Wet basements are always a concern no matter where you live. Basements are built below grade where there is always moisture. The idea is to have all your drainage components in order so that water stays outside of your home. Every year water damage ranges in the trillions and most insurance companies will not reimburse you for your losses. 

Causes for wet basement: 

• * High Water Table: Rain, melting snow or underground springs will contribute to the water table rising around a home. This can result in a build-up of water pressure beneath the floor and against foundation walls.

• * Hydrostatic Pressure: The higher the level of water around a home, the greater the pressure on the water to seek entry into the basement through cracks and crevices in walls and floors. Initially, this water may enter and rest only in the block or in the pores of the concrete. That's where damp walls and damp floors come from.

• * Capillary Attraction: Whenever water contacts a porous surface like a concrete floor or wall, it's natural for the moisture to be soaked up like a sponge. The continuous pressure exerted from the outside causes the floors and walls to store water like a reservoir, ready to burst.

• * Settlement: As the ground around a home settles, the foundation can shift or crack. The parging shield protecting the foundation can also crack and open, allowing water to flow into and beneath your walls and floor.

The idea is to remove water away from your homes foundation walls. The force of water build up can reach up to 33,000 pounds of pressure per square foot! Besides just having water enter your basement you are now effecting the integrity of your foundation.

Don't ignore the early signs before it's too late!!!

• Dampness

• Mold, mildew and fungus

• Musty odors

• Allergies

• Respiratory ailments

• Loss of lime salt(white powder from walls)

• Hairline cracks on foundation walls

• Spots on foundation walls

• Extreme dampness

• Water on the floor

• Water seepage during moderate rain

• Basement floods during heavy rains

• Electrical shock hazard

• Walls start to shift and bow

• Mud or clay silt may become visual

• Foundation corner begin to shift and crack

• Structual damage becomes visual

• Your foundation is in serious trouble

• Your foundation has reached it final level of stress

• Your home might risk being condemned

• The cost of repair is now astronomical

Footing drains are your #1 component in relieving water from your foundation. Over the years your footing drains due to age and poor installation have lost their integrity. We see it all the time.

A damp leaky basement can cause:

• Loss of property value

• Damage to your personal goods

• Rusting and corrosion of appliances

• Peeling and cracking of paint

• Warping of paneling

• Electrical shock hazards

• Respiratory and allergy ailments

• Damage to furnace

Keeping your basement dry should be a priority. The damage it can create to both your health and home can be devastating.

WMB Construction specializes in:

• Footing drains

• Curtain drains

• Sump pumps

• Foundation sealing

• Gutter drainage

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