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.

Basement Window Wells - A Simple Solution

Many homes being built today with rooms below ground level will have window wells installed on the exterior of the home to let in light and provide an egress in the case of an emergency. Sometimes, especially in the case of deep window wells, homeowners have problems with safety, drainage and maintenance.

A simple solution to these issues is to outfit your window well with a polycarbonate cover that will help keep the snow, leaves, water, and even animals out. The cover can even help with drainage issues by minimizing the amount of rain water during heavy down pours and by keeping snow from building up in the well during the winter. When the snow melts, unless the well has a specially designed drain, you may have drainage problems and water may be allowed to seep into the foundation and enter the basement.

This article does not suggest that adding a window well cover will eliminate drainage problems, but rather it, along with the addition of a deep layer of stones in the window well can go a long way in dissipating water from out of the well without having it seep into the house through the foundation or window. Purchasing a window well cover is a much cheaper solution than a costly re-grading project, or installation of a French drain around your house.

A deep window well can be hard to keep clean when it fills with leaves, snow, dirt and sometimes even small animals. In some areas of the country it is not uncommon for a deer to become trapped in a large and deep window well. More common are squirrels, mice and other rodents who fall into the well but can't jump out, this will generally cause damage to the window screens by the animals trying to climb out. Again, simply covering your window well with a polycarbonate window well cover will keep debris, rain and snow out of your window well, while still allowing light to filter into the room. Children and small animals will also be kept out of the hole safely.

Window wells brighten dark basements and provide emergency egress. By covering your window well you can eliminate all of the maintenance problems and prevent many drainage problems. The window well cover should fully enclose the well and window. The cover should attach to the well and be held firmly in place and include hardware that will allow for an easy escape in case of an emergency. It is important to measure exactly to ensure the proper fit of the window well cover. A window well cover should be constructed to protect against injury, allow natural light, minimize maintenance to the well and protect against a potential entry point of an intruder into your home.

A window well cover constructed using a polycarbonate material will address the strength needed to support weight from snow or even a person who accidentally falls or steps on the cover. Polycarbonate material can withstand temperature changes and does not become brittle or crack. Polycarbonate can be easily trimmed for a more perfect fit. Purchasing a high quality constructed window well cover utilizing “green” materials like polycarbonate will eliminate the need to continuously replace well covers that have been purchased from a local hardware store. Local hardware stores generally stock limited sizes and the plastic material is thin and will easily break.

You can find polycarbonate covers at http://www.customcoversinc.com
By installing a high quality window well cover, your window wells can be safe and virtually maintenance-free!