For many Victoria BC homeowners, a home with a basement is a bonus that provides versatile added square footage. Some envision a home workshop, a playroom, guest bedroom, “man cave” or simply extra storage. Nothing can spoil your enjoyment of this space like stepping onto a squishy carpet one day or noticing a puddle forming at the foot of the stairs. Finding a leak in an unfinished basement is much easier than in your finished basement, where it could be hidden behind drywall or resilient flooring.
Finding a leak in a finished basement
The spot where you discovered water accumulation is likely nowhere near the place where the water entered the basement. With a poured concrete basement the most common crack site will be in a non structural wall. The following pointers will help you look for cracks:
- Take note of where the water was first spotted
- Inspect that part of the home’s foundation that is visible on exterior walls
- If the top is buried, remove soil to get a better look (you may want to consider landscaping)
- Any cracks should be visible from the outside, run vertical and be narrow (less than ⅛ inch)
- Don’t assume you only have one crack, so continue with your thorough inspection
- Don’t mistake the vertical form lines which are molded into the concrete with the wooden forms used when the concrete was poured.
Should your inspection fail to turn up any obvious reason for water in your basement, you may want to call in a perimeter drain contractor. The source of your leak could be the exterior drain tile, water proof membrane, or something else. Wet Coast Drainage Solutions has the experience in Victoria to get to the bottom of your wet basement. Don’t delay, call us today!
