Still getting Water in the Basement - Reader Experience - Plus 3 things you can do.

"It's been weeks since the first storm, and we keep getting water in out basement. It now seems that every rain more comes in, is this normal?"

Disappointingly yes, it is very normal / common for a basement, once it's seen a flood, to experience trickles if not continuous water through the same trouble areas when it rains.

In the situation of the North East, many homeowners are seeing water in their basements and then seeing it again with the next storm. Having an area like the North East and North West where it's damp, moist and rains throughout the year, it's regular thing to have.

Why is this?

Once water finds a way through it means that the openings and separations are large enough for water to come through. Add high volume, heavy saturation in the soil to capillary action, the water can actually attract or pull water behind it into the basement. Pressure behind the water in the basement pushes more water in the fill the void as the water in your basement is cleaned, pumped, or vacuumed out. It's very un-nerving to see and more unsettling to continue to deal with.

Were is this kind of thing "normal"?

Well it can happen to any basement anywhere, but it's most common in valleys. Houses that are situated at the base of a hill which gets run off from the houses above it in elevation. Other homes pump out water, rain comes down, roof run off; all of it collects and runs down the hill. It increases the saturation level as it flows down and if the house is located in just the right area at the bottom, entire sections could be in fact trying to fend off the whole neighborhood's water run off.

How can you fix it?

A house in a situation like this will need an interior drain system. Even if the house had an exterior system it's better to be protected for the long term. Exterior systems don't normally pump or remove water from them - they even sometimes just let the water run through the pipe but don't direct it anywhere - these types of designs can be dangerous.

Give yourself a fighting chance

1.) Make sure all your gutters are flowing, there's no gaps, and that are all being led away from the foundation

2.) Make sure your roof is draining properly. A few shingles out of place can dump more water in 1 section of your home then it can handle.

3.) Install an interior waterproofing system - this will stop any leaks or seepage and give it a place to go - this is the most important step.

If the problem is already happening it's hard to change small things to stop it. However making sure that your home isn't contributing the water is 1 less thing that can cause a problem.

Looking for...
Basement waterproofing in MA?
Basement Waterproofing Contractor in New Hampshire?
Wet Basement Repair in Maryland?

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!

Basement Waterproofing in Maryland and Washington DC

Floodbusters Inc in Maryland recently started publishing a blog about basement waterproofing in maryland. Their latest post goes into a bit more about why they chose to use the Grate Drain over other interior waterproofing systems.

Post
The effects of drainage systems used in basement waterproofing

Many contractors in the Grate Products Network have been proud to install the Grate Drain over other systems. Basement Waterproofing is a tricky business, and if you don't use the right products to start with, problems follow the homeowner in whatever projects they decide to pursue - finishing, playrooms, etc.


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!

Basement Dehumidifiers - Getting the jump on Humid Summer Weather.

A dehumidifier is a great way to keep the relative humidity down in the basement. This helps keep it cool, dry, and helps to circulate and filter the air in the basement. As I've mentioned before, over 40% of the air you breath day-to-day comes from the basement. The healthier the air, the better it is for the rest of the home.

Excess dampness and moisture in the basement air can cause smells to occur in the summer. This is typically the work of the dampness allowing mold to grow somewhere in the basement, but the moisture itself has a smell. This odor and moisture can and will travel into the first floor of the home. Covering up the odors isn't dealing with the problem, and if you're experiencing this on your first floor, it's time to address the issues causing them in the basement.

Dehumidifiers actually remove the moisture from the air and replace it with dry air. Removing the moisture isn't just good for your health, it's also good for your electricity bill. Too much moisture in the air will actually make it harder for your Air Conditioning units to cool the air in the home. The harder they have to work means they run longer and increase your electricity bills.

When buying a dehumidifier for your basement look for a few key things:

*Filters - if they can filter the air to clean out dust mites, mold and other spores, then go with that. You get more from a unit that can clean the air as well as remove moisture

*Drainage options - Some units, like the Santa Fe Classic and Compact units, come with condensate pumps, and others can be hosed right into an existing sink or drainage system - make sure that your unit can do this to limit the amount you have to empty the machine.

*Ducting - Some dehumidifiers can be ducted to other parts of the basement (ideal for finished basements) to force air circulation and filter and clean the air from other sections of the space.

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!

What materials are safe for basement finishing? - Reader Question

The safest materials for finishing a basement are also the best. I've written other posts on this subject and I will elaborate a bit on why my choices of inorganic materials are best.

Traditional materials - Dry Wall, Wood Studs, Drywall ceiling, paper-backed fiberglass insulation

Traditional materials aren't designed for the basement's moist environment. Moisture added to any of these materials, or parts of them, could result in mold issues. Mold issues can lead to health issues and could force you demolish everything you just installed.

Okay, so where do I start when finishing my basement?
Think "moisture" and "mold" proof materials. Plastics, metals, insulation without paper backing - there are solutions out there. Even some Traditional building materials have been reinvented to work in a basement finishing project. Moisture/Mold resistant "dry-wall" - almost every large manufacture has a type that they sell.

Metal studs - for those who are use to using wood to stud out a wall, they take a little getting use to. The MAJOR difference is that these will never rot, cause mold, or will need replacing.

Insulation installed without paper takes away the food source for the mold. The only problem with traditional fiberglass is that it's suseptible to absorbing the moisture in the air, and will be ruined if it comes into contact with larger sources of water.

Floor Solutions -
Flooring is tricky. Normally it comes into direct contact with the basement floor which can be a moisture issue in the future. Make sure to install a plastic or inorganic subfloor first - then a finished style of flooring can be lay on top of it; protecting your carpet or laminate flooring from moisture damage.

First step
Waterproof the basement

Second Step
Plan out the floor plan of the space

Third Step
Purchase moisture and mold resistant materials for the basement.

Every basement has the potential for moisture problems, leaks, and flooding - waterproofing the basement before finishing will help to protect the finished area you put in the now empty area of your basement. Protecting for the future is a good thing to do. It may be dry or have never seen water, but it can and eventually will.

Image from http://www.homebasementfinishing.com

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!

How can I cover up water damage for a Home Inspection - Reader Question.

I was actually quite shocked that someone asked me this directly.
My major suggestion: Do the right thing, and don't cover it up.

Water damage can be caused by a number of things in the basement - flooding, pipe bursts, wall leaks, floor leaks, a tub overflowing on the 1st or 2nd floor - so it's important to know how the damage occurred in the first place.

Knowing how the damage occurred will allow you, as the current homeowner, to be able to do 2 things:

1- Know what kind of disclosure you need to put in the open on your home if you're putting it on the market.

2- Know what type of repair is needed - depending on the damage, how it was caused, and how much water you were dealing with makes a difference - Plumbing issues need to be fixed by licensed plumbers, landscaping issues can be corrected, and a basement waterproofing system can be installed - but the key is to know what happened, from where, and what your options are.

Quick story:
Young couple buys a home and on the home inspection report there's no evidence of water damage or previous issues with flooding. A few weeks into ownership, they flooded.

Now the real thing that happened was that there was evidence of water damage on some of the finished areas of the basement, studs, dry wall, and even the foundation walls. Now the previous homeowners put a coat of paint on it, dark color, to cover it up - inspection went swimmingly and house is now passed over to this new homeowner.

So now the new homeowners are trying to sue the previous owners for knowing about the issues and passing known issues onto them.

So - you don't want to be the new couple and you also don't want to be on the other end of a law suit.


Best way to do this is to be honest, repair the cause of the damage, repair the damage and be upfront with a.) what happened and b.) what you did to fix and repair it all.

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!