Serving Syracuse
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Syracuse, NY
Basement seepage, failed sumps, and hydrostatic pressure against the foundation are extracted and dried, and the path from the ground is identified so the loss does not repeat. Groundwater and basement seepage are extracted and dried only after the path from the soil is identified — a wall, a slab, a drain, or a failed sump. Drying the interior without stopping that path returns the same water to the same floor.
Frequently asked questions
The basement has never been wet and it flooded in February.
Rain on snow over frozen ground is the classic version of this here, and it does not resemble a summer storm. The pack holds weeks of precipitation, a warm rain releases it in a day, and the ground beneath cannot take a drop of it. Everything goes to the surface and to the sewer at once. A house that handles every summer without trouble can be overwhelmed by it.
The downspout is clear at the top and water is running down the wall.
The blockage is usually at the bottom in winter. An outlet that discharges at grade freezes solid in a cold spell, and the ice works its way up inside the pipe until the whole run is closed. Roof water then leaves at the nearest joint, which is against the building. Extending the outlet somewhere it will not freeze, or taking the lower section off for the winter, is the ordinary fix.
Is it worth clearing snow off the roof?
For the drainage rather than the load, on most houses here. What causes trouble is the melt pattern: heat escaping through the roof melts snow above and it refreezes at the cold eave, damming the water that follows behind it. Clearing the lower few feet of the roof breaks the dam. Clearing the whole roof is rarely necessary and is a good deal more dangerous.
Open the Syracuse FAQ beside the housing and climate notes.