Have you been noticing your basement looking a little damp these days? Are you thinking it might be time to build a boat for the voyage down to the murky depths of the basement? If you are, you might want to take some precautions to slow down or get rid of the wetness in the basement.



1. Find out where the water is coming from ? you can not stop a leak if you cant find the hole. The water could be on the inside of the basement or coming in from outside. To find out where, get a piece of aluminum foil and attetch it to one of the walls with tape. The wall needs to be one that is usually damp. Completely cover each side of the foil with the tape so that no air can get in or out. Go back in about three days and take it off the wall. If the basement side is wet then condensation is the culprit. If the side that was against the wall is wet, it is coming from outside sources.

2. Add rain gutters to the house ? with rain gutters attached to the house in the correct fashion, the excess water will not lie in puddles. These puddles can go through any crack and crevice. Make sure the gutters you already have are clean and free of clutter. Attach wire strainers over the downspout outlet. This stops anything from being stuck in the downspout. Inspect the downspout drain field. Determine if it is too close to the house. If it appears to be, add a backsplash to repel the water or send it away from the base of the house.

3. Add a slope to your lawn ? the rule of thumb is about one inch forever foot of lawn. The slope should go out ten feet or more from the base of the house. Add plenty of grass seed to the lawn. The grass will stop erosion. If you are in a place that you cannot change your yard, contain and move the top drain to another part of the yard. A small drain ditch will work if it leads away from your house.

4. Reduce condensation problems ? extra wetness in the surrounding air will give you problems with condensation. Give your basement the right flow of air and make sure it is vented correctly. Make sure the windows are not open in the rain or humidity. This is a result of the drier air in the basement. Put in an air conditioner that can be used for the basement. Use this for keeping the air colder and drier in the warmer months and the heat in the colder months. This will make things much drier. For more info see http://www.basementremodelinghelp.com on ensure basement waterproofing.

5. Make repairs to the moisture problems ? if you find pipes or anything else that has a leak, fix it right away. Clothing air-drying in the basement can be a bad thing also. Try drying the clothing outside instead. If you must dry your clothes in the basement, provide an open window.

Having a dry basement is not a hard thing to do. Learning some better habits will make sure your basement is as dry and safe as it can be all year long.