Letting water into your basement can cause severe damage, damage that will be extremely expensive to repair. Any sort of carpeting can be ruined, furnishings can be harmed, and the entire structure and foundation of the basement can be compromised. If ignored long enough, the water can even threaten the home’s very structural stability. In most cases, it’s easy to see when water is getting into your basement. Wet floors and standing water are usually a good clue. But what about when the water doesn’t make itself so apparent? It can be a scary fact that your basement can be flooding without you even be able to immediately tell. So, it’s important to know what to look for when water isn’t literally trickling down the walls. Quality Dry Basements owner Charles Pellaton is a longtime expert on basements, foundations, and waterproofing. He shares how you can watch out for potential damage when the signs aren’t so clear.
What can you look for other than visible water? You can look for a ring of dampness, which means the base of the concrete walls have water in them. Water may not be visibly accumulating, but the dampness is a sign that water getting into the walls and the floor. At this point, the water is already in there, but you have time to waterproof since it isn’t flooding in yet.
Also, you should notice that the air in the basement is damp and humid. Basements tend to get a little musty and damp, but that’s actually a sign that damage may be occurring, and you should definitely have it looked at. If you live in an area that is particularly damp and humid, it may just be a result of those conditions. But it could also mean that there is water in the structure.
Is there condensation on the cool basement floor and walls in the summer time, or any period of warmer climate? This is an immediate indication that moisture is alive and well in the basement. Condensation on the floor and walls is not normal, so if you notice that, it’s time to call your basement contractor.
One sign that is more obvious and you are most likely to be alarmed by is mold and mildew. Again, this is not uncommon for basements, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a bad sign. This can be also be a result of natural moisture in the air, but only to a very limited extent, and only in that type of climate. Otherwise, there is too much moisture in the basement, and now it’s causing mold and mildew, both of which can be dangerous.
Water can also cause deterioration of the floors and walls, such as the rotting of wood around the structure. The carpet can start to deteriorate, and the wall covering, either paint or wallpaper, can blister and peel. This type of damage is an immediate and clear sign of water’s intrusion into the basement’s structure. It is also an ominous indicator of what can happen if the water damage is not tended to and prevented going further.
Some of these signs aren’t as black and white as others. While some definitely mean water is in the structure, others can mean that there is water in the structure or that there could be results of a moist climate. Either way, if you notice one or more of these signs, you have to get a basement contractor in to take a look. You can now feel safe that you know how to spot potential signs, but a contractor has the expert eye to determine what the actual damage is, and what the next steps should be. The contractor will immediately devise the waterproofing plan and where the efforts should be focused, to make sure the damage doesn’t happen again.
