You open the door, turn the light on, and wander down into your basement. To your surprise, there are puddles on the floor. You quickly check the windows, and they’ve been closed the whole time. How on earth has this happened?
Wet basements can be common as there are many things that might cause them. If you are still determining the main reason for leakage, talking to professionals specializing in waterproofing basements is best.
Here are three reasons you might suffer from water damage in your basement area:
Sump pump failure
As you’re well aware, a sump pump will act to keep water out of your basement. It funnels water from outside into a basin before pumping it out again. In theory, this is the perfect system for keeping a basement nice and dry.
For whatever reason, your sump pump might be broken. This could be down to general wear and tear, or maybe something got stuck in it. Obviously, the easiest thing to do is check the sump pump to see if it’s working properly. If it isn’t, this is likely the cause of your leak.
Foundation issues
Secondly, a wet basement might be down to some foundation issues. The foundations of your home will be built into and under the basement. At times, problems with the foundations can lead to walls or pillars cracking, letting water leak through.
The good news is that you can correct this problem if you act quickly. Check the walls in your basement for cracks. If you spot any, call a foundation repair company to come and check them out. They will patch the cracks up and fix your foundations to ensure that water doesn’t keep leaking into the bottom area of your home.
Terrible drainage
Probably the most common cause of water leaks in your basement is poor drainage. The way your home is built should naturally allow water to drain away from it. If you constantly see water pooling outside your property, this indicates that your drainage system is pretty terrible. Perhaps you made landscaping changes, or maybe your home was just built with poor drainage.
Either way, you should know if this is your problem because it’s fairly obvious. Look for signs of puddles outside your home, and also look if there’s always water in your basement when it rains. If this has been a long-standing issue - and you see no cracks in the walls or issues with your sump pump - then it’s a drainage problem. Contact a company to help you clear any clogged gutters and improve the natural drainage system outside your home.
At the end of the day, wet basements are problematic. Water might not seem like a big problem, but it can cause a lot of damage to your home. It stains surfaces and can lead to mold forming. Plus, water damage is known to be very hard for you to clean. Usually, you have to pay a company to come and do it professionally, which is highly expensive and inconvenient.
Consequently, you should do everything possible to prevent leaks in your basement. This starts with checking your foundations, sump pump, and drainage system!
