How To Prevent Crawl Space Flooding During Heavy Rain

5 min read

Rainy weather creates the perfect ambiance for a cozy, relaxing time at home. However, if you reside in Oak Harbor, the Pacific Northwest’s frequent rainfall may have you constantly worrying about your home. Persistent rains can saturate the soil and cause water to pool around your home’s foundation, eventually causing your crawl space to flood.

As residents will know, the rainiest month in Oak Harbor is just around the corner. Knowing how to prevent crawl space flooding during heavy rain is a crucial skill that can spare you the stress and frustration of dealing with water damage in your home.

So Why Does Crawl Space Flooding Happen in the First Place?

Avoiding a flooded crawl space begins with understanding its root causes. While heavy rainfall is a significant contributor, various factors can increase your property’s risk of experiencing water damage.

Whether you’re anticipating possible flooding or dealing with a chronic problem, understanding the common sources of crawl space flooding can help you determine the best course of action.

• Poor Drainage Systems: Clogged gutters and downspouts and inadequate grading around your home can cause water to flow toward its foundation and find any way to get inside, eventually seeping into your crawl space.
• Hydrostatic Pressure: Underground crawl spaces are vulnerable to hydrostatic pressure or the force exerted by pooling water on your crawl space walls. As rainwater collects around your home’s foundation, it can force its way through foundation cracks, pipe joints, and faulty window wells.
• Sewer Backups: Heavy rain can overwhelm municipal sewer systems. If these systems overflow, sewage can go back into your home through floor drains, toilets, and other fixtures, flooding your crawl space.

How To Prevent Crawl Space Flooding During Heavy Rain

When preventing flooding in your crawl space, your ultimate goal is to move water away from your home as efficiently as possible. Here are six actionable ways to do that:

1. Maintain Gutters and Downspouts

Especially if you have trees near your property, gutters and downspouts can quickly accumulate dried leaves and other debris over time. Clean them regularly to ensure rainwater flows freely down the roof and away from your home’s foundation.

It’s also a good idea to install downspout extensions. These are effective yet inexpensive solutions to direct water where you want it to go.

2. Improve Grading Around the Foundation

Soil settles over time. While this is a natural phenomenon, such shifts negatively impact the ground grading around your home. When your yard loses its ideal grading, you’ll likely have water in your crawl space every time it rains.

Spare yourself the stress and mess of dealing with a flooded crawl space by ensuring the ground around your building slopes away from its foundation. Doing so allows rainwater to naturally flow away from your home and to a place where it can drain properly.

3. Maintain Your Sump Pump

Your sump pump is crucial in pumping out excess water during heavy rains and keeping your crawl space dry. As such, investing in its regular maintenance ensures it remains in good working condition and functions how it should.

Your sump pump maintenance checklist should at least include the following:

• Clearing out any debris or sediment in the pit.
• Enlisting professional inspections once a year.
• Testing the pump before the rainy season starts.

Finally, since sump pumps run on electricity, consider installing a battery-operated backup to ensure it continues to work, even during power outages.

4.Locate and Repair Cracks

Water can also enter your crawl space through cracks, worn-out caulking, and weatherstripping. If you expect heavy rains, it’s best to seal these openings with quality waterproof sealants as soon as possible.

You may also want to get help from a crawl space encapsulation company if your crawl space walls are seeping water.

What To Do After Your Crawl Space Floods

Water damage can be hard to predict and still occur even with the most well-prepared measures. However, don’t be discouraged. Taking these steps right after crawl space flood damage can help you get your home back in order in no time:

• Turn off the electricity and gas to ensure your safety before entering the flooded area.
• Take adequate photos and videos of the damage to support your insurance claim.
• Remove the excess water as quickly as possible to begin drying the area.
• Rainwater, floodwater, or sewage backups can carry harmful pathogens. After a crawl space flood, it is recommended to clean and disinfect all affected areas to prevent contamination.

Remediate and Repair Flood Damage Effortlessly With Experts

Most water damage cases can be prevented when you have proper measures in place. However, some natural weather events can still catch you by surprise, send volumes of rain or floodwater into your home, and make it impossible for you to stay dry.

In the unfortunate event that flooding affects your crawl space, the road to recovery doesn’t always have to be long and painful. Restoration 1 of Oak Harbor offers a 24/7 rapid response and comprehensive flood damage restoration solutions to save you from expensive repairs or prolonged disruption. Ultimately, we head to your home immediately to start the restoration process and return your property to normal.

Get reliable flood damage cleanup services from Restoration 1 of Oak Harbor today. You’ve done your part in understanding how to prevent crawl space flooding during heavy rain – let us do ours by serving your home through professional and efficient solutions. Call us today for expert help!