Ground level gutter check

• Posted on October 15, 2015
• by mikew
• in Fix It & Use It
• No Comments.

My neighbor texted me the other day in the midst of one of those great Seattle rainfalls. They had water in their basement, the bedroom carpet was wet and they were desperate. I could empathize with their stress. Water is by far the biggest problem I see with basements. Crawlspace-owners do not feel the effects like us basement-owners do.

I was 99% sure of the cause so I immediately texted back for my neighbor to check on the gutter extensions and be sure the water was moving away from the home. They texted back minutes later confirming my suspicion and in minutes the problem source was fixed.

This reminds me that I need to do a ground level gutter check – best done in the rain and best repaired when dry. My gutters themselves are clear at the moment but I need to be sure the water is moving from the gutters down the extension (the tubes that run from the gutters to the ground at the corners of the home) and from there away from the home. My house has a combination of drains and splash blocks. I will be sure the extension joints are intact and not leaking. I will be sure the trays are sloped away from the home. I will make sure the drains are not backed up. I will look for leaks in my gutters. All of these problems will result in excess water saturating the soil next to my concrete foundation. Water is brilliant in its ability to find ways into basements and crawlspaces. Preventing it from loitering in pools by your home is the best solution for basement leaks.

Enough talking about this gutter check, I better go do it!