Basements offer numerous advantages to the home. They offer extra storage space as well as a shelter during dangerous weather conditions like tornadoes. People who live in the tornado alley especially benefit from having a basement. However, basements can also be dark, dank places that tend to gather moisture and get wet, which can lead to mold and other unfavorable conditions. If you want to know how to keep your basement dry, try a few of these tips before hiring a basement waterproofing company.


Install Good Gutters


Most basements become wet because the soil around the house begins to collect too much water. The solution to fixing this problem is simple. You need to install good gutters so that the water can better drain from the soil. This will help prevent it from gathering in your basement and creating you an unwanted indoor pool.


Drainage from the roof is the number one cause of wet basements. During heavy rainstorms, the roof tends to gather much water because it is as large as the house. Good gutters will help keep the water from going to the foundation of your home where it can cause basement leakage. A good rule of thumb is that gutters should have one downspout, at the least, for each 600 to 800 square feet of roof surface.Gutters must also be kept clean because when they become dirty and bogged down with leaves, birds' nests, and other debris, the water will not drain from them properly. Instead it will fill up in the gutters and begin to overflow, falling straight down to the foundation of your home, directly affecting your basement. Also, the ends of the gutter downspouts should be extended four to six feet from the edge of your foundation to allow for proper drainage. If they are any closer to your home than four feet, they are not serving their purpose. Rather, they are simply channeling the water directly onto the foundation right into your basement.


PVC Plumbing Pipes


Some local building laws permit you to channel roof drainage underground to the streets or other low-lying areas via PVC plumbing pipes. If your local laws allow for this, this is by far the best way to dispense of roof drainage. Only solid PVC plumbing pipes should be used for this, though. You should not attempt to use the soft, flexible pipe that landscapers frequently use around flower beds and the like because such pipe is more easily crushed and cannot be snaked clean like PVC plumbing pipes can.


The Angle of Soil around the Home


The angle of the soil around your home also affects how well the water drains from around your foundation. Soil should be sloping away from the house to allow for rainfall to drain down away from the foundation. If soil is completely even with the home, then it will collect against the foundation walls and cause basement leakage.If you need to improve the grading around your house, do not simply use topsoil or mulch to do so. These materials are more organic and porous that other types of dirt and will only retain water or have the water pass right through them. Instead, use clean fill dirt and tamp it around the house to the correct angle to allow for drainage from your foundation.


After you have built up the slope with the clean fill dirt, then place topsoil, mulch, or grass seed atop the dirt to help prevent erosion.


Landscaping


Landscaping around the home is popular. However, some landscaping techniques can lead to basement leakage problems. For example, flower beds and shrubs directly around the foundation of the home might look nice. Yet, having them directly adjacent to the foundation of the home can keep water from draining away from the foundation, causing basement flooding.


If your basement is experiencing leakage or flooding problems, try implementing these tips to your outdoor drainage system before going to the lengths to hire a basement waterproofing contractor. Oftentimes, your basement wetness problems can be corrected at a relatively low cost by simply changing up the drainage patterns around the outside of your home. It will benefit you in the present as well as in the long run for in case you ever decide you want to sell your home.