Michigan Snow in Winter Can Lead to Floods in Spring
Western Michigan is already on track for a snowy winter, which means a flood filled spring when the snow melts. As the seasons change from winter to spring the snow begins to thaw out and saturate the ground. Typically after the thaw the spring showers follow. The already saturated ground cannot retain this added water, creating a recipe for disaster for your basement. This melting season causes many Michigan basements to flood due to the water built up against foundation walls causing hydrostatic pressure.
Hydrostatic Pressure and Your Foundation
Hydrostatic pressure is pressure from a body of water at rest. The weight of the water itself is what causes the pressure. The higher the water is in a vertical column, the more pressure. So when the soil outside of your foundation is filled with water it will cause hydrostatic pressure to push the water into your basement. The higher the soil is filled, the more the pressure.
When all of this water builds up, and saturates the soil, it creates a bowl around your home and looks for an entry point of least resistance. This access point could be small cracks in your foundation walls or floor, window wells, places where the pipes or wires have not been sealed completely, or the floor and wall joint. The joint between the floor and wall is the most common point of access. This is because many foundations are created by first, pouring the footing and after this sets, the walls are poured on top, leaving a joint through which water can enter. Properly designed and constructed footing and foundation walls are often strong enough to hold up against the forces of nature for many years. However, the combined pressures of gravity, soil swelling with water, freezing and thawing, hydrostatic pressure, and tree roots, among other forces, are all working together to break through. Sooner or later, a crack will form, a seal will break, or something else will give way, which is why it is best to be prepared.
Being Prepared for the Spring
The first step to being prepared is installing a sump pump. A sump pump will pump the water that has accumulated in the sump basin out away from your house. A sump pump is key when it comes to keeping your Michigan basement dry this spring season. The next step would be to install an interior water drainage system. This system installs along the inside of the basement wall and captures water directing it to the sump pump to be pumped out. These interior systems tend to be more affordable than an exterior drains and cause less damage when installed. The final step to being prepared for this spring season is installing a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will pull the moisture out of the air and collect it either in a tank or direct it to a sump pump . Dehumidifiers are a great way to reduce the potential for mold in a basement.
It is best to act sooner, rather than later when it comes to basement waterproofing. If you have already noticed minor signs of flooding in your basement they will not get better, but rather continue to get worse. You have a head start before your local basement waterproofing contractors get busy with calls from other unfortunate Michiganders calling about their flooded basements.
Ayers’ Basement Systems has been repairing wet basements in Michigan since 1981. They provide superior basement waterproofing to Lansing, Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor, St. Johns, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Holland, Muskegon, and surrounding areas in western and central MI.
