Basement Flooding

           I would like to give you a "head's up" on a realistic scenario befalling us in the next couple of days.

             What will be going on out there today can be the worst case scenario when it comes to basement leaks. The snow will be melting but the ground is frozen to a two to four inch depth, so the water has no place to perk into the ground.

            Where the real trouble lies is at the foundation wall. Over the years the soil next to this wall expands and contracts, leaving a gap between the settling soil and the wall, a virtual raceway down to the footing. And if that weren’t bad enough, the soil most likely has settled there, causing the dirt to slope back toward the wall. The laws of physics will cause this water, which has no place to go, to run down this crack and leak out into your basement where the wall and footing meet. Those of you on clay soils run an even greater threat.

            Telling you this now is only for information on what is going to happen. Like those on the Titanic, knowing why the ship is sinking didn’t help their dilemma, they were just a little more educated. Unfortunately, the same applies here, though without the possibility of death. This thawing is the worst case scenario, and will let you know if you have the possibility of a problem in this area. Tiling measures should be taken this spring or summer. I put on my web site the article I did on tiling, I hope it is helpful.

            What you can do now though is to make sure your sump pump is working. More people have been caught off guard because of a faulty pump; they were ready, just not operational.

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at NiemeyerLandscaping@Gmail.com or post a comment on this Blog. And like us on Facebook at Niemeyer Landscaping. For more Landscape and garden info check us out at www.NiemeyerLandscaping.com