Why Should I Worry About a Leaking Hatchway?

Your basement and hatchway are far more sensitive to water damage than you might imagine. The longer you let this damage work its way throughout your home, the more likely it is that you’ll put your home’s value and your family’s health at risk. 

• Water Damage and Your Home’s Market Value 

The moisture that makes its way into your basement doesn’t just impact that space. It can also begin to weaken any structural supports you have located in your basement, not to mention your foundation. The longer you let this kind of damage sit, the more likely it is that it not only ruins your floor joists or other supports, but that it also moves down into your foundation. Humidity that’s especially high can even migrate into the rest of your home, where it can encourage mold growth and wall damage. 

While this will all make your home less comfortable to live in, it also actively lowers the value of your property. Homes that have suffered some substantial and unrepaired basement or hatchway damage can lose up to 30% of their market value when put up for sale. Not only that, but you will have to disclose the nature of your home’s damage to potential buyers. 

• Water Damage and Your Family’s Health 

Your family’s health is also at risk if they end up exposed to extensive amounts of unwanted moisture. Any residents with pre-existing conditions can see those conditions made exponentially worse due to overexposure to moisture. Allergies and respiratory issues, in particular, do not improve as the air quality in your home declines. Even residents who have not shown signs of these conditions can begin to develop them the longer your home is plagued by unwanted moisture. 

To make matters worse, unwanted moisture makes your basement more vulnerable to mold growth. Mold growth impacts the health of everyone in your home. Most molds, if allowed to flourish in your home, can cause health problems ranging from a persistent cough to long-term lung damage.