Whether it’s dripping water or stepping onto a soaked rug in stocking feet that gives you the first hint, there are few situations as finding unexpected water in your basement yet again. Due to the significant damage that this moisture can cause in your home or business, it’s vital that you properly identify the source of the water so that you can keep these problems from recurring. In this article, we’ll cover the most common sources of basement water in your Webster home and what to do about it.
Where Is My Basement Water Coming From?
Common Sources of Basement Water
Let’s start with a look at where your basement water comes from:
Poor Exterior Drainage
In many situations, your basement water may be coming from your home’s exterior when it doesn’t drain away properly. This can come from a range of possible sources. When your foundation has improper grading, when your gutters and downspouts are clogged or broken, or when your landscaping causes water to pool around your foundation, water can leak into your basement, causing significant damage.
Foundation Cracks and Seepage
Another common source of basement water in your Webster home is cracks and seepage through your foundation walls. It’s pretty common to think of your foundation as one solid, monolithic piece, but it often has seams at specific locations that allow water to enter your basement. Your foundation can also settle and crack over time, allowing moisture to leak through. Water pressure can also push water through the pores in your basement’s masonry walls, allowing it to leak through more slowly over time.
Window Well and Door Leaks
If you have window wells, egress windows or basement exterior doors, these can often be a source of moisture leakage into your basement. Window wells require sufficient drainage to ensure that the water will be effectively and efficiently moved away from the window well. Similarly, a basement door or egress window that is poorly sealed can also create an opening for moisture to leak into your basement space.
Plumbing Leaks Inside the Basement
One of the most common sources of basement water in your Webster home is faulty plumbing. When your home has plumbing issues, it can cause water to build up inside your basement. This can happen due to pipes in your basement that are leaking or have burst, or a leaking water heater. In this situation, rapid repairs can take care of the problem. Condensation on your pipes can also cause moisture to build up. A sump pump should remove the water from your basement space, but if it’s faulty, the water will remain in place.
Rising Groundwater and High Water Table Issues
As seasons change, groundwater levels can change. This can also happen following heavy rainfall. You can often find this type of groundwater infiltration around seams between your basement walls and floors, through cracks in your basement walls, or other sources of fast water infiltration. In these cases, a sump pump can provide a solid solution, but without sufficient additional drainage options, you may still have issues with water in your basement.
How to Identify the Water Source
To discover the source of the water in your basement, you want to start by looking for water entry points following a rainstorm. This will often help you find the source of the leak if it’s due to issues with drainage or window wells. For harder to locate sources, moisture meters and humidity detectors can also be used to find the source of the water in your basement. Similarly, tests can be undertaken to track the source of the leak.
Solutions to Keep Your Basement Dry
There are several solutions available to help keep your basement dry, but the best approach is often a combined approach that uses multiple techniques.
Improving Exterior Drainage
Adding grading to your yard to move water away from your foundation walls, extending your downspouts to drain further away from your foundation, and adding dry wells or French drains can make a big difference in how much water can drain into your basement.
Sealing Foundation Cracks and Walls
Waterproofing cracks in your foundation can reduce water entering your basement, but you’ll get better results if you have the work done professionally. This option is available on either the interior or exterior foundation cracks, though interior repair of these cracks is much less expensive.
Addressing Interior Moisture and Plumbing Issues
Repairing leaking pipes or water heaters can reduce or eliminate the interior source of water for these types of sources, while a dehumidifier can provide you with better control of condensation leaks. Sump pumps with proper care and the addition of backups provide better protection.
The best results come with a combined approach, where your foundation walls and cracks are sealed, drainage around the perimeter of the basement is added, and a properly sized sump pump is installed, ensuring that no matter what the source of your basement water, your basement will still remain dry.
If you’re looking for amazing basement waterproofing services for your Webster, NY home, it’s important to work with a company that is familiar with the different water sources and solutions to fix the problem. You’ll find that at Storm Basement Waterproofing. Why not contact us today to get started?