Basement Waterproof Leak in Your Concrete Foundation

Finding leaks and damp patches in your basement is not a novel phenomenon. Since basements lie beneath the earth’s surface, they are privy to the dampness and moisture of the soil beneath. Sometimes the underground water piping system leaks or develops a breakage. In this scenario, the soil underground gets flooded with water on a regular basis. This water seeps through the soil and right into your basement. Signs of this will appear as damp patches in certain areas of your basement. There are several ways to protect your basement from dampness by the use of waterproof coating or waterproof cement.

Locating the spot

The first step you should do is to locate the damp patch in order to be able to fix it. Knowing where the patch is will lead to the source of the dampness. Sometimes it happens to be in the shape of cracked walls or mold growing near the base of your walls or peeling paint or even damp spots. Once you find the location you will be able to track the source. Leaking underground water systems or a broken pipe in the walls or any form of continuous water drainage near that location will enable you to act quickly and immediately.

Fixing the problem

The first way to tackle a damp basement patch problem is to identify what kind of a leak it is. The reason is because for each type of leakage or damp patch, there is a different ultimate fix to the problem. For instance, in the case of concrete block walls suffering from water seepage, you will need to seal the wall with waterproof cement. Once you take care of it from the outside, you can go back to locating the source and managing it. Same is the case with the flooring. If the floors happen to be suffering from potential mold issues and water leakage, then apply waterproof coating on the floors.

Identifying structures

The most important thing when it comes to waterproofing your basement is to determine the kind of material your basement is made of. Wooden floors and walls have a different technique to waterproofing. Brick walls are very different than the same. Concrete buildings have a separate mannerism to waterproofing and the same can be said about stone foundations.

Getting an expert opinion

If you do not know how exactly to best cure your damp problem and fail at damp proofing your home, your best shot is to acquire a contractor.  Even if you intend to go all DIY on your house, you will still need some expert opinion to guide you on how to best fix the problem. Do not hesitate to contact a contractor and explain the issue to him in its full. You might just discover that the problem is way larger than what a simple DIY fix could eradicate. In some case if the matter is serious you might just need to contact the water authorities to fix a gigantic leak in the underground piping system. It never hurts to ask for a second opinion and that too an expert one.

Author bio

Jake Hyat shares his point of view of how to waterproof your basement by means of materials such as waterproof cement and several ways of applying waterproof coating for your benefit.