Most Common Causes of Basement Flooding

Heavy Rain

Heavy rains can result in flash floods or debris flows. Flash floods occur when the ground becomes saturated with water and cannot absorb any more. Flash flooding can cause extensive damage to your home and property. Debris flows occur when soil becomes saturated with water and collapses, carrying rocks, trees, and other debris downhill. Debris flows cause significant damage to homes as well as roadways and bridges.

Melting Snow

As the snow melts on your roof and runs through holes in shingles or cracks in your roof's surface, it can seep into your attic insulation and eventually leak down onto your ceiling below. The moisture from melted snow will eventually cause mold growth inside your home if you don't take action quickly enough!

Faulty Sump Pump

The primary cause of basement flooding is when a sump pump fails. A sump pump sits in the lowest part of your home, usually under your basement floor. It’s designed to remove excess water and keep it away from your foundation walls and floors. Water can leak into your basement when something goes wrong with the sump pump or its electric wiring, causing extensive damage to anything below it.

Foundation Leaks

If cracks in your home’s foundation walls or flooring, they may let in rainwater or runoff during storms or heavy rains, causing damage to whatever lies below them. If left unchecked, this can lead to severe structural damage in your home and expensive repairs down the road if ignored for too long.

Floods

The most common cause of basement flooding is a broken water pipe or leaky toilet. The second most common cause is improper grading around the house, where water can pool against the foundation and damage it. Water damage can also occur when a sump pump fails, or the pump pit fills with water.

Flooding from storms is another source of basement flooding, but it's less common than broken pipes or faulty grading. A major storm can cause massive flooding that overwhelms your sump pump and any other drainage system you have in place. If you live in an area prone to flooding, you should have a backup plan for dealing with torrential rains and hurricanes.

Leak Detection of Atlanta For Professional Water Damage Restoration

Do not delay contacting a professional water damage restoration company such as Leak Detection of Atlanta as soon as possible. Flooding may begin, initially, with only a few inches of water. But, if not addressed immediately, that water may continue to rise and permeate further into the structure. Your home could be destroyed, and mold growth could develop and spread, causing serious health problems for those exposed.