Water also can cause many issues for homes. Accumulated water is a conducive condition to wood destroying insects and organisms, and may also cause the foundation to be in and possibly fail. With some knowledge moisture issues can be cared for without the need to consult a contractor in many cases.

When you have water flowing or gathering directly into your basement or crawl space there are some possible causes for you to examine first. Walk around your home and go through the ground surrounding the foundation. This really is also known as grading. The floor should slope down and from the home. This will help rain water and melting snow to naturally flow away form the house. Apply for a slope of 10 degrees for at the least 6 feet.

Combined with grading issue another potential reason for water accumulation in the crawl space or basement may be the downspouts. This assumes of course that your house already has gutters and downspouts. During home inspections that I perform for home buyers I often find downspouts that not extend not even close to the home. If the downspout does extend to away for many feet and to ground that slopes down and away from the house then most of the water decreasing the downspout will gather at the foundation and cause problems. The farther you will get the water to flow far from your house the better. If the downspout enters directly into a drain pipe that may carry the water even farther away. During a rain consider going outside to be sure that the buried drain line is not clogged. This task can also be accomplished with a garden hose.

Another issue that can result in water accumulating in crawl spaces and entering basements is if the gutters are clogged. Gutters are created to collect water because it flows off the roof and to then direct that water into the downspouts where in actuality the water will then be removed from the home. If the gutters are clogged then the water will not be directed away, instead the water will overflow the gutters and pour over the medial side to the inspiration where it might eventually enter the crawl space or basement. If you should be not capable or do not want to clear your personal gutters contact a nearby gutter sweep to do this typical twice annually task.

By ensuring that the above situations are corrected or improved a large percentage of water issues could be looked after and help maintain a home that is both structurally sound and healthy.