Water seepage is when water slowly leaks into a home through porous material like the concrete foundation slab or foundation walls. Water entering your home is problematic, but a healthy foundation shouldn’t allow any seepage. This guide will explore signs of water seepage, how it may affect your foundation and home, the causes of water seepage, and how to repair water seepage.
Signs of Water Seepage
Water seepage has some specific signs you may notice if you’re paying close attention. Most commonly, you’ll notice these signs in a basement, but you may also see them in a garage or lower areas of the home with bare concrete. You’ll notice moist flooring, especially where the wall and foundation meet. You may want to pay attention to musty smells, peeling or bubbling paint and rust on metal in your basement or crawlspace. Additionally, visible cracks in the foundation may suggest seepage, as does efflorescence, which is the white powdery substance left after concrete gets wet.
How Seepage Affects the Foundation
Beyond the visible signs that indicate water seepage, additional damage may affect your foundation and home. This extra damage may not be as readily apparent, especially at the beginning stages.
Weakening Concrete
Water penetrating the concrete’s structure causes the cement grains to spread apart and air pockets to form. It will make minute cracks worse. The result is weakened bonds in the concrete particles, which allows cracking and slow degradation, eventually allowing the concrete to chip or pieces to separate.
Mold Proliferation
Dark, moist areas are ripe for mold to take hold and proliferate. If the seepage is mainly in cracks in the concrete, you may not have much indication until there’s a significant problem. The extra moisture that comes with seepage allows the mold to develop both at the site of the seepage and on surfaces close enough to be affected by the extra moisture.
Structural Issues
Once a home’s foundation starts weakening, the entire structure can become compromised. Left long enough, this may cause sagging floors, bowed or cracked walls, and doors or windows that jam and rot in structural wood.
What Causes Water Seepage?
A healthy foundation should remain sealed. However, variables in the ground and outside your home may create an environment that could cause seepage.
Hydrostatic Pressure
When water becomes trapped in the ground under or around your home’s foundation, it starts exerting pressure, known as hydrostatic pressure. As this pressure builds, it can drive moisture into the porous concrete material, causing it to seep inside. Depending on how well the foundation is sealed, it may cause an upward pressure, causing the concrete to crack, which then provides a relief route for the trapped moisture.
Heavy Rain or Melting Snow
Heavy rain or large volumes of melting snow can cause the ground to become saturated. When this happens, it may not drain as well as under normal conditions, causing increased hydrostatic pressure.
Gutter Problems
The point of gutters is to direct most of the water coming off a roof away from the foundation. The point is to minimize the amount of water getting trapped in or around the home. If the gutters are clogged or the downspouts aren’t far enough away from the edge of the house, excess moisture can accumulate a under and around the foundation.
Improper Grading
The ground around the house should slope away from the building and the foundation. This directs surface water away from the house as it penetrates and becomes groundwater. When the grade slopes toward the house, the water will get trapped and increase hydrostatic pressure.
Sump Pump Failure
A sump pump helps move water that’s trapped under the slab foundation to alleviate the hydrostatic pressure. However, if the pump isn’t working properly or the drain pipe becomes clogged, the water will collect, increasing the pressure.
Cove Joint Problems
The cove joint connects the foundation walls to the foundation floor slab. A damaged or improperly installed joint may not provide the proper seal and will allow water to come through and seep into the space.
High Water Table
The water table height can vary based on season, water extraction efforts, and weather patterns. It can also rise after events like the storms during summer and early fall. During these times, water tables can rise, keeping more water trapped under your home until it recedes again. This is why you may notice evidence of moisture without the concrete being wet.
Fixing Water Seepage
If you’ve discovered that you have water seepage, you’ll want to find ways of solving the issue. This solution should include dealing with both the symptoms and the underlying causes.
Repair or Replace Sump Pump
Start by making sure that your sump pump is working properly. If it has any issue, get your sump pump repaired or replaced quickly to prevent hydrostatic pressure from building.
Install a Water Management System
You may need to look at how you manage groundwater around your home to ensure it drains properly. You may need to install new drain features like a French drain, rain garden, or swale drain. If you already have one or more of these features, you may need to have it inspected to ensure it’s still working properly.
Fix and Properly Direct Gutters
It’s important to check on your gutters twice a year and have them professionally inspected about every five years. Keep debris cleaned out and make sure the gutters remain properly secured. Make sure the downspouts are directed at least 4 to 6 feet away from the house edge, with 10 feet being preferable.
Have Property Grade Evaluated
As you seek to understand the underlying cause of your water seepage, consider having the grade of the ground around your home checked. Ideally, the ground should slope about 1 inch for every foot you move away from the house. This should continue for between 5 and 10 feet.
Repair Foundation Damage
Once you’ve solved the underlying issue, the next step is addressing the foundation. You may need to repair cracks in the concrete. Crack repair solutions may vary based on size, location, and direction. Your foundation may need additional support, such as wall braces or anchors. If your issue is at the cove joint, your home may benefit from an interior drainage solution. Finally, depending on your foundation type, a vapor barrier may be appropriate to help seal the area and keep additional moisture out.
Property owners in the Phoenix, AZ area and around the country have trusted Delta Mechanical to keep their home’s plumbing flowing well since 1995. Our licensed plumbers provide a wide range of residential plumbing services, including sump pump installation and repair. We also provide leak detection services and work on drains, water lines, and sewers. For upgrades or home remodeling, we offer kitchen and bathroom plumbing installation and repair, gas line installation and repair, and water heater installation and repair. Call to schedule a visit with one of our plumbing experts to explore what’s causing your home’s water seepage and the best way to solve it.
