Sources of Wet Basement Leaks

Wet Basement and Water Leaks

Where is the water coming from? Basement water leaks can be elusive at times. Narrow down the source of your leak and find the best way to protect your home from a wet basement.

What Types of Rain Affect my Home?

If it doesn’t matter on the severity of the rain, and you experience seepage from a light rain or during a heavy downpour, you probably have an issue with your runoff grading or downspouts and gutters. If your basement is unaffected by the light and quick rains, but floods during prolonged storms, heavy downpours, or multiple days of rain, you most likely are dealing with the water table rising up due to the ground getting saturated and having no place to go except through cracks and openings in your basement. This leads to a wet basement, which no one wants to deal with.

When Does Rain Affect my Home?

If the seepage occurs within 30 minutes or less of when it starts to rain, you most likely have an exterior problem. Once again, check your grading, downspouts and gutters and make sure the water is directed away from the house and gutters are clean. It may take many hours to see moisture or puddles. This points to the water table taking its time rising up from below your basement floor and seeping in.

Where Does the Water Come From?

flooding in basement

When water comes from the wall at eye level and runs down the basement wall you most likely have an exterior problem. Eye level should typically coincide with where the grade meets the exterior of the house. If the water comes in where the floor meets the wall, this suggests the hydrostatic pressure from the water table underneath the basement slab and over saturated soils.

If your answer to these questions all leads to the water table being the source of your seepage, then the one and only way to permanently fix the problem is to install a sealed interior drain system. These interior drain tile systems are one of the more important aspects to keeping moisture from entering your home. This sealed interior drain system uses the most effective approach by using a perforated drain pipe that is installed inside the perimeter of the footing. They are building code approved when installed and sealed correctly by one of our professionals. The drain pipe drains the area to a lower level.

Waterproofing Steps to Avoid a Wet Basement

sump pump product

Water problems are the main cause of foundation problems. Knowing the cause of water leaks will lead to the solutions needed to waterproofing your home. You’ll need to determine if it is an interior or exterior problem. On the exterior, make sure the soil is properly graded around the perimeter of your home. If it is not, you may need re-grading or surface drainage installation. Check gutters and downspouts to make sure the run-off is draining away from the home. Look at the exterior concrete and make sure the concrete is not falling toward the home. If it is, the concrete may need to be taken out and replaced.

Basements and crawl spaces also need an exterior drainage system next to footing. Sump pumps should be installed and determining the correct size of the sump pump is critical. If it is too small, it won’t keep up with the amount of water coming in. A pump that is too big will quickly pump water and the pump will ‘short cycle’. This will cause it to fail and replacement needed. Let a professional help you to determine what waterproofing solution is needed for your particular water problems.