Where the water comes from
In hillside homes the source is usually one of these:
- Groundwater pushing through the foundation after weeks of rain.
- Footing drains or yard drains that are clogged, crushed or never connected.
- Downspouts that dump right next to the foundation.
- A plumbing leak under the house that drips for weeks before anyone sees it.
- A sump pump that quit during a power outage.
A crew will pump out standing water, but the fix often includes a drainage repair too. Ask what they think caused it.
Drying a crawl space
Crawl spaces stay damp in this climate, so a wet one can turn into a mold problem in days. A typical job includes:
- Pumping standing water and removing soaked insulation from between the floor joists.
- Replacing torn or flooded vapor barrier on the ground.
- Running dehumidifiers and air movers under the house until the wood reads dry.
- Checking floor joists, subfloor and ductwork for damage.
Before you dial, have these ready
- Where the water started, if you can tell: a supply line, the water heater, a toilet, a dishwasher, the creek, or rain getting in.
- Whether it is clean water, gray water from an appliance, or sewage.
- Which rooms and floors got wet, and about how long ago it started.
- Whether the water and the power to the wet rooms are off.
- Your neighborhood or nearest cross street, so the call goes to a crew that works your part of town.
Plan on a couple of minutes on the phone. That is usually enough to reach a local company and get a time for someone to come out.
The call is free. You don't have to hire anyone.
Daylight basements and hillside lots
A lot of Issaquah is built on slopes. Squak Mountain, Cougar Mountain, Montreux, Talus and the Highlands all have homes stepped into the hill, many with a daylight basement that opens to the yard on the low side and sits below grade on the high side.
That uphill wall takes the pressure. Issaquah averages around 62 inches of rain a year, and through a wet winter the soil behind a foundation stays soaked for months. When footing drains clog with silt or roots, the water has nowhere to go but through the wall or up through the slab. It often shows up as damp carpet along one wall, a musty smell, or water at the base of the stairs.
Older homes in Olde Town and along the valley floor are more likely to sit on a crawl space. Those houses tend to see standing water under the house after the creek runs high or after a long rain, and a leaking supply line in a crawl space can go unnoticed for a long time.
Power outages matter here too. Winter wind storms knock out power around the Issaquah Alps, and a sump pump without a battery backup stops right when the rain is heaviest.