Basement Window Well Maintenance & Egress Well Safety

Maintaining a dry basement is critical for the protection and preservation of your home. Providing a protective barrier that is designed to prevent water from entering the basement through a window well can save a home and its belongings from serious destruction. Basements can be kept dry by preventing rain or snow from leaking through basement window wells with a properly fitted, custom basement window well cover. Normal rainfall may not cause much of a problem, but the occasional heavy downpour or snow and ice melt can allow water to enter the basement.

In addition to a homeowner checking gutters, downspouts, grading, and cracks on the walls and floors of a basement, basement window wells left uncovered need to be maintained. The homeowner should check and remove any debris that has collected in the bottom of their window well each spring and fall or more frequently if needed. The window well must be kept clean and free of debris to allow proper drainage. A window well cover that is custom made with a solid protective material and designed to eliminate debris from collecting in the window well will eliminate the constant maintenance homeowners need to perform.

Deep wells, such as egress, can be challenging for homeowners to maintain. Egress wells also create a large exterior hole that small animals and rodents can fall into and become trapped. Injury to children and even adults can occur from a fall into this large well. It is required by law that if the basement room is used for sleeping, an egress well must be installed as another means of escape in case of an emergency. Clear dimensions are stated for the egress through the IRC (International Residential Code).

There are companies that fabricate custom basement covers using thicker grades of plastic making the cover more durable than the thin lightweight covers available in home improvement and hardware stores. Custom fabricated well covers constructed to specifically fit homeowner applications can also include special design options to allow for pipes, concrete application, dryer vents, etc. Covers constructed using polycarbonate material will support weight, ¼” will easily support 300 lbs, allow natural light to pass through, and eliminate constant maintenance of the window well.

You can purchase polycarbonate covers at http://www.customcoversinc.com

This company constructs high quality custom fitted window well covers using green materials so your cover is designed to last, and is also capable of doing custom fabrications for unique applications.