A wet basement can cause a variety of issues for your home. It may lead to rust and deterioration of appliances in your basement. It could keep you from using your basement for storage. The dampness might make your home smell musty, and the moisture could even draw bugs into your home.

A wet basement can be waterproofed to keep water from seeping through concrete or getting in through cracks. Basement waterproofing can be done on the inside or outside of your home. Interior waterproofing is often preferred since it is less disruptive to your property. Here's how interior basement waterproofing can be done.

1. Seal Leaky Areas In The Walls

Cracks in the basement walls and floor can be sealed to keep water from leaking through. The basement waterproofing contractor may use epoxy and inject it into cracks to fill the crack to block water and keep the crack from spreading.

The contractor has to verify these cracks aren't caused by a problem with the foundation of your home. If your home has foundation damage, it needs to be repaired too, or other cracks may form. The contractor also looks for other cracks and gaps they can find, such as around the egress window or pipes that go through the wall.

2. Coat The Walls

Water can get through concrete even if it isn't cracked. That's because the hydrostatic pressure of the water can force water through the pores of the concrete. To solve this problem, the basement waterproofing contractor may cover the wall with a waterproof coating. They may follow this by applying insulation boards to the walls to reduce problems with condensation in the basement.

3. Install A Drain And Pump

A common way to deal with basement waterproofing is to have a drain installed along with a sump pump. This is an effective way to deal with a wet basement permanently. To make sure the pump is always ready to use, you'll probably want a sump pump that has a battery backup.

A contractor has to install a basin and drain under the foundation. This requires breaking up the concrete and burying the drain. The basin or well is placed in a hole that's in the ground. When water seeps into the basement, it rolls in a drain and is carried to the well where it is pumped outdoors.

4. Eliminate Condensation

You'll also want to eliminate problems with condensation. Condensation forms when the basement walls and exposed plumbing pipes are colder than the air in the basement. This causes moisture in the air to form condensation and drip to the floor. This problem can be solved by putting insulation on the walls and around plumbing pipes.

The contractor might also recommend setting up a dehumidifier to run continuously in the basement so it can pull moisture from the air. You can choose a dehumidifier that connects to a drain so you don't have to empty it all of the time.

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