The average household might use nearly 100 gallons of water everyday, but there is one place you definitely don’t want to find it. Basements should not be wet. To believe that all basements are a little humid, or a little damp, is to invite disaster. When you allow water to collect at the bottom level, it can compromise the integrity of the whole structure. Moisture breeds mold, softens wood, and slowly breaks down the hardest of materials. So what should you be on the look out for, and how can these problems be fixed? Read below for a quick breakdown on keeping your basement dry.
If you live in a rainy climate, the cause of your damp basement may be obvious. Too much water is running off the roof and accumulating around the house, resulting in water seeping through the walls to drip into the basement. With this predicament, the gutters need to be inspected and cleared out to allow the water or snow to drain. If the basement is more than damp, and actually wet, it might be necessary to look into a basement sump pump installation. This small pump can be submerged in the ground or above ground, but either way it will pump up excess water before it sits and grows smelly. Foul smelling water is actually a result of having a high sulfur content, and not necessarily a sign of filth. Sulfur can corrode pipes and needs to be purified, but that is a topic for another time.
Basement sump pump installation might not be in your future if the basement does not have water on the ground, and is instead simply humid. This still presents a problem though. The solution is to get the air moving, with vents or windows, and plenty of fans. Otherwise, the combination of heat and just enough moisture will encourage mold to grow.
Subsurface problems are a problem with where the home was built. There are one of two scenarios: either the water table in the area is unusually high, or the soil on which the house was built has a high ratio of clay. This type of problem is perhaps the worst, as it requires something more extensive than basement sump pump installation to fix. A professional with good customer satisfaction ratings would be your best bet. The solution will likely be a drainage system that combines underground pipes with a pump. The job might require you to look into well digging services, as well drilling services require a permit in most counties. Whether it’s pump water tanks or laying pipes to assist with drainage, this solution is definitely more time consuming, depending on what is recommended.
Don’t settle for a damp basement. Doing so can actually shorten the life of your home, because water that seeps into walls and floors causes a host of problems. Mold, soggy wood joints, and a bad smell are symptoms of too much moisture. Check what the cause of your problem is, and take steps to fix it today.