Homebuyers who look at ten homes are likely to find out that eight have water in basement problems. That is correct eight have problems and the other two did not get water in them yet but will one day.
Why? Well think of it this way. If you want to hit ground water you drill a round hole. For some reason when a rectangular hole is dug for a basement people think it will be water proof. Water does not care what shape the hole is. Water will fill a basement or a crawl space just because it can.
If you wish to keep water out of your basement and water out of your crawl space the best way to do it is from the outside of the home. Make sure all your gutters and downspouts discharge water far away from the home and that all the soil around your home is sloped away from your home. If the downspouts each dump 300 gallons of water onto the soil in one spot next to your foundation and 1% of that water enters your basement your home will be flooded. If your downspouts are piped away from the home and 0 gallons of water discharge onto the soil in one spot next to your foundation and 1% of that water enters your basement your basement will be dry as a bone.
Keeping roof water and surface water away from the basement and away from the crawl spaces are two of the cheapest and best ways to keep those areas of your home dry. Installation of basement dewatering systems, french drains, perimeter drains and sump pumps should be avoided if at all possible.
