If you’ve found yourself with a flooded basement or other Omaha water damage situation this spring, you’re probably wondering how it happened and how you could have prevented it. Our water damage restoration team here at Restoration Now! Omaha wants you to be aware of the avoidable causes of basement flooding so you can prevent water damage to your property in the first place. We’ll focus on your basement and how to identify problem areas in your slab before they turn into big headaches for you and your family!
What is a Slab, Anyway?
Simply put, the slab is the platform your entire house rests on. Constructed from concrete, the slab is usually between 4 and 6 inches thick and rests directly on the ground. Concrete slabs are used as a part of a home’s foundation in warm or temperate climates—in colder climates, slabs are more likely to shift and crack.
There’s a bit more to the slab than just concrete, though—the concrete is poured onto a 4 to 6 inch layer of gravel, with a layer of plastic sheeting between the gravel and concrete to protect the slab from ground moisture. After this, the construction team embeds wire mesh and steel reinforcing bars into the concrete as a measure to reduce the chance of the slab shifting and cracking.
Besides these reinforcements, a number of other necessary lines are embedded in the concrete, such as the home’s sewer pipe and electrical conduits.
So How Can the Slab Cause a Flooded Basement in Omaha?
There are two main ways in which a basement slab can be damaged, allowing water to leach into the basement and cause water damage to your home and belongings.
First, natural forces such as heavy storms, flooding, or tree roots can cause the foundation to crack and leave the slab susceptible to interior flooding. This is flooding that occurs within the slab, where excess water can further weaken the concrete and create a space for mold and bacteria to flourish. These problems over time can affect the structural integrity of your home.
The second source of interior flooding is corrosion or other stress on the pipes running through the slab. If these pipes crack, water can leak into the slab, creating a welcoming environment for mold and mildew while weakening the solid foundation of your home. If you see your basement floors sloping or cracks in your basement walls, you may have a water damage problem in your slab.
Contact Restoration Now! Omaha Today at (402) 502-7277!
Paying attention to the potential signs of Omaha water damage in your basement now can help you avoid big problems down the road. If you suspect that you might have interior water damage in your basement slab, give our water damage restoration team here at Restoration Now! Omaha a call today or fill out the contact form on our website. We have the experience to tackle any flooded basement situation quickly to get your home back to normal!