Dealing With Your Wet Basement
Knowing whether or not your basement has a water problem is usually pretty easy. Basements that have water damage issues are typically plagued by a musty smell, especially if there happens to be carpet in the basement. Mold loves to eat carpet and the padding that goes underneath it and where there is water and humidity, there is almost always mold.
Causes of wet basements are generally the infiltration of water from the ground around your home, either from rain water on the surface or even water coming in from underground. Indoor and outdoor humidity also tend to be causes of wet basements.
One of the best things to do to prevent water from getting into your basement is simply to make sure that the ground surrounding your home causes water to drain away from the foundation instead of toward it. Water settling around the foundation of your home can not only get into your basement and cause water damage, but it can also eventually cause your home to sink into the ground due to soil displacement.
Water damaged furnishings in the basement should be gotten rid of unless they can be repaired or cleaned. After this, you need to identify what the problem is.
If the source of the problem is surface water such as rain, the likely reason is that your rain gutters need to be cleaned out or that the ground around your home’s foundation is not sloped properly to promote drainage. Downspout extensions are also a good idea because they make sure that the water that comes out of your downspouts does not settle around the foundation.
Water seeping into the basement from underground is a somewhat difficult situation to control. There could be an underground spring or it could be due to water pressure from saturated soil because of heavy rains.
Humidity can also be a problem. One way to deal with indoor humidity in your basement is to purchase a dehumidifier. Dryer exhausts and basement shower vents should be installed to vent steam outside and away from the home. You should not hang wet laundry in your basement to dry, because this creates humidity.
There may also be structural problems to deal with. Look around your basement and note if any of the wood appears damaged or to be rotting. Checking with a professional is sometimes recommended because even if the beams look fine to you, they may actually need replacing soon.
