Everything You Need to Know About Damp Basements | Issues & Locations

Are you concerned about what basement dampness could do your Fargo, ND, home? You have little time to act before it blows out into something big and costly to remedy. Any attempt to fix it yourself is not only going to be time-consuming but a bandage fix. The underlying issue will still cause problems in the future if you don’t address the root problems.

As well as making your floors cold, basement dampness can encourage mold growth, a major cause of respiratory health problems in many homes. Your monthly energy bills will go up and whatever fixes you’d ignored may turn into costly repairs. So it really pays to address moisture issues on time.

What are Common Basement Problems?

As long as your home has moisture issues, you should expect one or more of the following problems to pop up:

Unpleasant odors: A damp basement will cause unpleasant odors from rotting wood, pests such as mice, mold, and others. Getting rid of the smells is an uphill task unless you fix the dampness problems.

Mold growth: Mold highly favors damp or moist basement. High moisture levels in your basement lead to a breeding ground for mold. The spores from the mold can easily find their way in your living room, causing myriad respiratory complications such as asthma and respiratory infections, among others.

Basement leaking: When moisture condenses, it could seep through cracks on your basement walls all the way up to the living areas, making your walls and floor cold.

Basement floor cracks: Moisture is bad for concrete walls and floor. Freezing and thawing exert pressure on the surface causing it to crack. But it’s not only internal moisture that may cause cracks. Soil settling, a common phenomenon where soil beneath the house moves vertically, also causes floors to crack.

Pests and crawling insects: Dampness also attracts termites and rats. When they come in, they will chew your beams and start breeding inside your basement. Sooner or later they will make their way into your living space and contaminate your food or destroy your belongings.

Structural damage: Moisture in the basement is also bad for the underlying support structure in your home, especially wooden joists and beams. It causes them to rot or decay. When this happens, these structures may no longer be able to hold the weight of the house.

Radon gas poisoning: Radon is an odorless gas that usually finds its way into the house through cracks in the floor. This harmful gas is known to cause lung cancer. Unless a professional does some tests, you won’t even notice radon is building up in your basement.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact your local basement contractor as soon as you notice any of the above problems. 

What Environments are Prone to Basement Dampness?

Some people rarely venture into the basement. As a result, they may not notice they have a problem that could trigger dampness. Homes with the following issues are prone to moist and damp basements.

Structural cracks

One of the major causes of basement dampness in North Dakota is structural cracks. These cracks allow water to seep into the walls and later on to the basement, either causing flooding or moisture buildup. Concrete curing and soil settlements are often to blame.

Poor drain tiles or sump pits

The lack of proper surface drainage has the potential to cause either flooding or basement dampness. And so do drain tiles and sump pits that are clogged, lowering the capacity of internal drainage to channel water out of the basement.

Floods

If you live in a flood-prone area, you’re likely to experience basement dampness during a heavy downpour. The absence of waterproofing systems means water will seep through the foundation walls and into the basement.

Poorly graded homes

Water is usually channeled into the basement if the foundation of the house is not on level ground or is on a slight slope. Without proper backfill compaction, water is likely to collect near the foundation walls and seep into the basement.

Aside from the above environments, homes with damaged gutters and downspout pipes as well as missing window wells are susceptible to dampness.

Are you worried about the health complications that come with a moist basement? Schedule an appointment for a free inspection and estimate for solid recommendations for solutions to fix your moisture problems.