Signs of Basement Moisture Problems
Water in your basement can stem from all sorts of reasons. These problem signs can be an indicator that your home might be due for basement waterproofing, here are some of the most common ones.
There are many potential problem signs that often indicate issues with your basement. Basement waterproofing is a huge concern that you should take very seriously. If you’re experiencing basement waterproofing problems, don’t worry; you’re certainly not alone. Here are some of the most important signs and symptoms you need to think about when it comes to managing your basement waterproofing problems.
Basement Waterproofing Problem Signs
The basement cove is where the basement floor and the basement walls meet. Because of the structure of a basement, it’s one of the areas that tends to have basement waterproofing problems. You can end up with water collecting all around the outside of a basement rather than with water collecting in the middle or elsewhere. If you’re experiencing regular issues with water in the basement cove, it’s natural for that to be frustrating, but you should also know that there are ways to fix it. An interior drain, which is any kind of drain that opens between the wall and the floor, will help you remove this type of water.
The smell of a musty basement is a smell no one wants to deal with. Unfortunately, it’s also a smell many homeowners have experienced. Even more unfortunately, many homeowners think it’s an unavoidable part of having a basement. This musty smell typically ends up being mold or mildew, both things the basement shouldn’t have in it. If you’re experiencing the musty basement smell on a regular basis, it means there’s a water problem in your basement that you haven’t tackled yet. Talk to a Groundworks basement waterproofing expert about how you can fix your water problem so you can avoid that musty basement smell in the future.
Do you ever see a white, chalky material on your basement walls? If you do, chances are that you’ve started to see efflorescence. Although this material can look startlingly similar to mold, it’s actually just crystallized salt that’s come to the surface of the basement walls because of water. You can just scrape it off with a paint scraper or a similar tool. However, if you want to get rid of the efflorescence for good, you’re going to need to fix whatever’s pumping water into your basement, because efflorescence only appears where water has started to gather on concrete.
If you happen to have a finished basement, you might have drywall in and around the basement. If you do, you need to make sure you’re not getting that drywall wet. Drywall is an organic material, which means that if it gets wet, it’s extremely easy for it to start growing mold. Unfortunately, this can start to degrade your basement overall, making it a place that no one in your family really wants to be. Although you might think a finished basement is safer than an unfinished basement, you actually have to be much more careful with a finished basement because of the variety of things that can go wrong.
- Wet Basement Carpet
When you have carpet in your basement, you need to be just as careful as when you have drywall. As with drywall, most carpet utilizes organic materials for its structure. That means it can almost certainly grow mold if it gets wet. Plus, it’s often very difficult for carpet to dry, which means it can retain moisture for a very long time. If you have carpet in your basement, the most important thing you can do is make sure that you’re checking regularly to ensure your basement waterproofing is intact so you don’t get wet basement carpet.
Condensation in your basement can be a gigantic problem. If you’re experiencing basement condensation, it’s typically because your basement has very high humidity. If that humidity becomes too high, you can end up with serious condensation problems, especially if there are pipes or areas where the air cools throughout the basement. Condensation can turn into standing water in your basement, especially if you leave it for a very long period of time. It’s best to just avoid condensation altogether and try to make your basement as dry as possible by reducing the humidity levels from the beginning.
Does your water heater tend to leak? Many homeowners keep their water heaters in the basement because it’s a great place to store the heater. Although this is a useful place to keep it, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a beneficial setup for everyone. The problem arises if you have a water heater problem that causes the heater to leak. If the water heater leaks, you’re going to get water all throughout your basement, which can end up being much more dangerous than having the water heater leak in the area above the basement.
- Rusty Water Heater
What if your water heater starts to rust? Especially if you have a water heater that’s not very high-quality, you might end up with issues regarding your water heater if there’s water anywhere around it. That may occur if there’s a water heater leak or if there’s a leak in another part of the basement that somehow gets onto the water heater. That can cause the water heater to rust, which is a huge problem that many homeowners experience. If you experience a rusty water heater, step one is to find out what’s putting water onto the heater and remove that problem so there’s no longer a chance for it to rust.
Basement Water Problem Causes
FAQs About Basement Waterproofing Problems
You can have multiple warning signs of basement waterproofing needs. As a matter of fact, it’s extremely common to have multiple warning signs of basement waterproofing needs. You may have issues with your water heater and issues with a musty basement smell, for example. The most important thing to remember is that the more warning signs you have, the more probable it is that you have a serious basement waterproofing concern. As soon as you notice one warning sign, it’s probably time to talk to a basement waterproofing expert, but if you’re noticing multiple, it’s definitely time to have someone involved.
Warning signs like the ones you’ve read about here do always indicate a problem of some kind. You should never have any of these problems, at least for a long period of time. For example, if you know you have wet carpet because of a momentary leak, but you’ve fixed the leak and you’re allowing the carpet to dry appropriately, you should be okay. However, if you don’t know why some of these warning signs are occurring or they occur for a very long time, it’s important to talk to a basement repair expert about it.
It’s hard to know exactly what’s causing your basement waterproofing problems because there are a number of potential causes. If you’re experiencing basement waterproofing concerns, you need to make sure you’re thinking about the variety of causes that could be part of the problem. For example, you could have issues with hydrostatic pressure, flooding, or any other variety of causes for basement waterproofing issues. The important part is to get an expert into the area who can help you understand the underlying concerns.
Sometimes, you can end up with basement waterproofing problems you don’t quite understand. However, just because there’s no obvious source doesn’t mean there isn’t one. There’s always a source for your basement waterproofing problems, but you need to uncover that source. The best way for you to do that is to talk to a basement waterproofing expert. This professional can come into your basement, look at what’s going on, and give you information that can help you fix the problems.
Make Your Basement Waterproofing Problems a Thing of the Past with an Expert’s Help
Basement waterproofing problems may be relatively common, but that doesn’t mean they have to be extremely frustrating like they are now. If you’re having basement waterproofing problems, you can fix them. You just need to know what’s going on and make a concerted effort to maintain your basement waterproofing solutions.
This is where a Groundworks basement waterproofing expert comes in. An expert can take a look at your current basement waterproofing problems, then propose a solution to help you fix them. If you’re currently experiencing basement waterproofing issues, you should talk to a local professional to make sure you know how you can get your basement on the right track.
