Window Wells and Basement Egress: Covers, Drains and a Way Out

Window wells are the half-circles of metal or plastic around basement windows that sit below ground. They let light in and keep dirt off the glass. They also collect leaves, fill with water, trap animals, and, if anyone sleeps in the basement, may be the only way out in a fire. Here's what to check before winter.

01Clean it out

Leaves, trash, and the occasional frog or chipmunk all end up at the bottom. Fall is the time to clean them out, before the leaves rot and before the snow buries them.

02Check the drain

The bottom of a window well should drain. Most have a layer of gravel, and many have a drain pipe that ties into the footing drain around the house.

• Pour a bucket of water in. It should drain away in a few minutes, not sit there.
• Water that sits against the window will eventually get through it. That's a common cause of wet basements.
• Dig out the gravel if it's packed with silt and leaves, and refresh it. If there's a drain at the bottom, check that it's not clogged.

Also check the grading around the well. The soil should slope away from it, not into it. Our grading guide explains how.

03Look at the well itself

• Rust or holes in a metal well.
• Gaps between the well and the foundation, where dirt and water get in.
• The top of the well should sit a few inches above the ground so surface water doesn't pour over the edge.

04Covers

A cover keeps out leaves, snow, rain and animals, and keeps people from falling in. But a cover over a bedroom egress window has to open easily from the inside without tools, keys or special knowledge. A bolted-down plastic dome or a heavy grate over an escape window can trap someone in a fire.

05Is it an egress window?

Any basement bedroom needs a real way out, and building codes are specific about what counts. Under the International Residential Code, an emergency escape window generally needs:

• A big enough opening: about 5.7 square feet of clear opening (5 square feet on some ground-floor windows), at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide when open.
• A sill no higher than 44 inches above the floor.
• A window well at least 9 square feet in area, at least 36 inches out from the wall.
• A permanent ladder or steps in any well deeper than 44 inches.

Your local code may differ a little, so check with your building department. Many older homes have basement "bedrooms" with small hopper windows that nobody could fit through. If someone sleeps down there, that's worth fixing.

06A quick escape test

If you have a basement bedroom, try it once: can an adult open the window, get over the sill, and climb out of the well and over the cover? If you can't do it easily in daylight, nobody will do it at night in smoke.

07Practice and alarms

A way out only helps if people wake up in time. Make sure there's a working smoke alarm in or right outside every bedroom, including the basement. See our guide to smoke and CO alarm testing and placement.

Sources (2)

City of Hopkins, Minn.: Basement Egress Window Wells · Town of Apex, N.C.: Egress Windows Minimum Size, Residential (PDF)

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