Why is My Basement Wet, Even in Winter?

Tired of walking down the basement steps into a pool of water?  Stop dealing with wet basement repair expenses, and get started on your London basement waterproofing.  But first you need to figure out the reason for those frustrating leaks.

Check for cracks

First things first, look for obvious causes – cracks. The two most common for crack problems are:

• Foundation walls
• You may be thinking, "Problem solved!  We found and repaired those last year".  But if you only repaired interior cracks then you may be missing an entire, and important, group of fissures.  Exterior damage will need to be mended by excavating.
• Improper drainage
• This can appear in the form of fissures and holes in the floor, or water can creep in through the cracks between the floor and walls.  It's possible that your foundation drain is in need of repair.  Get your London basement waterproofing experts From BEST to check the quality of your foundation draining before the problem gets any worse. 

Poorly planned features of your home

Because of their function, eaves troughs and downspouts naturally hold gallons of water with every rain or snowfall.  If these features aren't positioned to lead the water far enough away from your house, you will begin to find an overload is looking for a place to go.  And your basement just happens to be perfectly cozy for a huge bout of water! This is an easy wet basement repair – make sure that the funnel of the downspout is a minimum of 4-feet away from the base of your home.  Furthermore, increase or alter the grade of the foundation to ensure that the water is travelling away from your home, instead of into your basement.

Window wells are another annoying, but easy enough problem to solve.  Wells often hold water and snow with every storm, and if the base of it isn't covered in 6 – 8 inches of stone or another material that allows easy water drainage, you'll find that your basement will easily become damp.   Another window well tip in London basement waterproofing is to ensure that the bottom of the window well is no less than 6 inches from the bottom of the window.  If you have drainage materials, it's unlikely that water will fill up more than 6 inches. 

Natural grievances for wet basement repair

Unfortunately, human structures sometimes run against the grain of nature.  High water tables in your area can be extremely whimsical, and may only surface seasonally.  When they do, you'll get a wet basement without many options for prevention.  Throughout winter in particular, the London basement waterproofing problem may be that your basement floor is below the frost line.  The frost line is the area in the ground in which water doesn't freeze – so don't be fooled into thinking you've escaped the water problem in the winter!  The best thing you can do is to ensure you have properly functioning foundation drains and sump pumps.

Sump pumps may also need to be reinforced with a perimeter drain system in case of too much hydrostatic pressure from the high water table.  

Make sure you have a moisture barrier

If you're finding water magically seep up through the basement floor, your wet basement repair issue may be with the ground beneath.  Most homes, particularly modern homes due to building codes, have moisture barriers.  But if your home is older, or if you think the barrier may be damaged, it may be time to contact BEST Plumbing & Drainage Contractors to check it out.

Want to get rid of the mess before Christmas?  Contact your BEST London Ontario basement waterproofing experts to get started on your free quote.