4 Reasons Your Basement Becomes Wet

It's that time of year when that blanket of powdery snow melts into wet slush that soaks the ground and your shoes alike. All this melting snow means an increase in the amount of water in the ground next to your foundation. This explains why your basement or crawl space may have puddles on your floor or condensation building up on your foundation walls. When the water resting in the ground next to your foundation increases, so does the pressure exerted on the foundation wall. 

The water wants to escape and often it finds sanctuary in your basement. You might ask, so why does my basement leak? There are many reasons why basements become wet. Here are the 4 Main Reasons Basements Become Wet or Damp: 

As mentioned earlier when snow melts the amount of water in the ground increases. The pressure the water puts on your foundation walls also increases. This pressure forces water into your basement through holes, cracks, or joints. This is often what causes puddles and standing water in your basement or crawl space. 

If your foundation wall is a block design you may also be wondering, "how can a block wall leak?" Well in a way your right, the block wall may not be leaking for condensation to build on it. What's actually happening is that the block is absorbing moisture from the outside and storing it inside. Then the water is forcing its way from inside the block to the surface, like a sponge. This is a process called wicking. Your basement may not be wet from any direct leak, but from moisture wicking through wall blocks. 

Water vapor is created when water evaporates into the air. So when condensation builds on foundation walls from wicking or puddles from ground leakage that water eventually evaporates into water vapor. Water vapor raises the humidity and can lead to problems such as odor, rot, or mold.  One sign of water vapor damage is peeling/chipping paint on your home's walls.