Easy fix for a damp basement?

Question

My newest property has a "damp basement" no obvious leaks or puddles but after the last heavy rain in Dayton the basement was quite damp. my thoughts are fill in cracks DE humidify clean and seal and paint. some black mold forming. upstairs completely dry no sign of mold etc.

What should my next step be?

Prashant P. · Answer

I would advise your tenant not to use it as an expanded living area and put it in your lease that you are not responsible for their property in the event of water damage. I had a similar problem. Bought a house that was vacant. The basement was covered in mold so I had everything removed. Put a dehumidifer in with a condesate pump. Well one day the tenants kids were playing down stairs and they some how removed the pipe to the condensate pump. They left for a few days and there was a large pool of water that ruined some dresser they had in the basement. You never know when you are going to get water in a basement. Your water heater could blow, a crack could expand.

Bill Gulley · Answer

I have used Dry-lock from Lowes, it works for 5 years I know on a block foundation at the lake.....the french drain is probably a better solution. Might take those down spouts and go under ground and pipe into a drain away from the house, like a septic field.....good luck

Ryan Tam · Answer

I second Jeff S's advice on the rain gutters. Given an average of a few inches of rain hitting the ground even in a pretty big rainstorm, it is unlikely that the moisture in the basement is from the rain water that hit within the couple of feet next to your foundation. Typically what happens is the roof collects over a 1000 sq ft of rain and collects it into a very large pool of water. If you do not have a good gutter system that directs the water away from the house, that very large amount of water will likely sit on the ground next to your foundation and eventually finds its way in. Make sure you: 1. Have rain gutters 2. They are not blocked with debris 3. They have down sprouts that direct the water at least 3-4 feet away from the house 4. The ground within 4-6 ft of the foundation slopes away from the house. Unless you like in Washington state with the obscene amount of rain, those items will likely fix your problem. Painting the concrete will likely be a poor temporary fix, much like a bandage on a broken arm, imo.

Michael Lauther · Answer

Sorry for the delay in replying Steve Babiak , we repaired obvious cracks and painted walls and floors. still have a small area that continues to remain damp in a small corner of the basement. not sure what i will do to fix it. it seems to be a lot of expense to dig out side to seal for such a small leak. the basement is otherwise dry but the tenant wants to use the basement to expand living area.

Steve Babiak · Answer

Michael Lauther - what type of solution did you end up with, and how well is that working for you?

Ryan M. · Answer

It was a finished basement with one large area of ceramic tile in the bathrooms in each unit. It was occupied too which was the other issue. In another property we were having minor trouble with water, I ended up cutting a test area in the poured floor and found all the drain tile was installed. The builder never installed a sump, that was a very good discovery.

Steve Babiak · Answer

Ryan M. - I take it from your posts here that you ended up doing an exterior perimeter drain system as opposed to an interior perimeter drain system - would that be correct? Was there some reason for taking on that greater task as opposed to the somewhat lesser task of an interior drain system?

Ryan M. · Answer

Again this is my opinion or my 0.02 cents, hahaha. My case was 3/8" standing water in/on carpet in a finished basement. I didn't try the dehumid but have a hunch it wouldn't have worked.

Dan V. · Answer

Ensure that patio, driveway and walkways are sloped away from the house. I just had a 10 X 20 patio mud jacked so that it no longer slopes toward the house. Seal any cracks in concrete or asphalt surfaces to keep water from getting under it and then traveling toward the basement.

Jeff S. · Answer

I was touring an older expensive home (these days value maybe 7-800k) and it had water running from one foundation wall in an exposed wooden gutter through the inside of the basement out to the other side and out a window. This was a hillside house and there must have been a spring or something because the amount of water was amazing. The home is now 80+ yrs old. It was kind of entertaining and the problem was dealt with.