It’s easy to determine you have drainage problems if you come home to a basement full of water or a pond in the middle of your yard. Often, however, Drainage Problems in Mississippi aren’t this obvious. How do you know if you need to call a specialist in to assist you in improving drainage?
If you notice your downspouts are dumping water, you must be careful as this is likely a sign of a drainage problem. If your roof is 1,000 square feet and it rains an inch, the 600 gallons of runoff produced have to go somewhere and, if the water gets too close to your foundation, the runoff ends up in your basement. You can purchase gutter extensions to carry water further away from the home. If you don’t fix this issue, you may end up with cracked foundation walls which may run into the tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
Small cracks in foundation walls aren’t uncommon as they typically occur as a house settles. Bigger cracks, those more than 1/8 of an inch wide, are another matter, especially if the cracks grow. Small cracks can be fixed with polyurethane caulk or hydraulic cement, while bigger cracks require a structural engineer be called in. The fee for the engineer isn’t cheap and the repairs won’t be either.
If you find mildew in your attic, you might have a drainage problem. Most don’t associate the mildew with a foundation issue, but this is often the case. When a bathroom fans sends hot air into your attic, mildew may appear and a vent for the fan must be installed. If it is a drainage issue, moisture is rising through the home and condensing on the interior portion of the roof. This must be stopped or you may find you need to replace not only the shingles on the home, but also the sheathing.
If you suspect you have a drainage problem in Mississippi, call a professional in immediately. Doing so will not only save you a lot of headaches, it will also save you a great deal of money. Don’t put this off for fear of the worst. The longer you wait, the more you can expect to pay so make the phone call now.
