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Spring rain is here, meaning basement floods can happen

Spring showers have arrived in Central Texas and experts share waterproofing measures homeowners can take.

AUSTIN, Texas — The heavy spring rain that's been coming down in Central Texas brings an increased risk of flooding.

Experts say incorporating a few preventative waterproofing measures can protect a home, basement, and crawl space from serious water damage caused by snow melt, heavy rains, and flooding.

Dan Friesen, Sales Manager at Foundation Support Specialists, says spring rain drops a lot of water on houses and rooflines. 

"So one of the things homeowners can do to protect their homes is by looking at the downspouts around their gutters coming down of their yard. If those downspouts aren't extended 10 to 15 feet away from the house, odds are that water is either eroding away some of the soil around the house or saturating that soil," said Friesen. 

Friesen says for homeowners with a basement, water can make its way through the mortar wall, and that an leave a musty smell in your basement or wet carpet and concrete. 

"The best thing you can do to prevent that from happening like this, that's a very, very simple just extend those downspouts 10 to 15 feet away from the old and you'll find some better protecting," said Friesen. 

For homeowners who discover water inside their homes, it's recommended to call for assistance immediately.

"If your house is on pure beam style design or the crawl space, or if you have enough water inside the crawl space, that's equally as damaging because it can cause mold growth under your framing, which people need to know the danger of molds and neurotoxins. We want to keep the air quality inside our houses safe so we can put a dehumidifier inside, seal off the environment with encapsulation, push the water outside and treat it as a safe environment," said Friesen.

If homes don't have a basement, they may have a crawl space which can be affected by heavy rain. Most people use crawl spaces as storage facilities. Friesen says now would be a good time to look and see if there is any standing water.

"If you have a crawl space access either inside your house or outside, no matter what the weather is, it might be worth your time to go and look inside. Look to see any standing water. That's an area of concern," said Friesen.

If there is any standing water, start pulling valuables from those spaces. Call professionals so they can come asses. 

"We can make sure that the area is refined and modified so you can keep your valuables in there, not have to worry about whatever the weather's doing outside," said Friesen. 

Experts say the cost of repairs can get expensive fast. 

"The sooner you recognize drywall from cracks over doors and windows, cracks in the slab, you can walk around your house, shine a flashlight behind the bushes and see the same crashing faces. Someone can come analyze with a plan in place, so we can prevent that from going any further," said Friesen.

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