Drying Out A Wet Basement
Do you have a problem with a wet basement ? Do you want to know what causes basements to become wet in the first place? Leaking basements are a common problem, that affects 60 percent of homes and usually develop within 10 to 15 years. Unfortunately, a leaky basement can be very expensive to repair; costing homeowners thousands of dollars. Wet basements can also buckle basement walls and cause structural damage. It is advisable to fix your basement early before the expensive damage has been done. The signs of a wet basement include musty odors, minor water leaks and efflorescence (aka."white powder"). The two common causes for a wet basement are condensation and runoff.
Condensation
Condensation, also known as sweating, shows up in the form of puddles, water droplets and water spots on the basement floors and walls. condensation occurs when warm air hits a cool foundation or cold water pipes that are not insulated. This condensation can result in rusting appliances, dampened carpets and a clammy basement. In the case of crawl spaces, condensation encourages insect attack and wood rot. It can also delaminate and buckle plywood. There is an easy way to tell if the moisture is a result of condensation or runoff. Tape some aluminum foil over damp spots and check it after a day. If the moisture forms on the underside of the foil, it is a result of runoff. If the moisture forms on the outer face of the foil, the water is from condensation.
To repair early damage due to condensation in a full basement, simply air it out by running fans and opening windows. Installing a dehumidifier should also be taken into consideration in a spot near easy drainage. For crawl spaces, you might want to consider increasing the number of foundation vents which will promote air circulation and carry moisture away. Plastic sheeting is also helpful for covering the ground in the space itself. 6-mil polyethylene is suggested, as it is the most durable as it generously overlaps seams.
If your water pipes run through a heated area, you can prevent condensation by insulating the pipes. Pre-formed pipe insulation is available at your local hardware store, which you can just cut to fit, and snap right onto your water pipes. This will prevent moisture from condensing on the cold water pipes in heated areas, and prevent the pipes from freezing in unheated areas.
Runoff
If melted snow and rainfall are not routed away from the house, the result is what is called runoff. The first step to drying a wet basement when the problem is runoff is to find the source of it. Make sure that the ground on the outside of the house is sloping away from it with at least 1 inch vertically for every 1 foot of horizontal travel. Make sure that downspout runoff is also not pooling into the soil near the foundation during a storm or when it rains. Driveway curbs also need to channel runoff into the streets; any cracks in the driveway surface can allow water to collect below grade.
To take care of this problem, seal the basement walls and patch the cracks in the foundation with with a polyurethane masonry caulk like Sikaflex if you are dealing with a full basement. In the case of crawl spaces and other basements, address the outside entry points by patching the cracks in your driveway. This can be accomplished by using a cold-mix asphalt patching compound. Ordinary cement is suitable for concrete driveways and sidewalks.
Other Tips Of Note
Please note that it takes 1 month for concrete to dry out for every inch of it that takes in water. In this case, a dehumidifier might be your best bet. It can take the moisture out of a room for up to two days. To get rid of the musty odor caused by moistness, try wiping everything in the basement down with a mixture of warm water and fungicide once the basement is dry. After wiping everything down, you can repaint the basement if it is possible. However, it is important to find the cause of the problem and take preventative measures to assure that you won't have to deal with a wet basement again.
