Discolored Basement floors & walls - should I be worried? - Reader Question.

Basement walls have been constructed many different ways in the 1900s. Most of the homes we live in have been built to standards created in the 1970s based on the last energy crisis. However older homes have foundations that were created using techniques that predate American History.

With so many different types of basements, wall coverings, and materials used, discoloration could happen for multiple reasons.

The most common foundations that are seen today are: Crawl Spaces (brick, block or poured concrete), Full head height basements (stone, brick, block, or poured concrete).


What having a discolored basement wall could mean:
As I mentioned discolored walls can mean quite a few things. Depending on the history of the house, these stains could be insoluble materials like oil, paint, ink, or anything else that can be washed out of a porous service. The more common cause for discoloration of a floor or a wall is water or fire damage.

Water damage leaves residues behind like efflorescence that is much like a fine powder. Efflorescence is simply the left over minerals from water that has evaporated from the service. Brick or stone foundations that have had plaster laid over it to produce a smooth finish to the wall could also soak up the water, mold, rot and flake off. During this process the plaster will change color. Browns, yellows, oranges and greens are typical to see on a plaster that is coming in contact with water.

Same basic rules apply to the floor.

If you think you have water or fire damage in your home or basement, have your home inspected by a professional to see if there are any possible damage issues that need to be corrected. If your foundation is in fact leaking, or allowing water into your basement, consider correcting any foundation issues that need repair and hiring a basement waterproofing contractor to fully protect the basement from future floods.

Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!
Image thanks to http://www.ehow.com

Is it bad for your health to have standing water in the basement? - Reader Question

The longer water sits in the basement or crawl space, the more time it has to contribute to the conditions of the home.

Water that sits in an area like the basement, doesn't move, doesn't filter, and is allowed to do so, can breed problems.

Water normally carries bacteria and other microscopic organisms with it. Standing water allows these bacteria to multiply in your home. As water evaporates these bacteria can become air born which will effect your air quality. Standing water also directly effects the amount of moisture in a basement or crawl space which will, again, effect your indoor air quality.

A basement that has an increased level of moisture has an increased chance of harboring mold colonies. Mold requires cool, damp and dark conditions to thrive in addition to a food source. A food source for mold is anything that can be organically decomposed or digested by the mold (wood, cardboard, paper, clothing, pictures, wood stairs, etc.)

Dealing with water quickly is the key to success:
As I mentioned, the longer the water stays untouched in the basement, the more of a chance it will effect, and the longer it will have the ability to effect the indoor air quality of the basement and the home.

Moping up, dry "vac-ing", and drying out the area will help you gain back control of the usable space. Run a dehumidifier and turn the heat on to warm up the basement - this will help the water to be moved off of the floor or the basement.


Don't let the water sit
Move the water, clean it up
Dry out the space - dehumidifier, heat and fans.

The longer the water sits the longer it has to cause problems in the basement - especially in a finished basement.

If your basement or crawl space has even a brief history of this occurring, seriously consider having a GrateDrain system installed in the trouble spots to help keep this from happening again.


Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

New Blog to help business owners find a Product.

Recently the owners of Grate Products asked me to write a bit on their new CrackShield product that they are training contractors on. The writings have started to take a live onto themselves and now I've been putting them together in a blog entitled Contractor Solutions for Foundation Crack Repair.

I'm hoping that this blog will do a few things:

1.) show people who are starting small businesses nationwide that there are profitable businesses to be had in the home improvement industry.

2.) help people navigate their way to the National CrackShield Site so they can learn more about the product, how to buy it, or how to join the Grate Products Contractor network

3.) Give me a place to deal more with foundation repair in addition to basement waterproofing matters.

Foundation problems often give way to leaks, and eventually wet basements, so I'm hoping that by shedding some very detailed light on foundation wall crack repair, both businesses and homeowners alike will learn more about their foundations.

Looking for..?:
Foundation repair in New Hampshire?
Foundation crack repair in Massachusetts?
Learn more about CrackShield
Visit my Foundation Repair Blog


Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Will a sump pump alone solve a wet basement? - Reader Question

This is a common misconception that many homeowners, and even many plumbers and contractors have. A sump pump, by itself, will not completely solve a wet or flooding basement problem.

Sump pumps have limited reach. If the volume of water coming in is higher than the volume the pump can remove from under the home, the pump will run, but leaks and seepage can still happen. This typically seen as seepage in an opposite corner to where the pump is actually installed.

For solving a wet basement, a sump will be needed, however it will need to have it's reach extended by some basic drainage like the GrateDrain in order to be truly effective. 

Sump pumps have limited reach by themselves

As sump pumps remove water from underneath the basement floor, water at higher levels further away fills the void (seeks it's own level) and travels to the low point created by where the pump removes the water. Water further away from the pump could actually be coming into contact with the footing and basement floor, and if the pump can't move the water fast enough, the water touching the floor of the basement could cause seepage or flooding.


Remember water can come in via 3 distinct roots
-the foundation wall (cracks, leaks, and pin holes)
-between the wall and the footing (there's a cold joint where water can sneak through)
-beneath the floor (natural water pooling, water table, springs, saturation, etc)

Sump pumps can most directly deal with the water coming up from the basement floor, but if the cause of water in the basement is from a foundation leak, or water seeping through the cold joint, the sump pump can't isolate and remove it.

This is why sump pumps, alone, can't solve every possible water problem in a basement. Drainage and a possible wall vapor barrier might be needed to solve the issue that you're currently having. Free inspections and estimates are given my most basement waterproofing companies.

Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Construction news, projects, and flood response from around RI, MA and the United States

Second hearing on flood prevention projects in Cranston, RI
http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/03/-cranston-ri----a.html

Rhode Island DOT
http://www.dot.state.ri.us/

Hands on Disaster Response
http://hodr.org/pages/rhode-island/
(other news on Tennessee, Haiti, and other National/International Disaster Response)

$149M flood aid for RI, Tenn. passes key vote May 13th, 2010
"PROVIDENCE, R.I.—A key U.S. Senate panel on Thursday approved a bill to provide $149 million in aid for Rhode Island and Tennessee along with..." (Read More)


Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!