A dry basement is important for the health and comfort of both you and your children. Wet basement mold problems can cause respiratory and other illnesses and make an otherwise comfortable house feel like a musty and unpleasant place to be. Safeguard your investment in your house and your own health by fixing your basement water problem.

Identify the Source of Water

A wet basement can start either inside or outside the house. Before you can make your basement dry, you need to find the source of your basement moisture problem. If it comes after heavy rains, it is probably coming from outside. You may have a leak in your walls or a poor grade outside that channels rainwater into your house. If you mainly find water condensing on cool areas of your basement such as pipes or concrete floors, you may have an internal condensation problem. Leaky pipes can also cause internal condensation. One easy test is to tape a piece of tinfoil or some other impermeable material to a wall or other surface that keeps getting wet. Tape the foil securely to the wall so that water can't get behind it and let it stay there for a day. If the side of the foil against the wall is wet, your water is coming from outside.

Rain Problems

Poor drainage is one of the most frequent causes of basement moisture problems. If rainwater is not draining away from your house correctly, it can leak in, causing basement mold problems and generally making your home an unpleasant place to be. Make sure that you have clean rain gutters that drain away from your house. Check the grade of your house. If your lot is flat or, worse, if the ground slopes towards your house, it can cause rain to flow into your home. Consider digging a drainage ditch to catch rain and channel it away from your house. Feed the gutters into the drainage ditch so that water flows smoothly off your roof and away from your home. Another solution is to build a dry well or bubbler well. Feed your gutters into a pvc pipe and tunnel that pipe underground at least 10 feet from your house. Attach the end to either an underground drum with holes in the bottom for water to seep out (a drywell) or at the surface level with room for excess water to flow out (a bubbler).

Indoor Problems

If the cause of your wet basement is internal, you need to isolate and correct it. Old and leaky pipes, even if they are only leaking a bit of water at a time, can contribute to basement mold problems and internal condensation. Replace any suspiciously damp pipes. If your water is coming through one particular spot in a wall but your problem doesn't appear to be external, you may have a leaky pipe behind that wall. Rip open the wall and replace the section of pipe with the leak in it. Some environmental and lifestyle factors can also make it hard to keep your basement dry. If you live in a humid climate, shower in the basement or often line dry clothes downstairs, for example, your basement may build up enough condensation to be a problem. Run the air conditioning or a dehumidifier to dry out the air or, in the winter, heat the basement to lower the relative humidity. If the weather outside is fairly dry, you can also ventilate the basement to keep your basement dry.

Source:

Alsnetbiz.com: Waterproof Basement

Handymanusa.com: How to Keep Your Basement Dry