Photo Album: Damaged downspout leads to water in Middletown, NJ crawl space.
Water in the crawl space.
How did this water get there? That's what we do, detective work. For this homeowner it was an easy fix.
Crushed downspout.
Here, as it turned out, the downspout right next to the opening had been run over by a lawnmower so many times that it was rendered useless. All of the water going into that downspout that should have been directed away from the home's foundation was instead collecting around and, eventually, pouring into the crawl space through the opening.
New flexible downspout.
Fortunately, this particular water intrusion event was an easy fix for the homeowner. We removed the damaged downspout and replaced it with a flexible PVC one that could easily be temporarily detached while the lawn was being mowed. The importance of maintaining your home's gutter system to divert water away from the foundation cannot be overstressed.