

Through her articles, she shares the most successful tactics and strategies of slab leak repair, mitigating blockages through Hydro Jetting, and AC & heater installation tips to the audience.

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