Reducing Moisture in Your Home
A home with excess moisture can very well have a problem with extra-moist soil surrounding the below-ground areas of a home. Think of a house wrapped in a “wet blanket,” where the moisture seeps slowly through the structure and humidity levels enter the home. Reducing moisture around a home can go a long way in helping to solve your problem.
There can be many causes of extra-moist soil buttressing your basement walls:
- Watering systems (hoses, sprinklers) leaking or operating too close to the home
- Poor drainage systems and too much run-off from the yard
- Poor surface drainage from your home
- A gap between your foundation and the soil (creating a space for water to flow)
- A high water table
When you have this problem, cracks in your foundation (even almost-invisible-to-the-human-eye sized) allow for moisture and water to enter your home. Needless to say, this allows for water damage to occur inside your walls, in your basement, and ultimately throughout the home. The excess moisture is bad for furniture and precious items, as well as for allergy sufferers. As the moisture may seem like an inconvenience now, it can lead to worse problems in your foundation later.
How to Fix Moisture Problems Due to Wet Soil Near Your Foundation
Here are a few things you can look into (or have a professional look into) to help solve problems due to extra-wet soil surrounding your home:
- Make sure you have a good gutter and downspout system—and make sure they are working and free of debris, too!
- A positive slope of the ground from the yard to your home will help channel water away from the home.
- You can also cover your window wells so water doesn’t collect in the wells.
- Fill all “gaps” between the soil and your home.
- Install French drains in your yard to better move rainwater away from your home.
- Install (or have a professional install) a sump pump to help move water from below ground.
- Install (or have a professional install) a footing drain system around the exterior walls. This is a more involved process, but should be considered for homes that have excess moisture.
Fixing a moisture-rich basement and home can be easy, so make sure to start with the steps you can do quickly and affordably. If the problem is still not resolved, then consult a professional to help.
Sincerely,
Henry Duckstein Jr.
