PuroClean of Lafayette 
DID YOU KNOW?
Your home rests on its foundation, which is why issues like soil erosion from excess rain, clogged gutters, insufficient downspouts, etc, can affect the structural integrity of an entire property. Once the foundation shifts, erodes or cracks, a ripple effect can travel up through the walls, spread across ceilings and the roof, and damage critical systems like plumbing and electricity and even cause water damage into basements and/or the first floor of your home.
Let’s recap. When you are cleaning your gutters, make sure you’re checking the downspouts for debris and damage as well. When gutters and downspouts are blocked with leaves and debris, rainwater may not drain properly. As water overflows from gutters, it can cause water damage on both the interior and exterior of your home. Clogged gutters give rainwater nowhere to run.
Now, let’s get into those downspouts. Downspouts are vertical pipes that work with your home’s gutter system. Without downspouts, water will simply cascade out of your gutters and onto the ground, flowing in whatever direction gravity takes it. And when it flows TOWARD your home, that could be a serious problem.
Downspouts should divert water at least 3-5 feet away from the foundation. Add extensions to downspouts otherwise. This will help to deter water from collecting near your foundation thus also preventing soil erosion. It’s also important to consider the topography of your property. It’s possible in some areas, the water from downspouts will flow right back toward the home. To prevent this, the gutter system should direct as much rainwater as possible toward the lowest side of the property.
Soil erosion? When soil erodes, it pulls away from your foundation walls. In Indiana, the main cause is rain water. As the soil erodes, water can pool by the foundation instead, increasing the risk of the foundation issues.
For example, as water accumulates against the foundation, it applies pressure to the foundation walls, referred to as “Hydrostatic Pressure”. Water weighs slightly more than 60lbs. per cubic foot. If the soil around your basement is saturated with water, there could be tens of thousands of pounds of hydrostatic pressure against your foundation. That pressure can disappear when the water dries, but the ongoing back-and-forth of being wet and dry can cause the foundation to shift and crack. Thus, any water collecting against the foundation can and will gradually get into your basement or crawl space through cracks created by the soil movement.
Water damage? When water gets through your foundation, it can travel through the walls to the upper floors and can cause extensive damages. Unfortunately, most foundation damage is NOT COVERED by your home insurance policy, which is why having appropriate drainage and downspout extensions is especially important.
We recently helped a homeowner with this very problem. She was experiencing water damage in an unfinished portion of her basement and was unable to pinpoint the cause. Thankfully, we have the heavy equipment necessary from Poisel Construction to help!
PuroClean of Lafayette 