Dry renovated basement

8 Tips to Keep Your Basement Dry

June 30, 2020

Basements are a great addition to your home. They add extra living space, extra bedrooms, and bathrooms, or they can be used for storage. 

However you may use your basement, it is important that it stays completely dry.

This may not be at the forefront of your mind when it comes to home maintenance, however, it should be!

A wet basement can contribute to foundation issues, mold, and mildew growing in your home as well as insect infestations. 

If you find yourself dealing with any of these issues, it’s probably due to excess water and moisture accumulating in your basement. 

Mitigating your wet basement problem is essential to do straight away. Don’t push it off for another time as your basement can affect the rest of your home. Lucky for you, we’ve provided 8 tips to add to your honey-do list to keep your basement dry.

1. Diagnose the water problem

If you do start to notice a leak in your basement or water accumulating, it is important to diagnose the problem and determine where the water is entering. It could be coming from an exterior source or from the inside.

If you can’t locate the source it may just be the accumulation of moisture which could mean you need to dry out the moisture in the air.

2. Make sure water flows away from your foundation

This isn’t something you may think about, however, houses are supposed to be built on a foundation where the land has a slight grade moving away from the house. 

If you notice that certain areas of the ground around your home slope into the house, that may be your culprit to water entering your home. This unfortunately is a bigger issue and will most likely need a professional to inspect it and fix your foundation. 

3. Keep your gutters clean

It is common in most houses to have a gutter that surrounds the outside of your roof. This catches the water and redirects it onto your yard and not down the foundation of your home. 

You may think that just having gutters and downspouts is enough, however, if they are clogged, that won’t do you any good. Checking to make sure your gutters are clean should be a seasonal task. 

Autumn is when the leaves can accumulate in the gutters and clog them for winter and spring, causing the water to overflow and go places it doesn’t belong. 

Cleaning your gutters regularly is a quick fix that can really help to stop moisture from entering your basement

4. Plug all holes and cracks

That crack in your foundation may have been there since you moved in, however as the seasons change and time passes, water may be slowly leaking through that crack or hole. 

Depending on the size of the crack, you may be able to plug it in using hydraulic cement or another liquid barrier. However, this is a fairly temporary fix to what could be a much larger problem and may need professional attention.

A lot of the time, foundational issues can be caused by the standing water on concrete in your basement. If the concrete has cracks or damages, it’s vulnerable to further damage. A way to mitigate damages is to install the proper flooring system so no cracks let in leaks and no real damage afflicts the floor.

If you need assistance with choosing a flooring system for your basement, don’t hesitate to call Epoxy Colorado for all of your basement sealant and epoxy flooring options!

5. Insulate pipes

Insulating pipes that are exposed in a basement can be a quick fix for creating a moisture barrier. This is also beneficial for climates that have drastic changes in weather conditions for when the weather gets cold and then warm. You don’t want condensation to build up. 

6. Seal concrete floors and walls

If you haven’t noticed any major cracks or issues in your basement, something to help prevent moisture from entering your home is by using water-sealing paint

These paints help with mildew and mold growth and provide a barrier on your floor and walls in your basement that can help keep water out. However, if you’ve noticed water already in your basement, this may just be a band-aid and not a feasible solution to your problem. 

7. Send vents outside

If you have a bathroom or laundry room in your basement, it is important that you have proper ventilation. Make sure that your laundry vent is going outside since drying clothes allows for the possibility of added moisture in your home. 

Bathroom vents are also extremely important, especially if a shower is located in the basement so that the moisture has a place to go and doesn’t accumulate.

8. Install a dehumidifier

Installing a dehumidifier is a simple solution to keeping your basement dry. A dehumidifier will lower the humidity in the air, causing the room to dry out. There are whole-house dehumidifiers to ensure that not only your basement, but your whole home is free of excess moisture

However, if you have a consistent leak or moisture issue that isn’t taken care of, a dehumidifier isn’t the solution

Before you call on a professional for assistance, take the time to try to find the source of the problem yourself. If it turns out that it was none of these issues we’ve outlined here, we suggest calling in a local restoration company or plumber. The professional you call upon is dependent on the real issue causing the water/moisture problem.

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