Gold Medal Service Offers Advice on Waterproofing Your Basement for Spring

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring showers may bring flowers, but for New Jersey homeowners they can often mean flooded basements as well. With the chance of heavy rain on the rise, homeowners should take steps to waterproof their basements now to avoid possible water damage this spring. Gold Medal Service, an award-winning home service business serving New Jersey residents for more than 20 years, offers tips on how to protect basements from flooding.

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"The most susceptible area to flood damage is in a homeowner's basement," said Mike Agugliaro, co-owner of Gold Medal Service. "All too often, home owners do not take the proper preventative measures to waterproof their basement and end up with an expensive and time-consuming mess on their hands."

Every year New Jersey residents spend thousands of dollars repairing their basements from spring showers – often because they either did not take the time, or know how, to prevent damage. A typical basement flooding can cost a homeowner more than $10,000 to repair, and even a good flood insurance policy will not always cover all the damages.

With this in mind, Gold Medal Service offers three important tips for waterproofing your basement this spring:

1.       Check for leaks and seepage.

There are a few common places basement leaks occur. Homeowners should take the time to check the home's exterior foundation and all walls, floors and windows for any possible cracks. Even the smallest cracks can lead to big damage. To patch a crack, apply a waterproof epoxy to the crack using a paintbrush or putty knife.

2.       Make sure good gutters are in place and free of debris.

Roof drainage is the number one cause of flooding in basements. When gutters collect rain water and debris from spring storms, they can become clogged from overflows and sediment buildup. Installing properly designed gutters that have at least one downspout for every 600 to 800 square feet of the roof's surface is an essential step in preventing flooding. In addition, be sure to clean gutters every spring and late fall, and check that all downspouts extend away from the home's foundation, ideally by at least three feet.

3.       Fix sloping soil.

Basement flooding frequently occurs when, instead of sloping away from the home, soil slopes toward the basement wall allowing water runoff to pool at the home's foundation. Soil around a basement should slope downward six inches over the first four feet of the basement's exterior wall. From there, it should gradually decline. It may also be necessary to place clean fill dirt around the outside of a home's foundation. This will prevent any erosion from heavy rains and keep water from entering the basement. 

For homeowners who would like help with waterproofing, a professional can perform a thorough inspection and recommend any necessary repairs to prevent water from wreaking havoc on your home this spring.

To learn more about basement waterproofing and the variety of residential services Gold Medal Service provides its more than 65,000 customers in the New Jersey area, visit www.goldmedalservice.com.

About Gold Medal Service

Gold Medal Service was founded in New Jersey in 1994 with just two employees. Their vision was to provide homeowners with a reliable and trustworthy home service company customers could count on to fix just about anything that could go wrong in a home. Since then Gold Medal has grown to include more than 165 employees and technicians solving plumbing, heating, cooling, electric, drain, sewer and waterproofing issues for homeowners across the state of New Jersey. Gold Medal Service is a Dave Lennox Award recipient, exclusive to the top 25 Lennox Premier Dealers throughout the Unites States and Canada. For more information, call 800-576-GOLD or visit www.goldmedalservice.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Ripley
Ripley PR
865-977-1973
[email protected]

SOURCE Gold Medal Service

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