Signs
What Are You Seeing?
Start with what you have noticed. Each sign below says what it usually means and where to read about the fix. It will also help you describe the problem when you call.
Call (423) 555-0114Your call goes to an independent local waterproofing company.
Under the house
Water that stays after rain
A puddle still there two days after a storm has no way out. It usually arrives from the uphill side of the lot, from a downspout that empties at the wall, or up through the soil once the ground is full. Sealing over it does not work. It needs a drain and usually a pump first: see crawl space repair.
Insulation hanging down or lying on the ground
Fiberglass batts hold water like a sponge. Once they are heavy they pull loose from between the joists. New batts in the same damp air will do the same, so the moisture has to be dealt with before the insulation is replaced.
Dark stains or fuzzy growth on the joists
Wood that stays damp grows mold and, given long enough, rots. Ask whoever inspects it to take moisture readings with a meter in several places and to write the numbers down for you.
Ducts and pipes dripping in summer
Warm, humid air comes in through the foundation vents and turns to water on anything cool. This is the problem encapsulation is designed for.
Plastic on the ground that is torn, bunched up or missing
A ground cover only works where it covers. Read about a crawl space vapor barrier and when it is enough without anything more.
In the basement
A line of water where the wall meets the floor
After a long wet spell the ground around the house fills up, and water is pushed in at the joint between wall and slab. An inside drain and pump is the usual answer: see basement waterproofing.
A wet streak below a crack or around a pipe
One entry point can often be sealed without touching the floor. See basement leak repair.
White powder on block or concrete
The powder is salt left behind when water moves through masonry and dries on the surface. It brushes off and is not harmful in itself. It does tell you that part of the wall is wet often.
Clammy air and damp walls in summer only
That pattern points to condensation, not a leak. Tape a square of plastic tightly to the wall for a couple of days. Moisture on the room side of the plastic means humid air. Moisture behind it means water coming through the wall. Wet basement goes through the causes.
A sump pump that runs all the time, or never
Constant running can mean a stuck float, a failed check valve letting water fall back, or a basin taking in more than the pump can move. A pump that never runs may have failed. See sump pump installation.
Upstairs and outside
A musty smell that is stronger in warm weather
Air moves upward through a house, so the rooms share air with the crawl space or basement below. A smell that fades in winter and returns in summer usually starts down there.
Floors that bounce, dip or feel soft near an outside wall
Damp joists lose stiffness, and a wet sill at the top of the foundation wall can crush slowly. Mention where the soft spot is when you call, so the right part of the crawl space gets checked.
Puddles against the house or mulch washed away
Water that collects at the wall will find a way in. Gutters, downspouts and the slope of the ground are the first things to fix: see yard drainage.
Cracks that step through block, or a wall that leans in
Water often comes through at cracks, but a wall that has moved is a structural question first. Tell the company what you see and ask whether it needs an engineer's opinion before any waterproofing is priced.
If you are not sure which one it is
That is common. Several of these show up together, and the cause is not always the obvious one. Call (423) 555-0114, describe what you see and when, and let the company that comes out sort the cause from the symptoms.