Oct 4, 2006 7:16 pm US/Central
Steps To Protect Your Basement From Flooding
by Dorothy Tucker
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
A basement drain will cost you $3,000 to $4,000.
CBS
All week, we've been reporting on the devastation caused by flooding throughout our area.
For those who have been hit in the past and those who worry about getting soaked in the future, there are steps you can take to protect your home.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on how to prevent water from seeping into your basement.
Diane Krapf is among the hundreds of homeowners whose basements turned into small ponds during the recent storms.
"The water would just actually just come through the cracks," she said.
There were so many cracks that Krapf says she had no choice but to hire a professional to install a drain pipe.
"It's under this concrete, so when the water comes in, it falls down into the drain tile system and is ejected out of the property," said Gus Katsabanis with Quickstop Waterproofing.
To install a drain is a $3,000 to $4,000 project. If your basement floods during every storm, experts say you need to shell out the big bucks, but you can get away with a lot less if you only have a couple of cracks.
Professionals will dig down to the foundation and repair a crack for $300 each. Or if it's not that big, you can do it yourself.
"I bought some of this recommended by ACE to put in the crack, and I'm going to mix it with water," said Glenview homeowner Geri Dirkson.
It's hydraulic cement and, and it costs between $5 and $20. Keeping the water away from your home will also prevent future cracks. That means clearing the gutters and down spouts of leaves and debris so the water flows into the yard, and if you have a window wells, double check the landscaping.
"The level of dirt outside your house needs to slope from the window well away, out to the yard," said Bill McKay at Glenview Ace Hardware.
You can also cover the window well -- this will cost $20.
All of the tips could save you the pain and aggravation of pumping out your basement.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
