Flood damage to your home can be overwhelming. Standing water can damage furnishings and personal belongings while increasing humidity levels significantly in your house.
Water can enter a basement through cracks in walls and floors, porous concrete surfaces or expansion and contraction of soil. If left unchecked for too long, this moisture can quickly cause mold and mildew growth that leads to mold infestation.
1. Mold
Basement mold typically results from excess moisture originating either outside your home (e.g. leaking foundation) or from within it (such as condensation or daily activities like drying clothes).
Mold thrives when moisture, high humidity and food sources are present – the perfect environment for it to flourish in a basement! Not only will mold damage your belongings and other parts of the home via its stack effect. Therefore it’s crucial that any leaks be promptly addressed.
2. Stains
If you find that surface water is pooling on your basement floor or walls following a rainstorm or when snow melts, this could be because surface water isn’t being directed away from your house properly. Rainwater that doesn’t drain away causes hydrostatic pressure that causes small gaps to widen and leak causing large amounts of rainwater or snow melt to accumulate underneath your house causing hydrostatic pressure that causes hydrostatic pressure that causes small gaps to widen further and leak further into basement walls and floors.
Professional evaluation should be undertaken of your foundation and drainage system. Gutters must be cleaned regularly, while downspout extensions added to redirect water away from your foundation. Paper, fabric and wood items that remain wet for more than 24 hours may attract mold growth in your basement; therefore removing or discarding these items as soon as possible is recommended to protect its structural integrity. Eliminating water leakage issues in your basement is also paramount to its preservation.
3. Damage to Furniture
Even small amounts of moisture can wreak havoc with your furniture, drywall and other porous materials. Left unchecked, moisture can seep into basement walls and lead to dampness and black mold growth.
Mugginess makes it more challenging to heat and cool your home efficiently, leading to higher energy bills. If you experience sudden increases in your bills due to basement leakage or humidity levels, this could be due to basement flooding or excessive humidity levels in your area.
Basements often become damp due to seasonal site conditions or heavy rainstorms that increase the groundwater table, exerting pressure on its walls through hydrostatic pressure. When moisture dries off it can leave white chalky stains across both walls and floor of a basement called efflorescence which must be repaired as soon as possible.
4. Damage to Belongings
Contents stored or used as living space in a basement can be costly to replace. Damaged belongings attract mold and bacteria which spread throughout your home even if items don’t become wet themselves.
Understanding how water enters a basement is key to avoiding future flooding and damage, whether due to hydrostatic pressure, heavy rains increasing the water table or sewer backups.
One effective way to stop basement flooding is installing a backwater valve, which allows sewage to flow out instead of coming back in. Furthermore, regularly check hoses connecting water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers; any that leak should be promptly replaced in order to save both time and money in the long run.
5. Damage to Walls
Wood can become infested with moisture, leading to its decay. When water interacts with wood it rots it. Be it stacks of firewood, drywall panels or even your floor itself – any exposure to moisture will lead to decay which in turn can lead to mold growth and other health hazards within your home.
According to This Old House, water that does not drain away from your house creates hydrostatic pressure that pushes against basement walls and finds entry points such as cracks or joints where walls meet floors, creating hydrostatic pressure that pushes against them and forces in. This hydrostatic pressure then pushes against those walls where openings exist such as cracks or where floors meet walls causing hydrostatic pressure that pushes them in further.
To prevent runoff problems, it’s best to ensure your gutters are clear and that downspouts drain at least three feet from your foundation. Troughs under downspouts may help extend them further; look out for damp walls and musty odors as indicators that you may have runoff issues; white, chalky stains known as efflorescence could also appear on concrete walls as another sign that this problem exists.