A humid basement can cause a lot of issues from giving off a stinky smell to causing cracks in the walls and floors, among others. It is always advised to have basement waterproofing to help prolong your property’s lifespan, escape spending money on unnecessary damages, etc.
There are several causes of a wet basement. While some of them are beyond your control e.g weather, you can always try to fix the part that is within your reach. How do you do that? Not to worry, follow through to find out five assured tips to help you keep a dry basement.
1. Keep Water Away from Your House’ Foundation
When there’s too much water around your house’s foundation, it begins to seep into the basement. It might also start exerting pressure on the foundation, which might lead to cracks in the walls and floors.
Therefore, pay attention to the slope of your apartment and ensure water isn’t directed towards your house. If it is find a way to increase the soil around your apartment to ensure that water keeps away from your house. Also, you can install gutter or downspouts to help direct rainwater away from your house. And if you have, ensure they’re working properly.
2. Seal Your Interior Walls & Floors
To prevent the occurrence of water seeping into your apartment, you can make use of sealants on bare surfaces or masonry. The sealant needs to be applied in large quantities, to fill every tiny pore in the walls and form a membrane over your basement surface. These sealants are only effective to prevent leakage and do not correct it. Hence, don’t hold back when applying it to your basement.
3. Use a Dehumidifier
Ventilation can also be a reason why your basement is humid. When the warm air in the room is met with cool air blowing in from outside, it results in condensation which increases the humidity level of the room. This factor and others make the basement seem to be the most humid room in the house. Therefore, the use of a dehumidifier is inevitable to help get rid of the excess humidity in the basement. These dehumidifiers come in varying sizes, therefore, depending on your basement size, pick one that suits your need.
4. Insulate Your Cold-Water Pipes
During sunny days, the pipes carrying cold water have water condense around them which they give off as drips. These water droplets add to the moisture content in the walls. This is why insulation of such pipes is always advised. Foam insulation is relatively cheap and can also help protect the walls from this source of water.
5. Patch Holes/Cracks Early
A crack in your basement walls and your floors can help encourage the seeping of water into your house. The moment you notice moisture on the wall, try as much as possible to identify the source of the leak and see if you can fix it yourself. Check out the cracks and fix them as soon as possible, so they don’t cause bigger problems later on. The sooner you notice and fix these cracks, the better.
Practice the tips listed above, and you can be sure of a dry and healthy basement.
