Basements tend to fill with water because they are built below ground level. Basement walls can easily become damp from time to time, puddles appear here and there or worst of all, it’s possible that the basement will flood during the rainy season. A damp or completely wet basement will cause the paint to peel off, mold and mildew grow, rot wood and damage items stored in the basement.
Even if the builder of your house has provided a waterproof solution during basement construction, over time cracks in the walls of the basement may appear. When the soil outside becomes saturated, water may seep through these cracks. Even the basement walls that are structurally made solid can still absorb water from the ground and eventually your basement interior will be affected by this moisture and make the walls feel wet. When the heat arrives, the water from the walls will evaporate, as a result the air from the basement becomes very humid. To get rid of this moisture you can just use a high quality dehumidifier to help remove excess moisture under the ground. But the best long term solution to this problem is to make your basement walls waterproof.
Before trying to fix your basement humidity problem yourself, it’s a good idea to first analyze the reason for the problem. If it’s not too complicated, you can just do it yourself, but if it’s too complex you might have to hire Toronto basement waterproofing to help you. Before deciding to do a fix, first analyze your problem. Look for the source of the leak with the following tips.
Look for the source of the leak
You can observe porous sections of concrete by looking at the wet lines that tell you where the water is coming from. Follow these wet lines along cracks, window corners, between mortar joints and around entry or exit pipes such as water supply lines or sewer pipes.
Checking will be difficult when the entire wall surface is wet. You will need to perform a condensation test to trace the origin of the leak. Dry the wall area first with a rag, then attach one square foot of aluminum foil to the wall using duct tape. After 24 hours have passed, peel off the aluminum foil and then examine how the bottom of the aluminum foil looks like. If the bottom of the aluminum foil is wet, water from outside seeps through the walls. If it’s dry it means the actual humidity is coming from somewhere else in the basement, possibly from an underground shower. If this is true, then you can solve this problem by installing a ventilation fan in the bathroom to direct moisture out of the basement. If water seepage turns out to be coming from outside the room or wet basement after rain, then make sure you don’t repair your basement walls while standing water is still in the basement. And make sure to fill wall cracks with hydraulic cement. Window leaks are of utmost urgency and make sure to apply a masonry waterproof product to the bare interior basement walls.