Basement Water Damage
It seems like the word basement and water seem to go hand
in hand. As water enters the basement, we find ourselves using the word
basement water damage. A little bit of water can go a long way in a
basement, especially if it's been sitting there for a long time.
Waterproofing a basement properly, can eliminate a lot of headaches in
the future. Anyone who's building a new home, shouldn't skimp on
basement water proofing materials. Make sure that you hire someone who
was confident and understands how to waterproof the exterior of your
basement correctly.
I've got a little heads up for you, if you spend the time and money, to
properly waterproof your basement exterior walls, there's a good chance
that you won't ever hear the words basement water damage ever again,
unless you're talking to one of your neighbors.
Older homes, seem to be the biggest problems, simply because they
weren't waterproofed properly, or over time, the original water proofing
system and the drainage pipes, are no longer doing their job. This isn't
uncommon, in homes that were built before the 1950s.
You shouldn't waterproof the interior of the basement walls, this will
only hold water, inside of your concrete basement walls. The moisture
that will accumulate and become trapped, in these areas, could
eventually damage your basement walls.
If you don't want to hear the words basement water damage, I would
suggest that you waterproof your new houses correctly. And if you live
in an older home, it wouldn't be a bad idea, to remove the exterior
dirt, around your basement walls, one wall at a time, until you have
waterproofed the entire basement.
Obviously, this would be a lot of work, but if your basement continues
to leak water, you could end up doing it anyway, but if your basement
walls have been holding moisture in them for a long period of time, now
you might have to replace the concrete basement wall.
It's one of those, you can pay me now or pay me later things.