April showers might bring May flowers, but they can also bring a wet basement. Rain and melting snow that can't soak into the ground — either because the ground is frozen or already waterlogged — flow to the lowest point.
So how do you make sure the lowest point isn't your basement?
Gutters and Downspouts
If your gutters are not properly sloped or are too small to handle the amount of water that flows into them, they overflow, depositing water right beside your foundation where it can leak into your basement. To check the slope of your gutters, use a hose to spray water into them — you can combine this step with your semi-annual gutter cleaning. If the water puddles in the gutter, it's sagging, which can lead to leaking and overflowing. While you are up there, make sure your gutters have not come loose, allowing water to drip down between the roof and the gutter. If your gutters are sagging or loose, you can re-hang them yourself, or get a professional to do the work.
Gutters need downspouts at least every 35 feet to prevent overflow in heavy rain. Downspouts have their own problems, especially ones that discharge into sewers or the ground. When these downspouts get blocked below ground, it almost guarantees a wet basement. A better arrangement is to have downspouts that drain onto your lawn, well away from your foundation, through a six-foot extension. Place the extensions away from walkways so no one trips over them and so discharged water doesn't create a slipping hazard when it freezes.
Make sure there is nothing blocking the inlet or outlet of your downspouts — use the water test, above. If they are blocked, you can often clear them by pushing the hose down them or using a plumber's snake. You might need to call a plumber to clear downspouts that go into the ground.
Window Wells
Window wells can also case a wet basement if they aren't properly built and maintained. A window well should be much deeper than the windowsill, and the ground around it should be graded to drain away from the window well. It should have a drainage system that connects either to the storm sewers or to the house's drainage tile, which is usually set below the foundation.
Keep window wells free of plants and other debris to prevent blockages. Adding a clear cover over a window well also helps keep out the water. If your window wells are blocked below the surface, you might need professional help to clear the pipe.
Grading
The slope of your lot — the grading — determines the direction water flows in your yard. If the land is sloping toward your home, you have a problem.
Check around your home to make sure the ground slopes in the right direction. Backfill — the earth used to fill in around the foundation during construction — tends to settle, so grading problems are fairly common. On average, the ground should slope away from your home at least 1 inch per foot for the first six feet (local or state building codes may vary). Be sure to check under your porch or deck. These areas are often poorly graded.
You can raise the grade of unpaved areas beside your home by adding a few bags of topsoil. Note that most codes require you to keep at least 6 inches of foundation showing between the ground and the house frame to prevent infestations of termites.
If the grading problem is with paved areas beside the house, solutions are much more expensive. You can inject concrete underneath the pavement — a process called mud-jacking — to raise the slope of the surface. Other options are to replace the pavement or add another layer of concrete on top to change the slope.
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