Water is a common problem in all types of basements - from foundations with poured concrete to stone to block. We have provided drying solutions to thousands of each type of foundation!
Fixing a wet basement is not a do-it-yourself project. It takes hard work, and a lot of specialized knowledge, skill, and equipment. Learn what is causing your basement water problems and how to successfully repair your leaky basement. Your top priority is to find a certified Basement Systems dealer who can give you a free wet basement inspection and estimate for the solution to your leaky cellar.
A dry basement will protect your home investment as well as enable a basement finishing project to enhance your storage space and gain additional living space.
A leaky basement can be caused by three things: condensation, runoff, and water seepage.
Condensation is the most common, minor, issue. It occurs when warm air meet cool foundation walls or uninsulated water pipes. The best way to prevent condensation is to install a dehumidifier in your basement which will dry out the moisture from the air. Insulating your cold water pipes will also prevent condensation from occuring. Damp-proofing your concrete walls with a waterproof coating will also prevent condensation.
Runoff occurs when rainwater or melted snow is not routed away from the house. This water can seep through cracks in the foundation walls or the footings. To avoid runoff issues, make sure that the ground aroundyour house slopes away from the foundations. Use downspout extensions to drain the water away from the home. Patching any crack and sealing your basement walls will help fix this issue.
Subsurface seepage occurs when you have high groundwater. The symptoms are the same as for runoffs except that they happen all the time. This is the most costly leaky basement problem you can have. You may need to install a sump pump or drains around the foundation footings.
If you are experiencing a wet or leaky basement or would like more information please feel free to contact us. We will fix your leak permanently!
Many water problems can be cured with a few simple, low cost steps. A wet basement is more than a nuisance. If your basement is finished, moisture can ruin this space not to mention spawning harmful mold, mildew and odors.
Water most often enters from a rainfall, melting snow or groundwater seepage. Once water accumulates around your foundation it can enter in through holes, cracks, seams, or clogged perimeter draintile.
There may be some wet basement solutions that you can do yourself. The key is determining what problem you have and if it requires professional attention: condensation, runoff or subsurface seepage.
Condensation also referred to as sweating, can be assisted with a dehumidifier or humidity extractor device which is simply a fan installed at low levels where moisture collect and evacuated through the wall to the outdoors which is easier and more cost effective than dumping a dehumidifier pan.
Runoff is rainwater or melted snow that isn't routed away from the house and is very common. Check to ensure the ground outside slopes away from your house at least 1 inch vertically for every foot of horizontal travel. Then, ensure downspouts are not leaking and extend at least four feet away from the house on a downward slope, and sometimes installing a splash block helps disperse the water. Keep gutters clean and free flowing.
Subsurface Seepage or Groundwater Seepage are more prevalent during storms, but can linger on staying consistently wet, flowing in through holes, cracks or even bubbling in between where the foundation wall meets the floor.
Mold. Mildew. Rust. Rot. Yuck! A damp basement brings all these plagues into your house, and more. The excess moisture can damage tools and furnishings, make prime workshop or rec room space unusable, and even endanger your health. Studies show that the spores released by basement mold can trigger allergy attacks and cause respiratory problems.
Fortunately, it's easy to handle many of the things that cause damp basements. The two most common causes are condensation inside and poor drainage outside. The quick way to figure out which one you have is to perform this simple three-step test.
1. Tape a 24-inch-long piece of aluminum foil to the wall in an area where you think dampness may be accumulating or coming into your basement. Run duct tape around all four sides, sealing the foil against the wall.
2. Leave the foil in place for at least 48 hours.
3. Remove the foil and see which side is wet.
If the side facing the wall is wet, water is penetrating through the wall from outside. If the side facing the room is wet, the problem is condensation. Let's deal with condensation first, since it's easier to fix.
Controlling Condensation
Condensation happens when moisture condenses out of the air and collects on the coldest surfaces in the basement, including the walls. You're likely to notice it most during humid spring and summer months. There are two fixes for basement condensation problems: insulation and dehumidification.
Start by insulating surfaces that are likely to attract condensation—cold water pipes, bare air conditioning ducts and well tanks. Cover pipes with lengths of preformed foam pipe insulation, which is available to fit different pipe diameters. Wrap everything else with vinyl-faced fiberglass insulation. This comes in blanket form (like the insulation available for water heaters) and in rolls. The facing is important: it acts as a barrier and keeps moisture from soaking the fiberglass. When everything is wrapped, seal the open seams with duct tape.
The second part of this fix? Install a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. Locate the unit in the dampest part of the basement, at least 12 inches from walls or other obstructions that might interfere with airflow. For maximum dehumidification, buy a model that can run continuously during periods of high humidity, and connect its collection reservoir to a floor drain. Otherwise, the dehumidifier will turn off automatically when its collection pan or reservoir is full of water.
Dealing with Drainage Problems
Poor drainage is the leading cause of basement water problems. It can occur for several reasons, including:
•Missing or improperly installed rain gutters and downspouts. A heavy rain can dump massive quantities of water on your house, and runoff from the roof can collect around the foundation. To direct runoff away from the house, install gutters along all the eaves and attach downspouts equipped with strainers. to keep them clog free. Put down cement or stone splash blocks where downspout flow is heavy, and use corrugated pipe or downspout extensions to carry water away from the foundation.
•Improper grading. If the ground slopes toward the house rather than away from it, water can pool by the foundation and leak inside. Also, if the soil is too close to the mudsill (also called a sill plate) running along the top of the foundation, you can end up with wet walls and even a rotted mudsill. Ground level around your home should be at least 6 inches below the mudsill.
•Improper grading around basement window wells. Keep the soil at the bottom of a window well at least 6 inches below the windowsill. If this doesn't solve the problem, you can buy and install a clear plastic window well cover to keep the rain out. If leaking continues, you may have to dig out the window well and install a drainage pipe to carry water to a lower point outside the foundation.
Plugging the Leaks
What if gutters, downspouts and regrading don't cure basement moisture problems? Then you may have poor drainage below ground level, or a water source too close to the foundation. Since outside excavation and waterproofing is work you'll want a professional to do, let's focus on what you can do inside to stop leaks and keep water at bay.
Sealing the inside involves repairing crack and plugging any holes in the basement walls and floor with hydraulic cement, and then waterproofing the walls. Here's how to proceed.
To repair cracks and holes:
1. Locate all large cracks and holes. Check the walls, the seam between the walls and floor, and the floor itself.
2. Widen the cracks and holes. Use a two-pound hand sledge and a masonry chisel to enlarge the openings. This improves the bond between the hydraulic cement and the existing concrete. Undercut the edges to create dovetail-shaped openings. These will hold cement better than V-shaped trenches.
3. Clean the openings. Remove loose concrete from the cracks and holes, and scrub them with a wire brush and water.
4. Fill the cracks and holes. Hydraulic cement is incredible stuff. It expands and tightly seals openings, and can even stop flowing water. But it dries quickly—between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the manufacturer. So, only mix as much as you can use during that time. To work best the mix should have a buttery thickness. That's about 4 1/2 parts cement to 1 part water.
Use a trowel to layer the cement into the cracks and holes. Feather the edges so they're flush with the surface. Note: Hydraulic cement is caustic and the dust can irritate. Always wear gloves and a dust mask when working with it. And let the cement 1375>cure for several days before moving on to the next step.
To waterproof the basement walls:
1. Prepare the surface. Wash the walls to remove mold, grease, dust, dirt or other debris that will interfere with the waterproofing. Use a mild detergent and add a capful of bleach to the water to kill mold. If you see efflorescence on the wall or floor—a white, powdery crystal-like substance that often forms on concrete—remove it with >muriatic acid and a wire brush. Read the label to determine whether and how much to dilute the acid and be sure to follow this safety rule: always add acid to water, not the other way around—so you don't get a chemical reaction. Muriatic acid is highly corrosive, so when you work with it, wear goggles, heavy-duty rubber gloves and long sleeves, and keep the basement ventilated as well as possible.
2. Seal the seams. With a masonry sealant seal the seam between the floor and the walls.
3. Apply the waterproofing cement. In a large bucket or cement-mixing pan, mix a batch of masonry waterproofing cement to the consistency of thick pancake batter—about 20 pounds of cement to 1 or 1 1/2 gallons of water. Let the mix set for 20 minutes before applying so all the cement dissolves. (Don't worry; the mix won't cure for two hours.) Then stir again and use a masonry brush to coat the walls. Apply at least two coats.
Installing a sump pump
Sometimes a sump pump can solve basement water problems. An example would be when water comes into the basement only during the wet season. You might also want to install a sump pump if your efforts to waterproof the walls and floor still don't stop leakage completely.
To put in a sump pump, you'll need to dig a sump pit—a hole in the basement floor where water can collect and (when it reaches a certain level in the hole) be pumped outside through a drain line. If your home doesn't have a sump pit, your best bet is to hire a professional to build one, since creating a pit involves locating a low point in the floor and punching a hole through the reinforced concrete. Once the pit is in, you can hook up a sump pump and install your drain line. You have two types of sump pump to choose from.
Pedestal pumps. These pumps usually are the least expensive, but they are noisier than submersibles. Also the design, with open fins on the motor housing for cooling, allows dust and moisture to get into the motor. This can shorten its life.
Submersible pumps. While more expensive than pedestal pumps, submersibles are quieter, and tend to last longer because their sealed, oil-cooled motors are protected from moisture and dust.
Your best choice for drainpipe for the interior part of the job is 1 1/2-inch PVC. This type of pipe is rigid enough to hold the sump pump in place, yet lightweight and easy to cut with a standard hacksaw. Connecting fittings and pipe sections is easy; you'll need PVC pipe primer and pipe cement.
For the exterior drain line, you'll want a more flexible pipe that can bend with the contours of your yard. Here a good choice is polyethylene. Two important notes: Before connecting a drain line to a sump pipe, you must install a check valve. Otherwise, the water you pump up the drain line will just flow back into the pit when the pump turns off. Also, it's good to connect the check valve to the PVC pipe with flexible neoprene connectors and hose clamps. That way it's easy to remove the sump pump if you need to do maintenance or repairs.
Cause and Effect – Happiness is a Dry Basement
Inadequate drainage – that’s the origin of many wet basements. Clogged eaves troughs or downspouts that overflow during rainstorms can cause water to accumulate around the foundation.
The eaves troughs and downspouts may be draining into an underground rain leader that’s become clogged with silt or destroyed by tree roots. The problems may come from ground level – if the earth around the house is graded so water runs towards the foundation, rather than away from it – or originate below ground because of cracks in the foundation, lack of or deterioration of the weeping tile, window wells that let in too much water or substandard backfill.
Poured concrete and concrete block, the two most common foundation materials, tend to attract and absorb moisture. That in itself is not a big problem because foundations are designed to carry, and dissipate, a certain amount of water. It’s when foundations have to cope with amounts larger than they were meant to handle that problems develop.
If you have a concrete block foundation that is holding more water than it should, the blocks at the base of the wall affected will feel damp to the touch, and any surface finish will likely be discolored or peeling away.
A block concrete foundation can hold a huge amount of water. To relieve the pressure, drill a hole, 1/2" in diameter in the center of one of the damp blocks at floor level near a floor drain. You can expect as much as six or seven gallons of water pouring out of the hole. Spigots can also be installed in walls that constantly leak or you can attempt an internal gutter system directing any water to your basement’s floor drain.
Be advised that all of these approaches can still leave too much water in the inside cavity of your basement. They should only be considered stopgap measures until you have the time or finances to get more extensive work done.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that point to water problems. The most obvious is water entering through cracks in the foundation walls and slab floor. This can be detected from a wide variety of symptoms: puddles of water sitting on the floor, water stains on wall finishes, wall paper lifting off the walls, crumbling concrete or masonry surfaces, “spalling” (lifting of the faces) on brick foundations or “efflorescence” – the powdery white residue left on wall surfaces when moisture evaporates. Excessive water can also buckle the sub floor and push up floor tiles and carpeting, or cause decay in wooden headers, joists and sill plates.
Sometimes the symptoms are not easily visible to the naked eye, but are obvious to your other senses. Your fingers may find moisture on banisters, windows or sills. Your nose may pick up musty odours or the air may feel damp on your skin.
Preventative Maintenance is Always Your First Defense
Make sure your eaves troughs are cleaned at least twice a year and your downspouts extend at least 2" to 3" away from the foundation and are running freely.
Ensure those eaves trough joints are properly sealed and that the elbow joints screwed on, rather than just pushed into place.
Do the elbows sit at least 1" off the ground to allow water runoff by gravity? Are there splash blocks (concrete trays) underneath the downspouts, to disperse water away from the foundation?
Are the downspouts lifted off the ground, so they won’t freeze in winter? Downspouts that drain directly into the weeping tile at the foot of the foundation (common practice in the past) should be avoided because, if the diameter of the weeping tile is insufficient to handle all the water from your roof, you could get flooding. The below grade portion of the downspout could also become disconnected, making it necessary to dig up the downspout to make repairs.
Grading
If the earth slopes toward the foundation, surface water will collect against the house after every rainfall, and also when the snow melts in the spring. Deep-rooted plants and shrubs tend to hold moisture in soil, so it’s best not to plant them right up against your foundation – shallower-rooted ground covers are a better option.
Overall, finding water in your basement is not a catastrophe; in fact, it’s very common. Concrete is concrete, and with weather conditions, your foundation moves, causing it to crack.
Should you discover your basement is leaking where the floor meets the wall and several wet spots are visible, you’re looking at more extensive work; your weeping tile is choked and may require repair or replacement.