You’re enjoying a nice dinner when all of a sudden, a musty smell wafts past your nose nearly making you choke on your chicken. You decide to just light a few flowery candles and ignore it. This probably isn’t the best idea.
Musty smells are a huge sign that your basement may be leaking water. You can just ignore it and hope the situation fixes itself or you can fix the situation for good by waterproofing it. Sounds like a no brainer, right?
Just in case you haven’t decided yet, here are a few signs that you could benefit from waterproofing your basement.
Stains
Stains aren’t just an unattractive feature in your basement, they are also a key sign of water damage. You’ll mainly spot them on the upper part of the walls and on the floors.Granted, this could mean one of your appliances is leaking fluid and it’s just seeping into your basement but it’s way more likely that rain and other precipitation is getting in from the outside. So, if you live in an area that sees a lot of rain or snow it could be worth it to waterproof your basement.
Weird Smells
Your appliances will cause humidity to rise to your basement which will cause a certain musty smell but it shouldn’t be so strong that it spreads through your home or outside. This is a sign that water is getting in and humanity is causing mold and mildew to form. If you go outside and smell sewage then this is another sign that your basement is taking in a lot of water.
You Have Cracks
Extreme temperatures from Winter and Summer can cause cracks to happen in the foundation of your home. It’s just something that happens over time. You either want to fix these yourself or have someone come fix them right away because all of these cracks are just weak spots that will allow more water and moisture through into your basement. If your basement was waterproofed you wouldn’t have to worry about these cracks as much as you would if it wasn’t.
You Can See Mold and Mildew
Again, heavy amounts of water and humanity will become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. You can get rid of it by mixing water and bleach together and attacking it head on but this won’t be a permanent solution. If you have mold then that means that the leaking was pretty consistent. If you just use household means to get rid of it, it’s just going to come back later because you’re not fixing the source of the issue.
You’re Getting Sick a Lot
Mold and mildew will cause you and your family to get sick pretty consistently. So if the leakage in your basement is so bad that you’re getting sick from the mold then it’s time that you waterproof it. Common symptoms that you’ll experience are a chronic cough, headache, congestion, increased thirst, joint pain, and fatigue.
Swollen Timber
Wood soaks in water like a sponge so if your wood is looking a little bloated than this means that you have a leak somewhere or your basement just consistently takes in a bunch of water. The moisture won’t stop at causing the walls to swell. It will also spread to doorways and the floor. So if things feel a little bloated when you step down or the door just won’t close this is a sign that things need to change. Waterproofing will be an essential part of that change.
Your Basement Is Attracting Bugs
Dark, damp, humid areas aren’t just a breeding ground for mold, it also attracts bugs. When you first start noticing them crawling around your home, you’ll probably call up an exterminator. This will help to a point but if the problem rides with a wet basement, you may find yourself complaining to the exterminator when the bugs come back. Instead of yelling at the poor exterminator just get your basement waterproofed. The bugs will have no reason to live in a dry basement.
Things Are Looking Rusty
You could have a fresh door put in with brand new screws but if you have a wet basement, these nails will quickly rust. This won’t end with the screws that are holding up the doors in your basement. the humidity will spread through your entire house. You’ll begin to notice that the nails holding up your family picture is starting to look less shiny by the day. The screws and hinges holding your doors up? Rusted. If you start to notice these things that means you most definitely have a leak that waterproofing your basement will fix.
Your Floor Looks a Little Sparkly
If the floor in your basement looks a little shiny that’s not exactly natural. When the water that’s leaked on the floor dries it causes mineral deposits to form. The result is a really sparkly floor. While it doesn’t seem like a horrible issue right now, if you decide not to waterproof and leave it alone, it will cause damage to your floor over time.
Signs that Waterproofing Your Basement Is the Best Thing for Your Home
If you smell something gross and musty through your home, the nails in your walls are rusting, or the floors in your basement have a strange shimmery look then you may be experiencing water damage.You can try to put it off or try home remedies to fix things or you can save your home from any long term damage by waterproofing your basement. Use these common signs to decide if waterproofing would be a good idea for you. Has your home been damaged from heavy water leaks? Contact us to get an estimate on repairs.
