Rain Gutter Cleaning and Maintenance - Keeping your rain gutters clean will go a long way in preventing water problems and the damage it can cause. Set up a schedule at least two or three times a year to check your rain gutters, clean out any debris and repair any problems.
You want to make sure they are not blocked, even if you have gutter screens. Gutter guards can go a long way to control debris and leaves from entering but they can still become blocked. Run your garden hose through them to make sure they drain properly.
Most rain gutter installation companies offer a service to clean out your gutters periodically. This can be great for homeowners with a busy schedule, people who forget easily or who find it cumbersome to do this type of maintenance.
Extend Downspouts Away From Your Home - Extend your down spout leader pipes 10 to 20 feet past your foundation. Try to empty them on a part of your property that slopes away from your home.
Extend downspouts away from your home
Don't bury your down spout pipes into a drywell. Drywells have a limited capacity and will be quickly filled with regular ground water as well as water from your downspouts. Once the drywell fills up, your gutters will backup and start spilling roof water directly against your foundation.
You can extend your down spouts underground as long as the end of the pipe comes out somewhere. You must be able to see the end of your gutter pipe for it to completely drain out.
Surface water problems
Run water from your garden hose through the underground extensions at least once a year to flush out leaves, rodent nests and other debris. Screens don't work well on the end of underground gutter lines because they can trap leaves inside and become blocked up.
Don't connect your downspouts to your sewer system. If your sewers ever backup, you'll have a massive problem as all the additional roof water pours inside your basement.
Identify Potential Surface Water Problems - Walk around the outside of your home during a storm to see where the surface water runs or collects. The best situation is where the land directly against your home slopes outward and away from the home. Surface water should run around your home to a lower point where it will drain off and not cause problems. Dependable basement water control is dependent on several factors.