One of the most unhealthy situations to have in your home is a wet basement. It is an easy to prevent condition and to have it in the first place is a disaster. The main issues surrounding this situation are health and structurally related. With a basement that is always wet, you have problems that will not go away until you proactively do something about it.
A definition of this condition would be that there is standing water on the floor during the majority of the time. This not usually caused by the water table rising. This is caused by water either leaking or seeping through the cement walls into the space. Standing water brings many structural issues in with it such as rot and a slippery floor.
A big danger of a wet area, such as this, is that Mold can be present whenever there is a lot of moisture and a dark place for most of the time. Mold is very invasive and will grow on just about anything it comes into contact with.
When a basement is being built, an eight to ten foot hole or bowl is dug in the packed earth. Drainage pipes are installed around the bowl and the cement floor is poured. The forms for the walls are erected and the walls are then poured and allowed to set. If the two mating surfaces between the floor and the wall is not prepared properly the seam will not seal.
If the seam is not sealed properly, water will be allowed to enter this space through it. The damp basement that we all hear about is different as it means only that there is moisture on the inside walls. This does not pose the same dangers as a wet area, yet it can still promote the growth of mold and other spores.
Repairs must be made to the walls and the cracks that are evident. The application of this waterproofing on the outside of the walls must be accomplished. This will entail a lot of digging, yet it is the fix that will take care of the issue once and for all. Care should be taken to ensure all cracks are filled.
Several waterproofing patch materials are available to apply inside the walls on any cracks that might have developed. This can also be inserted into the seam at the bottom of the walls to ensure a tight fit. This minor work can be done as a stop gap measure or when a complete repair job can not be performed.
After the repairs are completed, the mold, if present, must be eliminated from the wet basement. It should be cleaned, completely, off of all surfaces or the surfaces should be removed and replaced. No one should live down there until this is accomplished. The dangers of this is that mold spores, no matter what size, can be inhaled and cause problems with your respiratory system.
Waterproofing Solutions provide basement waterproofing and basement systems services with highly trained professional specializing in building restoration and waterproofing repair.