Here's the window well on the south side of the east end of the basement. As you can see, it has drainage. Unfortunately, that drainage is into the basement, which experts consider suboptimal, even somewhat gauche. There are two reasons for this drainage situation -- there are no gutters on the south side of the main roof, but there is also no external drainage on the window well, which is about eight inches to a foot deep (I haven't measured, and there are leaves in it, so it's hard to say more precisely than that). All I can figure is that the right way to do this, besides putting gutters on the roof of course, is to dig a drain out to the street, and put a real drain in the window well. Repeat for all the window wells, although this is the worst.Comments welcome.
Incidentally, this window was also the coal chute. I can tell because there are pieces of coal on the floor under it. This also tells me that the last time this basement was swept was during the McKinley administration.
If that was the coal chute it must once have had a water proof cover, because wet coal just doesn't burn that well!
ReplyDeleteMary Anne in Kentucky
Huh. That's a good point. Well, I'm just guessing about it being the coal chute. There's no metal-door coal chute to be seen, and this is just a window now like the others, so ... I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'm right about the McKinley administration crack, though.
Window wells aren't supposed to drain into the basement? Huh! Guess I'd better make some changes.
ReplyDelete