We know of several people that had major problems with window wells filling up & the window breaking with all the pressure! Yes, there was a lot of water problems this past week so maybe it is time to review some ideas on prevention & fixes for water problems.

I will suggest that you check your water drainage systems carefully. Check the sump pumps to see they are working. It might benefit you to have an extra pump on hand. From my experience getting a sump pump after business hours is pretty expensive. Check the down spouts to be sure they are on & directing water far away from the house. (one person we know just had the eaves plugged) so make sure the eaves are clean from debris & are flowing well.

Check the window wells, do they have drain tile in them? If they do make sure they work well. We have heard of one person that the drain tile in the window well was plugged. Is there a large foundation of rock in the bottom of the window well so there is in essence a French drain for some water to accumulate before it reaches up to the bottom of the window well?

One other major concern is to make sure the grading around the house is not directing towards any portion of the house directly. In this storm we noticed that surface drainage needs to get away from the foundation & to have a way to escape from your yard if possible. One of the questions you will answer on the sellers property disclosure is do you have standing water in your yard for more than 48 hours after a heavy rain. Think about that carefully right now so you will be able to answer that question when you go to sell your property.

Check with your insurance agent & see if you have the appropriate insurance in case of future problems. You cannot insure against natural ground water but you can get sump pump failure insurance or sewer backup insurance. You might want to ask your agent if you are in the flood plain & need flood insurance also.