Do you know anyone that likes to go down into a dank, wet basement to do laundry or get stuff out of storage? Probably not. Here are some tips to help you take back your basement.
First things First, you need to determine where the moisture is coming from. If you have bare walls, there’s a straightforward DIY fix. Just tape a piece of tinfoil to the wall with duct tape. Give it a few days and come back. If you notice condensation forming on the outside of the tinfoil, you know the moisture is coming from inside the house. If you peel back the tinfoil and see the condensation is forming on the wall side of the tinfoil, you know the moisture is coming from outside the house and leaching through the wall.
If you determine the moisture is coming from inside your house, there are a couple of quick fixes. One culprit could be your dryer. Dryers produce a lot of humid air that could leak out of the ducts. You’re going to want to go over your whole dryer duct system. Check all the joints, check the tape, make sure it’s in good shape and not loose. If you do come across a problem, use some foil tape and fix it up.
If you determine the water is coming from outside your house, there are several quick fixes for that as well. First, head outside and check your downspouts. Make sure that they’re diverting water away from your foundation. You can also get downspout extenders. Also, check the soil around your foundation. Make sure that it hasn’t settled. You always want it to be grading away from your foundation. Some homeowners also choose to coat their walls with a masonry waterproofer. We do not recommend this approach. Waterproofing paint is not an effective long-term solution to the problem.
Another cause of moisture inside your house could be coming from condensation on your water pipes. There’s an easy fix for that to cover it with some inexpensive pipe insulation. Install the insulation by cutting it to size. Then you can wrap the insulation around the pipes. Some insulation already comes with adhesive on it. If there is no insulation, you can tape it.
If you have moisture in your basement and require a solution, call Perma Dry Waterproofing right away.
