How your lifestyle can leave your basement prone to flooding

Did you know that your lifestyle may leave your home and more specifically the basement of your home, prone to flooding? Having a basement in your home is great, whether you use it for storage or as an extra living space, but it is the area of your home that is the most likely to suffer from water damage when flooding strikes.

The reason why your lifestyle can leave your home susceptible to basement flooding is that if you are away from your home on a regular basis, then that slight trickle of water that you were unaware of may soon become a torrent. Then when you return home you will certainly be aware of a flooding problem, but by then it may be too late to salvage some of your more valuable items.

If you are one of those people who own property but for one reason or another you are not at home as often as you would like because of work commitments or you do a lot of socializing away from home, or you travel a lot, then you are going to need to make sure that you minimize the risk of flooding happening when you are away.

To do this you need to recognize the early signs of a water leakage problem, usually if it has been something that has been going on undetected for a length of time, you may notice a strange musty smell. This will be the result of mildew or mold growth that comes with an excess of water, another sign connected to this will be walls that are damp and clammy to the touch.

Once you have discovered that there is an excess water leakage problem then you will need to find out just what is causing the problem and where in your property the leak is coming from. If you have more than one level in your home then begin at the highest point you can as water will obviously flow downwards. Check pipes and lookout for cracks in walls, go from room to room until you know exactly where the problem is coming from, then you can start correcting the problem.

Of course it is no good taking these precautions if you end up going out and leaving a window open when there is a rainstorm due so double check all your windows and doors.