Water in The Basement

The warm days of summer can lull anyone into a lazy haze. You’ll need to be careful if you’re living in the Midwest. With that summer heat comes a higher chance for severe thunderstorms. Those thunderstorms can put any unprotected basement at risk for water damage. 

Luckily, there are steps you can take to spot this damage before it takes and keep it out of your home. The contractors serving the Cleveland, OH, area can help you understand which waterproofing measures may suit your needs best. 

What Can Summer Weather Do to Your Home? 

The summers in Cleveland, OH, bring about a fairly standard array of Midwestern weather. You can expect the days to be hot all the way through September, where things will begin to taper off in preparation for a short fall. 

That said, the city that makes its home near Lake Erie exposes all the residents in the area to more rain than many of their other Midwestern cousins. As such, basements, crawl spaces, and foundations in the area can fall victim to water damage as summer sprinkles turn into downpours. 

The more water your foundation, basement, or crawl space ends up exposed to, the more likely it is that damage can appear throughout your home. The most common types of damage to appear, should your basement fall victim to heavy rains, include: 

• Cracked chimneys 
• Water damaged belongings 
• Gaps between your landscaping and your home 
• Cracks in your walls and near your windowsills 
• Sticking doors and warped door frames 

If you let damage in your basement go untreated for an extended period of time, you can rapidly find yourself contending not only with the above but with plummeting home value. While you can sell a home that’s fallen victim to basement water damage, you should be prepared to lose up to 30 percent of your home’s resale value should you fail to invest in repairs. 

Summer Damage: Signs to Look For 

There is some silver lining to the problem of a damp basement. The leaks that can put your basement’s structural integrity at risk tend to give themselves away. If you know what signs to look out for, you can respond to a leak before it has time to grow and cause significant damage throughout your home. 

The most obvious signs of damage throughout your basement can include: 

• Sticking doors 
• Fogging windows 
• Unpleasant smells 
• Dampness throughout your home 
• Basement water damage 
• Standing water 

Note that these signs can also indicate damage to your foundation or crawl space. It’s best to work with a professional to determine where a leak originates and what steps you can take to deal with it effectively. 

Dealing with Summer Damage 

Speaking of dealing with leaks: After you’ve discovered one, you’ll want to speak with the contractors in your area about the repair measures that’ll suit you best. The last thing you want to do is try and DIY a solution. While you can try, you risk making the problem worse and costing yourself more in repair fees in the long run. 

Instead, if you suspect you have a leak on your hands, you should reach out to the professionals. 

Together, you can clear standing water out of your basement and replace those damaged belongings the water got to before you could act. 

Your Potential Waterproofing Solutions 

The good news is that the contractors working out of the Cleveland, OH, area can help you install waterproofing solutions throughout your basement. With these solutions in place – and sometimes working in tandem – you can rest assured knowing your basement shouldn’t fall victim to the kind of damage that can drop the value of your property. 

The most effective waterproofing solutions to install in your basement can include: 

• Interior drains 
• Sump pumps 
• Dehumidifiers 
• Vapor barriers 

Don’t let the warm summer weather keep you from protecting your home. The foundation and basement repair professionals working out of Cleveland, OH, can come inspect your home. Once an expert from Ohio Basement Systems has done so, he will also provide you with a free quote on the services you need to keep everything in tip-top shape.