If you are home has a leaky basement, naturally it is a source of concern. Moisture can not only ruin wood, drywall, and carpets in a finished basement, but it will also promote mold. Mold is dangerous to human health as the spores may be inhaled into the lungs causing respiratory problems. If you are wondering whether it is possible to repair a leaky basement yourself, the answer really depends on the cause of the water.

Here are some of the most common reasons why your home’s basement may be leaking:

  •  Roof water – the water that flows from your roof is not being carried away properly by your eavestroughs and downspouts. These devices must be free from debris and leaks to do their job properly.
  • Over-watering – perhaps someone is over zealous with the hose when watering the flowerbeds or shrubs around your home.
  • Groundwater – there is always water underground, but sometimes it is redirected towards your home because of changes in the landscape. Other times it is drawn up under the building by capillary action. This can usually be identified by a white residue on the floor. This is mineral deposits after the water has evaporated.
  • Runoff – Snow and rainwater can collect in depressed areas and then leach into your basement.
  • Bad drains – drains can be improperly installed, damaged or clogged. Sometimes underground drains do not have enough of a slope to move moisture away from the building.
  • Broken lines – water and sewage lines do deteriorate over time and may rupture. Other times tree roots can penetrate the pipes.
  • No ventilation – if air cannot circulate in the basement, humidity will build up inside the structure. To check if you have a humidity problem or a leak, tape a 1’ square of aluminum foil on the wall and leaving it overnight. If you find condensation on the room side of the foil, you know it is humidity that is causing your problems. If moisture is on the wall side, you’ve got water coming in from the outside.

To repair water leaks, there are some DIY fixes any homeowner can try. Let’s take a look at some of these methods: 

  1. Vertical crack Toronto foundation basementThe first thing you must do in all cases is to fill all of the cracks and gaps in the wall that are under 1/8-inch wide with polyurethane caulk made for concrete. If there are larger cracks that need filling, use epoxy filler.
  2. Next, you can choose one of the many commercial products on the market to help seal the cracks, including concrete waterproof coatings, silicate-based sealers, waterproofing paint and interior water-control systems.
  3. Add your waterproof coating to the filled crack. Concrete waterproof coatings go on like cement over top of most finishes. However, silicate-based sealers are intended for untreated surfaces as they need to chemically react with bare concrete. Waterproofing paint is a heavy latex paint meant to seal the wall with an acrylic layer.
  4. Interior water-control systems involve wall vapour barriers and drip moldings to collect water coming from wall cracks and other foundation wall defects. A drain then directs the water to a sump pump and finally the sump pump directs the water out of the basement. While a DIY homeowner may attempt this, it is an extensive project, and requires proper attention to getting the job done right. In some cases, calling a professional to assist is highly recommended.

Sump pump installation in Toronto basementIf your DIY methods do not work, or you cannot access your basement walls to do the repairs, you will need to call in a contractor. They will excavate around the foundation, seal the leaks and wrap the foundation in a waterproof membrane. New weeping tiles are placed near the foundation and the soil is backfilled. If you are still having issues controlling water, it may be necessary to install a sump pump. 

It is always better to call a professional sooner, rather than later. Water damage can be expensive and the long-term effects are cumulative.

Contact Nusite Waterproofing to for a free in-home estimate and inspection of your basement water problems.  We service Toronto and the surrounding GTA.

 

damp-windows-torontoDamp is a problem that strikes fear into the most clued up homeowner, however, with the right know-how you can treat damp effectively and return your home to its former glory. Take a look at our top five tips and become one step closer to dealing with damp for good!

1. Diagnose your damp problem accurately

How you treat each individual damp problem depends entirely on the type of damp your property is affected by. There are three main forms of damp – condensation, penetrating and rising – and each has its own remedy.

Condensation is perhaps the most common form of damp, especially within homes that experience high humidity levels and have poor ventilation. Condensation forms on windows, doors and other glass or metal surfaces and is caused by excess moisture within your home. Penetrating damp occurs when water enters through your walls or roof and moves throughout the property leaving a path of defects, water staining and damp patches behind. Rising damp on the other hand rises from the ground upwards causing similar effects.

It is recommended that you enlist a professional to identify your damp problem accurately, they can also help you find a cost-effective and efficient solution.

2. Improve your ventilation

Whatever the cause of your problem, properties without adequate ventilation tend to be more susceptible to damp problems, especially rooms that are exposed to a high level of humidity such as the kitchen, bathroom or utility area. Improving your ventilation and boosting air circulation is a quick and easy way to ease the nasty effects of excess moisture and prevent damp problems from reoccurring once more. Install vents and extractor fans in moisture-prone areas, and utilize these to enhance your wider property’s ventilation.

3.  Invest in a dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers offer an excellent quick fix for properties that are been destroyed by damp, this handy home appliance takes in moisture from the air and expels dry air to return humidity back to its recommended levels. There are a range of dehumidifiers on the market, and leading specialists like the Air and Water Centre can provide a solution that suits your home and your budget.

The use of a dehumidifier also improves air quality, which provides great health benefits for your family as excess humidity, dust and airborne mold can cause and worsen a range of health concerns.

4. Change your home habits

You have more influence over the excessive humidity levels that cause damp than you think. Humidity is caused by a variety of everyday home activities such as washing dishes, drying laundry and bathing, and ensuring you take precautions can prevent moisture from causing long term damage to your home.

Try drying laundry outdoors if the weather is nice, open a window when washing the dishes, turn on your extractor hood when cooking food and open vents when taking a bath or shower to minimize moisture damage.

5. Look for long term solutions

Whilst many methods may ease the side effects of condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp, long term solutions must be sought to prevent damp problems returning and causing more mayhem. Repairing the damp proof course of your basement is one of the more expensive options when treating rising damp, but this ensures your property is protected for years to come.

Penetrating damp can be resolved with repairs or replacement of faulty pointing, downpipes, guttering, render and flashings, whilst windows and doors will have to be fully insulated and sealed to prevent long term condensation problems.

This post comes to you from Martin Davies from the Air and Water Centre.

 

Poor drainage can cause a myriad of problem with your home. These can include structural damage to the foundation, insect infestations and mould. All of these are expensive to correct, but often the causes of poor drainage can be remedied easily. Here are some common drainage problems that could be the culprit of your basement leaking:

1. Poor Grading on the Property

Perhaps the most common drainage problem is poor grading on the property. Water flows downhill and if your home is at the bottom of an incline, water will move to the lower elevation. If you have slopes, it is essential that the runoff is directed to a drainage system, such as a pipe or a ditch. Slopes must be strong enough to withstand excess water or soil will erode. You may even end up having landslides if the topsoil is lifted by the excess water.

Landscape grading torontoIn some cases, the contractor may follow the requirements laid out in the local code regarding the slope required on the lot, but the soil has high clay content. The clay content causes the soil to resist absorbing moisture, and low areas hold standing water more readily.

More commonly, the soil that is filled in around the foundation settles and becomes the perfect spot to collect water. This water seeps into the ground and enters the basement through cracks in the foundation wall. These recesses may be obscured by plants, bushes and raised planting beds.  These plants, and even the mulch around shrubs, can prevent water from draining away from your home’s foundation.

Grading problems are not always the result of a contractor. Many yards that were once properly graded develop problems. Trees and bushes may develop roots systems that redirect water by raising the adjacent earth. Sometimes landscaping projects change the slope of the property in certain areas and excess water ends up coming towards the building, instead of the direction it was originally intended to go.

2.  Clogged Pipes

Another common problem is that the outlet pipes for foundation drains are clogged by debris. Water cannot pass through the pipe, so it pools near the foundation instead. Alternatively, some homes were never equipped with the proper size of pipe when they were built. If there is a heavy storm, the rainwater backs up as the pipe is too small to handle the volume of water.

3. How Rain Water is Being Directed in Your Yardbroken run off extension for gutter in Scarborogh home

Lastly, water accumulating around your foundation can be a direct result of how you are directing rainwater in your yard. Design your landscape so that water ends up in the street drain through a pipe, and is not allowed to flow across your yard undirected. You can also install grass swales to direct water away from your home. A swale is a shallow grassed ditch that collects storm water and then directs it away from the house.

 

Regardless of what the reason is for water collecting around your home, it is critical that you get it attended to quickly. Water problems can escalate from minor to major and the expense goes up proportionally.

If you have water issues in your home, Nusite Waterproofing can give you professional advice and help when you need it.