Why Is My Basement Floor Leaking?

Your basement floor can start to leak for a myriad of reasons. Some of the most common include: 

Contending with Hydrostatic Pressure 

Hydrostatic pressure is a force that consistently works against the structural integrity of your home. Moisture, as it comes into contact with the concrete or other materials making up your concrete floor, will affect that material’s stability on a molecular level. In many cases, cool water will force concrete molecules to shrink, whereas warming temperatures will cause those molecules to grow in size. 

Too many changes of this kind can put your basement floor under a significant amount of stress. That stress can see your basement floor start to crack. Similarly, any supports you have in place may begin to show signs of wear. All this damage can go one step further, allowing even more moisture into your home. Before you know it, you may have to deal with not only floor damage but standing water inside of your basement. 

Other Sources of Damage 

Hydrostatic pressure is often the primary force behind the damage that’s done to your basement floor. That doesn’t mean that it works alone. You can also trace some of the damage in your basement to the presence of tree roots or pests near your home. These forces can cause hollows to open up beneath your home. Your foundation—and subsequently your basement floor—can start to sink into these hollows, making both structures more vulnerable to hydrostatic pressure as well as to cracks. 

Getting ahead of this damage doesn’t have to be a challenge. Instead, you can work with area contractors to invest in home waterproofing solutions as soon as you move onto a new property. Waterproofing measures will reduce the amount of hydrostatic pressure that your basement floor has to contend with. In turn, your supports will remain sturdy for longer, meaning your floor should never grow bouncy, sagging, or uneven.