How To Fix A Damp Basement Wall
Seal leaky dryer vents with foil tape to prevent unwanted humid air from entering your basement.
How to fix a damp basement wall. If you re not sure of the cause of a damp patch on a wall try the foil test. Whether you use your basement as merely a storage area or it s completely finished with a living space one of your biggest fears is a damp basement. The channel collects the water and drains it into the sump pit. Turn off the power to the basement and then use a utility pump with extension cords that reaches an upstairs outlet to get rid of the water.
Don t just use duct tape. If your basement gets damp and wet you have a problem on your hands that needs to be fixed right away. If water enters your basement only through cracks in the concrete or masonry walls but not through the floor you have another option. If the moisture problem is minor digging a trench around the foundation and waterproofing exterior walls might not be necessary.
You can install a drainage channel along the wall on top of the floor for concrete walls or on top of the footing for masonry walls. Plugs work when the problem is simply a hole that water oozes through either from surface runoff or from wet soil. If you see water dribbling into the basement through cracks or gaps around plumbing pipes you can plug the openings yourself with hydraulic cement or polyurethane caulk for less than 20. It ll eventually fall off.
Ask 10 people how to fix a wet basement and you re likely to get lots of answers. The pump will discharge the water to the surface of. Others will advise to install drain tile or have a plumber add a sump pump and other such expensive drain systems. Here s how you can dry it up.
Add a vent fan to your basement bathroom and make sure your family turns it on during showers. One of the ways professionals solve water problems in basements is by first digging trenches around the basement walls then covering the walls with waterproofing material to alleviate interior moisture. Eliminating the sources of humid air will help dry out your basement.