3 Winter Home Waterproofing Tips for Illinois Residents
As winter approaches in Illinois, the battle against moisture in your basement becomes more critical. Here at Accu-Dry Waterproofing, we understand the unique challenges posed by our cold, snowy winters. This blog post will highlight 3 of the most common issues we see and what you can do to prevent them.
Common Winter Water Issues
Winter in Illinois brings freezing temperatures, snow, and ice which can all cause foundation issues. Below are some common problems homeowners run into.
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Melting Snow: When snow melts, it can infiltrate through existing or new foundation cracks. It also contributes to the water table under your home.
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Ground Freezing: As the ground freezes, it can expand and create inward pressure on your foundation wall, increasing the likelihood of new foundation cracks.
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Ice pooling: Without proper prevention ice can form and pool against the foundation wall.
Winter Waterproofing Solutions:
1. Melting Snow, Check Your Gutters and Downspouts:
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Ensure that your gutters are Clear of all leaves, dirt and debris. as snow melts it is important to make sure that gutters can properly catch and disperse water away from your home. If your gutters are clogged water will run over the gutters and build up next to the foundation wall increasing the likelihood of new foundation cracks and contributing to the water table underneath your home, causing your sump pump to work extra hard.
2. Ground Freezing, Soil Grading And Remove Snow Buildup
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As the soil freezes it will expand especially if the soil is already wet from a recent thaw. To alleviate some of the pressure you should ensure the landscaping around your home is graded away from the foundation. You can also make sure you remove excessive snow buildup against the foundation wall.
3. Improve Exterior Drainage:
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As mentioned above any type of snow or ice accumulation against the foundation wall can cause foundation issue. Sometimes regrading your home is not possible so in this case you can have a French drainage system installed. This system is a trench with drain tile inside that sits against the foundation and is sloped away from the home into a low point in your yard.
Extra Tip: Check to make sure your sump pump is functioning.
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During the winter you may not hear your sump pump working very often. This is because freezing temperatures keep all the moisture close to surface level of exterior soil. It is still important to test your sump pump during these times to prepare for when a thaw happens and all the ice in the soil melts. A snow melt could very easily cause a basement flood if your sump pump is not working.
Why Trust Accu-Dry Waterproofing?
We have been serving the Chicago suburbs for over 30 years. In that time we have seen all the common problems homeowners can experience when it comes to home waterproofing issue.
Our company can:
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Conduct FREE thorough home inspections to identify potential and existing water entry points.
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Offer both internal and external waterproofing services for lasting protection with a lifetime transferrable warranty.
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Provide maintenance tips and emergency services to keep your basement dry all winter long.
Call us today at 630-663-4598 For Your Free In Home Evaluation!