Hydrostatic pressure is the accumulation of water against your basement wall. The amount of groundwater that surrounds your basement isn’t always the same year-round. As the weather changes, the water table rises and more water soaks the subsoil layers with increased precipitation. That said, there isn’t any particular time in Cleveland, OH, in which hydrostatic pressure gets worse. It rains consistently throughout the year and the rainiest period only spans a month during the summer. You should be worrying about possible hydrostatic pressure against your basement wall all the time. During the fall or winter, when drainage systems are likely to get clogged up, more groundwater does accumulate underground, but the amount is minimal compared to the amount of groundwater that accumulates due to consistent precipitation over the year. Instead of worrying about when you’re likely to see your walls bow, try to spot the signs of hydrostatic pressure in your basement. Bowing walls can sometimes sneak up on you and cause severe damage seemingly overnight. Don’t let it catch you by surprise and be ready to handle the situation before it gets worse. You should worry about hydrostatic pressure the most when groundwater starts leaking into the basement from the wall-floor joint. This is a clear sign that a great force is causing the wall to detach itself from the floor. Even if you don’t see any bowing itself, the groundwater seepage is a clear sign. Another sign is efflorescence, which are salt deposits on the surface of the concrete. They indicate that moisture is saturating the wall to the point where it’s displacing the mineral content of the concrete.