Window Well Drainage in Green Bay, WI

Window well drainage work keeps the wells around below-grade basement windows from filling with water and leaking through the window frame. It can include deepening the well and adding a gravel base, connecting the bottom of the well to the drain tile or a drain line, replacing rusted or undersized wells, sealing the well to the foundation, adding a clear cover, and replacing a leaking window. For Green Bay-area homeowners who see water or ice in their window wells each spring, it often stops a leak that looks like a foundation problem.

Signs your window wells are the problem

Water running down the wall below a basement window
Standing water or ice in the well after a thaw
Rust, gaps or separation where the well meets the wall
Soil or leaves filling the bottom of the well
A rotted or rusted window frame

Why do they flood here?

Green Bay averages 55.6 inches of snow a year under the 1991 to 2020 normals, and snow drifts into open wells all winter. When it melts, especially while the surrounding ground is still frozen or the clay is saturated, the water has nowhere to go but down to the window. Many older wells were installed with only a few inches of gravel, or none, over clay that barely drains.

What are the options?

A drained base. Excavating the well floor and adding washed stone, often with a vertical pipe down to the drain tile so water reaches the sump.
Covers. Clear, sloped covers keep snow and rain out but let light in. For egress windows, covers must be openable from inside.
New wells. Larger, sealed wells that sit a few inches above grade so surface water doesn't run in.
Grading and downspouts. Moving water away from the well in the first place.
Window replacement. For frames that are rotted or no longer seal.

Enlarging a window or adding egress openings is a bigger project that usually needs a permit. Under Wisconsin's ATCP 110, the seller must tell you about required permits before you sign and can't start until they're issued.

What affects the cost?

Number of wells and their size and depth
Whether the well is tied into drain tile
New wells, covers or windows
Landscaping and hardscape around the wells

The company you're connected with prices the work after a visit. We don't quote prices.

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Common questions

Should my window wells have covers in Green Bay?

Covers keep snow and rain out, which helps a lot here. Covers over egress windows must be easy to open from inside so the window still works as an emergency exit.

Can a window well drain into my sump?

Often, yes. A pipe from the well floor down to interior or exterior drain tile lets water reach the sump instead of the window.

Why does my window well fill even without much rain?

Snowmelt and runoff from the yard or a nearby downspout can fill a well quickly, especially if its base sits on clay with little or no gravel.

Related services

Soils, Wisconsin contract rules and sump discharge: Brown County basement water guide.

Window well drainage in Green Bay, WI