Most homeowners have been struggling to keep their basements dry. This is because wet basements can have some negative effects on your health and home in general. Availability of moisture usually leads to the growth of harmful mold, damages belongings, and also results in costly foundation repairs. However, the water problem in most basements isn’t a result of rain only. There are other potential problems such as poor ventilation, humidity, leaking pipes, condensation, and subsurface seeping. Whenever you come across mysterious cracks, musty odor, or dampness in any part of your basement, you must start identifying the source as soon as possible and take action. Below are some top tips on how to keep a basement dry:

1. Install gutters properly

Always ensure your gutters are working properly so that drainage doesn’t become a problem in your basement. During the rainy season, ensure the gutters are working properly by diverting away rainwater from your house basement. This way, you’ll always keep your basement dry.

2. Improve ventilation

If your basement isn’t well ventilated, then humidity is likely to trigger the growth of mold. Depending on the size of your basement, you can use a dehumidifier or exhaust fan. Additionally, ensure that you dry all your clothes well with the sun before taking them inside your home, assuming you don’t have a dryer. Lastly, keep your windows open if you can to allow free flow of air in your basement.

3. Proper landscaping

Sometimes you might find that your landscaping results in water accumulation around your house basement. This can turn out to be the leading cause of wetness in your basement and the growth of mold. To prevent this, ensure rainwater is well directed away from your home. Call a professional landscaping contractor to come and improve the grading and fill all areas directing runoff to your basement. When filling these areas, you can consider using small rocks or gravel since they absorb moisture.

4. Waterproof floors and walls in the basement

This is essential since it helps in keeping your basement dry at all times regardless of the weather conditions. To do this, you need to look for a waterproof sealant and apply it to your basement floors and walls. This sealant helps in preventing water from seeping either from pipes or other sources. One can also use water-resistant paint especially if your basement is affected by condensation. In case you notice some cracks on the basement floor, you should take immediate action although sometimes they aren’t serious foundation problems. If they’re heavy, it’s when you should bring in a professional to repair them.

5. Insulation of cold water pipes

Insulating all exposed water pipes that run in your basement is key for various reasons. Having your hot water pipes help in conserving energy since your heater won’t be overworked. On the other hand, insulating cold water pipes is essential since it prevents the pipes from freezing during times with low temperatures. Apart from this, it reduces condensation at times when humidity is high. This is because the pipes are likely to sweat on increased humidity. The sweating further results in dampness and favors the growth of molds.

In conclusion, these are some of the top tips on how to keep a basement dry. Other include not drying clothes around the basement and ensuring appliances vent outdoors.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Lodi, Hillsdale and Parsippany.