Heavy snow followed by flash thaws – what does it all mean for your house and basement? The periods of melting snow Toronto and surrounding areas have experienced over the past few weeks might seem like a nice break from the back-breaking driveway snow shoveling and snow clearing from the car each morning, but it can also bring problems to your house and basement.
Most of the time, people think leaking basements are caused by heavy rain during the spring, summer and fall months which isn’t far from true. The reality however is that leaking and wet basements are a year-round threat because even in the wintertime, melting snow can also be a source of water that can find its way into your house turning your basement into a wet basement.
The GTA has seen a whirlwind of temperature fluctuations over the past few weeks. The massive amount of snowfall we’ve seen this winter creates a nice blanket of snow which you don’t really assume will affect the moisture in the ground until it begins to melt. The recent positive temperature weather spikes might be a welcome relief from the arctic like polar vortex freezing temperatures we’ve endured, but don’t be fooled; massive amounts of melting snow can quickly penetrate cracked foundations and find its way into your home creating a wet basement. Not only can you have water from the melting snow on the ground but the roof is another site which can have a thick blanket of undisturbed snow; creating large amounts of water when melted.
It’s all based on the speed of melt, and when we see large amounts of snowfall followed by temperatures above zero degrees, that beautiful 10 inch blanket of snow when melted can act like 1 inch of rainfall. Even if the ground is still frozen and the melt occurs less rapidly, water can still make its way into the ground and continue downward until eventually it makes contact with foundation walls where, if a crack exists, you can bet on the fact that the water will get through.
If you suspect cracks in your foundation, or experienced basement leaks in the spring, summer and fall months, winter is no exception. Basement waterproofing happens year round because the potential for water to find its way into your basement is a year-round threat. Seeking the advice of professional Basement Waterproofing experts can save you time, money and worry.
