How to Keep Your Basement From Flooding

Drainage Improvements

• 1

  Install a "standpipe" if the water comes in through a floor drain. Screw or drop a wide pipe into the floor drain so that it extends above the height of the floor. The flood water will remain in the standpipe instead of spreading in your basement.

• 2

  Hire a specialist to install a a sewer check valve. This will cause the water to flow away from the house. This method of drainage correction is moderately expensive ($2,500 to $5,000).

• 3

  Disconnect your downspouts from the drainpipe. Cut the downspout about a foot above where it enters the ground. Install an elbow connector at the cut end, then add an extension pipe to the elbow so that the water is directed away from the house.

Foundation Seepage Improvements

• 4

  Hire a specialist to seal the walls and floors, both outside and inside the house. You can reduce the cost of the repair if you seal the interior walls and cracks in the floors yourself.

• 5

  Install baseboard guards. These work in conjunction with interior sealing to collect moisture and remove it through a drain or sump pump.

• 6

  Fill interior cracks with professional-grade sealant, available through plumbing supply stores. Follow the manufacturer's directions for safety and usage, and do not use the sealants in unventilated areas of your basement.