Water is one of the biggest enemies of your home and being able to keep the water out from coming inside and removing any water from causing internal damage is extremely important. Water can get inside the house in the basement a number of ways and it is really important to recognize the conditions as soon as possible if they exist. For this article, we put together a list of some of the most common things that can expose waterproofing issues in your home. 

If you are currently living in the state of Michigan and are looking for a contractor to look into possible foundation issues, you should consider contacting Foundation Systems of Michigan for Michigan foundation repair, which specializes in foundation restoration. 

Top 5 Most Common Basement Waterproofing Issues Reported by Homeowners

Leaking Foundation Walls – The common way for water to get into a basement is through the foundation walls. Depending on the age of your home the most common masonry foundation is poured concrete. However, older homes with masonry foundations were made from stacked blocks with mortar filling in the cracks between the blocks. Poured concrete can develop cracks that will allow water to seep in and mortar between the blocks can erode and allow water to get in. 

Water Seeping up from the Floor – The floor of a poured concrete basement and foundation system sits directly on top of the soil. This means if there is an excessive amount of moisture in the soil it can easily seep up into the basement through any large cracks that have developed in the concrete floor. It is important to have an expert come in that repair any major floor cracks as soon as possible. 

Broken Sump Pump – Since the basement is well below ground level there has to be a way for the house to remove any water that exists in the basement. This is typically handled by digging a sump in the far corner at the lowest point of the basement. At the bottom of the sump, you will find a pump and a pipe that reaches outside of the house to evacuate the water in the sump. If for some reason that pump breaks down you could end up with a serious flooding issue. 

Excessive Water Buildup in the Window Wells – Windows have become a very popular amenity for homes with basements. Also, so places require windows to be of a certain size and location for egress purposes depending on the building codes. Unfortunately, water can build up in wells around the windows which can find its way into the basement and cause damage. You will want to have an expert come in and evaluate all of your windows to ensure that there are no problems with water pooling inside the wells. 

Property Grading Problem – The last way that water can get into the basement through the foundation walls is when the property that your home is built on is lower in the area that surrounds your home. This will cause rainwater to pool around the foundation which can easily lead to water being able to seep in from the outside. While the remedy will set you back quite a bit of money to fix the grading of the property, it will definitely prevent even more costly damage to your home.