No one ever wants to find out that they have a leak in their basement — especially if that leak is bad enough to cause major damage to the house. The key to stopping basement leaks from damaging your home is spotting them while they’re still small enough to stop. Here’s how to tell if there’s a leak in your basement to do just that.
In A Finished Basement:
If your basement is finished, it may be harder to find leaks. However, a few tell-tale signs you have any are:
- Wet Carpets: Forget the slight dampness caused by spills. If you have a leak, your carpet will probably be saturated.
- Buckled Hardwood Floors: Continued exposure to moisture will cause your hardwood floors to bend and become warped.
- Mold on the Drywall: The mold will usually only appear on the bottom of the drywall because of the way water flows and pools from a leak.
In an Unfinished Basement:
- Foundation Discoloring: This is how you’ll spot a leak in your basement most of the time. Water from a leak will pool near the foundation, causing it to become dark and discolored.
- Dried Puddles on the Floor: If the leak in your basement isn’t constant, you may notice dried water spots from where it spread previously.
- Water Streak Marks: If the leak in your basement comes from water running down the side of your home during a rainstorm, you’ll likely see streaks on the walls and/or foundation.
Not all basement leaks come from pipes like most would think. Sometimes, they are the result of poor-performing gutters that allow water to flow down the side of your home instead of away from it. You can keep your gutters safe with a gutter protection system from Keystone Gutter Helmet. With Gutter Helmet, leaves don’t get into your gutters in the first place, so there’s never any build or clogging. For more information or to get a free quote, call us at 610-372-4383.
