When you discover that there is water in your basement it’s not surprising that you would become flustered. A wet basement is stressful because most people haven’t encountered this situation before so they don’t know what is happening or why. Homeowners will often call and ask “why is my basement leaking”; in this post I will shed light on this subject.
Classical signs of leaking basements
Why basements get wet
Basements get wet for a variety of reasons. In general, unless there is a plumbing leak or a roof leak, water gets in the basement through the foundation wall, over the foundation wall or from beneath the basement floor.
Most homeowners are anxious to prevent further damage to their carpeting, drywall and furniture so they seek out professionals in the basement leak repair business to get the problem resolved. Here is where things get tricky…
Especially in a finished basement, the cause of a basement leak is not readily visible; this presents a problem. Most people would agree that any repair solution must address the root cause of the problem; if you don’t know exactly where the water came from, how can you know what is needed to be able to fix it? Would you dig up your foundation wall when you have a plumbing leak? Some people have come close – check out a testimonial that speaks to this issue.
True basement leaks can be found with a bit of investigation. Check out this article on the sources of basement leaks.
Finding the source of a basement leak
99.9% of the time, the source of the basement leak is found where the water is pooling on the floor. In a finished basement the question becomes what is leaking behind the drywall?
Test to find a basement leak
A simple test to carry out to find the exact location of a basement leak is by using a garden hose. Here is what you do:
1. Note where the water is present in your basement;
2. Identify the approximate location of the location in (1) on the outside of your home:
3. At the location in (2) lay your garden hose on the ground next to the foundation wall;
4. Turn on the water, not too strong, so that water floods this location and flows down the foundation wall;
5. If possible, pull the carpet back away from the wall;
6. Go to the location in (1) and stay there until you see water coming in – usually 5 minutes;
7. If you see water coming in, start accessing the bare foundation wall to identify the source of the leak;
8. Once you found the leak, turn off the garden hose;
9. Mop up as required.
What to do next
If you succeeded in finding the exact source of the leak in your foundation then you are ready to call a contractor to get the problem fixed; in many cases you can get a good idea of the cost to fix the leak over the phone.