People love basements – what isn’t to love? They are great! You get so much extra room that can be used for almost anything – a home cinema, a private gym, a guest area, a playroom or even just extra storage space. But, as we all know, with great things comes great responsibility.
The basement is a large part of the house that needs to be kept clean and well maintained in order to prevent problems. And, being the lowest part of the house, problems are sometimes inevitable. One of the most serious problems that occur in basements is wetness, which in turn is the cause of mold. So, wetness in your basement should be dealt with as soon as it’s caught.
What Causes Wet Basements?
It’s not unusual to find wetness in basements. These are a few of the most common causes of a wet basement:
Condensation: the basement, especially the walls and floor, is a cool place because it is not in the sunlight. Therefore, when warm and moist air (for example from a clothes dryer or heater) comes into contact with the basement walls condensation will occur.
Rainwater: rainwater can enter your basement if it isn’t properly routed away from the house, it can seep through cracks in the basement walls if the basement is not waterproofed.
Surface water flooding: when rains are very heavy sometimes not all the water can be absorbed into the ground and some of it may rise and enter the basement of your house.
Sewer backups: heavy rains can cause havoc on the sewage system as the water can’t pass through quickly enough, causing it to back up. The same occurs when you have a blockage in the system. When sewage comes up through the drains into your basement you don’t only have a problem of wetness you also have a serious health risk that requires professional assistance.
Leaks: water can seep into your basement through even the smallest cracks in the walls, the floor or even through the ceiling. You may also experience a leaking pipe in your basement.
Floods: floods can occur from the outside with heavy rainwater penetrating the basement or from the inside, for example, if you have a washing machine in your basement that has malfunctioned or if you have a plumbing issue.
Wet Basement Solutions
As you can see there are a number of causes of a wet basement and all of them should be dealt with swiftly. Any type of wetness in your basement is the start of bigger problems, so the sooner you treat the wetness the better.