Water seepage can cause lots of trouble in your house, and it's best to get it fixed as soon as possible. Get your water leakage troubles under control as soon as possible, and keep that water where it belongs.
There it is again,
that puddle that tells you something's not right in your house! Water seepage can cause lots of trouble in your house, and it's best to get it fixed as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more it has a chance to cause trouble. The first step in fixing the problem is finding out what causes it.
Seepage can be caused by lots of different things. It can be leaky pipes, water from the roof, or water from outside. The most common seepage trouble for basements is groundwater. After a heavy rain, this groundwater will find its way through the cracks in your foundation and make its home in your basement.
Step One-Locate The Seepage
Is it the same spot every time? Where the seepage occurs can tell you a lot about it. Water in the basement is often caused by cracks in the foundation. Puddles that appear in other parts of the house, as well as moist carpets, are often caused by pipes.
Step Two-When Does It Occur
If you get water running here and there after a shower, you know it's the bathtub. If it occurs after you flush, it's the toilet. Probably the pipes are obstructed, not properly connected or in some cases too small. There could've been a mistake during construction.
More commonly, we get puddles when it rains. This is rainwater, and it could have two possible causes. It might be from the roof, or from the ground. Sometimes gutters aren't placed exactly right and this causes it to trickle down the walls and end up getting in. Most commonly, rainwater comes through the ground and seeps into the foundation.
Step Three-Follow The Trail
It's nice when the problem is easy to locate, like a bad bathtub or broken gutter. But usually it's not so simple. If you've got the same spot every time it rains, follow the trail and you'll see where it's coming from. Look for discoloration or warping in the area around the puddle. Sometimes, you can catch the water in the act. Go down into the basement during a heavy rain, and you can see a little waterfall running down the wall.
Step Four-Look Outside
Once you've got an idea of how the water's getting in, go outside and have a look at the yard. If your yard sloped down toward the house, you've located the problem. The yard should slope away from the house, diverting the water and letting it run somewhere else. If your foundation is below soil level, water may be leaking into your mortar joints and running down the walls of your basement.
Still confused? Some leakage troubles are not so easy to figure out, and it might be a good idea to call a professional. After all, you don't want to start a major landscaping or foundation repair job only to find out that better insulation would've taken care of the trouble. No matter what you do, get your water leakage troubles under control as soon as possible, and keep that water where it belongs.
