So now that you have realized that the moisture in your basement is a problem, how about we figure out how it got there in the first place. The simple and obvious answer to the question is "the ground".
But it is not that simple!
Part of understanding basement moisture problems is understanding the building process and materials used during the construction of your home. The first thing I need to address here is that CONCRETE IS POROUS. When concrete (all concrete products) dries it does so from the outside in. What does that mean? That means that the outer portion of your foundation walls dried faster than the center throughout the thickness of the wall. What does this mean? This means that water is still evaporating out of the concrete as the outer surfaces are nearly dry leaving behind small pathways in which the moisture traveled. That is why the surface of the foundation wall sometimes looks like a sponge.
In reality, that is exactly what foundation walls are like. One big dry sponge. Get it wet enough for a long period of time and it will begin acting that way. Moisture will wick through the walls and into your basement if ground water conditions and interior conditions deem appropriate. Typically homeowners do not notice the moisture on the walls themselves in this case. Instead they may notice moisture beading up on plumbing pipes and other non-porous, cold surfaces. This is mostly noticed in the humid days during summer. Remember, the moisture had to come from somewhere, right?
High water table. What a "water table" actually is, is the level of the groundwater that is constantly underground on your property and specifically, in this case, under your foundation. This water level is usually not continuously higher than the footing of your foundation, although in rare cases it can be. Here is what usually happens in high water table areas.
Say the constant groundwater level is equal to one foot below the bottom of your homes foundation footing. Depending on the landscape of your property, nearby landscape elevations and underground obstructions for groundwater travel (in ground pools, wells, sewerage tanks) the rate of the rising water table varies significantly during snow melts and periods of rainfall.
Let's use an extreme example. Say it has been raining hard for 36 hours and the groundwater level is not one foot ABOVE the top of the footing. That is an enormous amount of hydrostatic pressure surrounding your foundation and trying to force its way into your basement through the floor slab and the floor/wall joint. Over time this is exactly what happens. Year after year, all that water pressure makes new pathways (water always take the path of least resistance) and eventually causes moisture problems either through floor cracks or around the perimeter of the basement. This is called seepage. In severe cases water will form puddles in your basement.
Stay tuned for Part 2... To learn more NOW go to our web pages dedicated to wet basements
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