Kansas homes can easily develop moisture problems. Water in the basement can lead to mold, musty smells, damaged walls and floors, and ruined furniture and belongings. It’s necessary to get rid of the water, fix underlying problems, and take steps to keep your basement dry. If your basement is often damp, you need to take steps now to investigate and correct any problems.
How to Find Out What’s Causing the Moisture in Your Basement
First, determine if your basement water problem is a one-time event or if you have a consistent problem. If the water is from a plumbing leak, contact an experienced plumber for help. If water is coming through the basement floor or coming in where the basement walls meet the floor, then the source of the water is likely subsurface groundwater. Water seepage is likely to keep happening if not dealt with. Here is a method to determine the extent of leakage:
- Tape a 1-foot-square piece of aluminum foil to the inside of your basement walls and leave it in place for 24 hours.
- If there’s condensation on the outside of the foil, you have high humidity in your basement. Fix it with a portable room dehumidifier or a whole-house humidifier system instead of waterproofing products.
- If the foil has condensation on the inside surface (next to the wall), it may be the soil around your house is naturally damp from a high water table or poor soil drainage. In that case, basement waterproofing can be useful.
If the water in your basement seems to be only near the exterior foundation walls, then the problem is likely surface water that isn’t draining away properly. Look around your house for leaky basement windows or clogged window wells. Also, water overflowing from the gutters can get into the basement and erode soil, which can cause foundation cracks. Another cause might be pavement cracks, causing rainwater to flow toward the house.
Short Term Solution
In some instances, you can find relief by waterproofing just your interior walls with concrete waterproofing coatings. These thick coatings are cement-like; once dry, they adhere permanently to concrete and masonry walls. Silicate-based concrete sealers, also known as densifiers, are also suitable only for walls that haven’t been painted or sealed. The sealers soak in and chemically react with ingredients in the concrete or brick, forming a hard, waterproof surface.
Sometimes, plastic sheets and panels are used to waterproof walls in combination with interior basement drainage systems. They don’t stop water from getting through the wall, but they do stop it from ruining things in the basement.
None of these products will work unless cracks and gaps are properly sealed. You either need to find and fill all the open spaces, or contact a basement waterproofing expert at Lamunyon for a more complete answer.
Long Trip Solution
You can waterproof just your interior walls, which may solve the problem. Or you can prepare your exterior walls to prevent future problems. Your best bet is to waterproof your basement walls with professional exterior waterproofing.
Depending on your situation, the basement waterproofing experts at Lamunyon have multiple options. One is excavating all around the house to the full depth of the foundation walls, then installing a waterproof coating or membrane topped by drainage panels. The panels provide an easy path for water to flow down to an exterior French drain at the bottom of your foundation. With this solution, water flows by gravity, or with the aid of a sump pump, away from your foundation down into a storm drain.
For Basement Waterproofing
When moisture is a problem in your basement, you could be inviting a host of other problems into your home, such as mold growth, rodents, pests, and insects. Long-term moisture problems or problems that go undetected for a long time can even cause severe structural damage to your home.
Established in 1973, Lamunyon provides a range of services to help home and business owners who have been affected by a disaster. Whether it is a fire, a flood, a mold problem, or a crumbling foundation, our basement waterproofing experts know how to properly provide the necessary clean-up procedures, as well as how to start putting the pieces back together. Whether this means taking care of mold that may be growing or replacing damaged walls and flooring, we are here to help.
