Why Do Basements Leak?

Why is it that your basement leaks more than the upper levels of your home?  The main reason basements leak is because they were designed for failure.  It’s expensive to build a home, and when builders have to decide between spending money on beautiful cabinets and bathroom fixtures or unseen things that protect the house and make it last longer, they’re most likely going to go for the beauty.  Buyers are more likely to fall in love with a home if it looks good—regardless of how well it was built. 

There are two things that keep a basement from leaking: a coating on the basement walls and a proper drain around the bottom of the foundation, called a “footing drain.”  Wall coatings can be inexpensive black tar coatings called “dampproofing.”  Before 1985, nearly every new home was dampproofed.  However, nowadays only about 85% of homes are dampproofed on their foundation walls.  Footing drains are installed in most new homes, but a fairly common problem is that the drains don’t lead out anywhere or they lead somewhere that’s blocked or clogged. 

Footing drain failure is the most common cause of a wet basement.  This occurs when the soil around the outside of the foundation can’t drain and becomes saturated.  The weight of the water in the soil creates hydrostatic pressure and pushes the water into the basement.  This water can enter into a basement through joints between the footing and the walls, wall cracks, holes in block walls, or even under the footing.  That is why it is important to have a high-quality waterproofing system, such as WaterGuard, installed in your basement to prevent water damages to occur.

Before buying or selling a home, ensure that the basement is completely waterproofed rather than just focusing on what your eyes can see upstairs.  The construction quality of homes has decreased over the years, so make sure you’ve thoroughly inspected your home before you purchase it.