If you have window wells on a finished or partially-finished basement, they’re often the single biggest source of basement water in West Chester homes. A blocked or improperly-drained window well during a thunderstorm acts like a swimming pool that the basement window is at the bottom of — and basement windows weren’t built to be underwater.
Common window well problems we fix
- Window well fills with water during heavy rain
- Water visibly leaking around the basement window frame
- Rotting or rusting window frame from constant moisture
- Wells full of leaves, mulch, or dirt blocking drainage
- Window well covers that crack, sag, or don’t seal
- Missing or non-functional drains at the bottom of the well
How proper window well drainage works
A correctly built window well has a drain at the bottom — either a connection into the perimeter foundation drain, or a deep gravel pit that lets water percolate down below the level of the window. Most older wells don’t have one, or the drain has clogged with sediment over the decades.
For an existing problem well, we typically:
- Excavate the well down past the bottom of the window opening
- Install or restore drainage — either a tie-in to existing foundation drainage, or a deep stone-filled drain pit
- Replace the well liner if it’s deformed or cracked
- Install a properly sized clear cover that sheds water and keeps debris out
- Re-seal around the window frame itself
Cheap fixes that don’t work
Don’t waste money on:
- Plastic well covers that crack within a season and don’t actually shed water
- Caulking around the window frame as the only fix (water will find another way in)
- Sandbags in the well during storms (it’s 2026, we can do better)
If your basement only gets water during heavy rain and you have window wells, those wells are almost certainly the culprit. Cheaper to fix than you’d think, and usually solvable in a day.