Secrets to Waterproofing a Basement

• Installing rain gutters will go a long way toward keeping your basement dry. Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

  In addition to causing some health concerns, a wet basement can cause serious structural damage to your home. Properly waterproofing a basement involves identifying the cause of the wetness. Basements can become wet due to an active leak or through condensation. The basement might only take on water when it rains or it may constantly leak. The goal is to isolate the cause of your wet basement and take steps to solve the problem.

Condensation

• In some cases, basement wetness isn't caused by leaks. If water is constantly forming on the outer walls of your basement, then you have a condensation problem. Condensation occurs when there is a temperature disparity between two areas, in this case the inside of your basement and the earth outside. This disparity causes the water vapor in your basement to become liquid on the walls. The water can then drip and form potentially damaging puddles. Install a dehumidifier in your basement to solve these issues. A dehumidifier takes the moisture out of the air in the basement to prevent it from forming on the walls. By lowering the humidity, a dehumidifier also causes the water from other leaks to dry faster.

Cracks

• If you regularly find puddles of water in your basement with no evidence of condensation, then you most likely have a crack in the walls or floor of your basement. You can usually find these cracks by tracing the flow of water from a puddle, particularly after a rainstorm. Hydraulic cement is the best tool for fixing basement cracks. After hydraulic cement is filled into the cracks it actually expands to fill the crack completely. This creates a tight seal that prevents more water from leaking through. You can also coat your basement walls with waterproof masonry cement to further deter leaks.

Outside Water

• Water collecting in the soil outside of your basement can increase the pressure on the basement, forcing more water in through the walls. If the ground is very wet next to the outside wall of your house after a rainstorm you can install a gutter system to keep the water from your roof from flowing right next to your house. Installing downspouts that guide the water away from your house keeps the soil and your basement dry. In extreme cases, you can install a drywell that will store excess rainwater from your roof in the ground and allow it to dissipate into the soil for several days, preventing the ground near your home from being saturated with water during a rainstorm.