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Do You Recognise The 7 Signs Of A Wet Basement

Buyers and Sellers should be aware of water in the basement

Wasaga Beach has its fair share of older real estate. Proximity to the Nottawasaga River and the lake can cause problems with wet basements.

What are the warning signs? Sellers can then make repairs before listing. Buyers can be more observant of the property when viewing?

1. Items are stored off the floor. That could be a sign of dampness or flooding.
2. Is there a musty smell?
3. Are there signs of moisture on the walls and floors? To check it out, find an exposed foundation wall. In a finished basement that exposed wall may be in the furnace room, by an electrical panel, or perhaps under the basement stairs. Look for water stains, peeling paint, mould and mildew and efflorescence – a white, fluffy salt stain left behind as water evaporates from cement stone.
4. If the basement has been recently repainted, look behind storage units for these signs of basement leakage.
5. Lifting the corner of carpeting if it is not adhered can uncover signs of mould and mildew.
6. Rusty nails in baseboards or paneling, rusted electrical outlet boxes or rusted metal feet on appliances can also be an indicator of water leakage.
7. Some basement windows are below ground level and have a window well. Those types of windows can have a lot of problems with water leaching in. On the inside, check for water stains and signs of rot around the window. Outside, check for any rot or deterioration around the window.

Be careful not to confuse basement leakage with water coming from a leaking plumbing system, water heater, washing machine or hot water heating system. Dampness from condensation on cold water piping or cool foundation walls can also be mistaken for leakage.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 8:20 am and is filed under The World Of Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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