Water ingress in the floor to wall joint is commonly experienced during heavy rain due to the rising water table bringing the groundwater closer to the surface.
The main reason water is coming up through your basement floor is due to something called hydrostatic pressure. This is when water accumulates in the soil outside your basement walls or floors and pushes against them.
Just patch the cracks with hydraulic cement or an epoxy sealer and you're good to go. However, if your foundation has multiple large cracks, you might have a slab leak, which means you'll need to contact a plumber for further investigation.
Bone Dry Sealers and Etch-A-Crete Helps with Your Concrete Moisture Problems. Bone Dry concrete sealers are the most cost-effective way of sealing concrete flooring to prevent moisture from damaging surface materials.
Concrete is already a porous material. This means that water could find its way through your concrete by itself. But, if you have cracks or cove joints that aren't sealed properly, water will use those openings to enter your foundation.
Water can penetrate concrete slab-on-grade and basement walls due to hydrostatic pressure, capillary action, and vapor pressure.
Water Leaks Under Concrete Can Cause Serious Foundation Damage. Given that concrete foundations are porous, water will fill any pores it can find, eventually causing the foundation to crack and shift, and leaving homes unsettled.
Tracer gas can be particularly useful when trying to find a water leak under a concrete floor or slab. The molecular size of the gas is far smaller than the water, the escaping gas will easily permeate through the concrete and emerge at the surface where it can be detected using the 'sniffer' air sampling equipment.
“If the surface of a floor slab is colder than the dew point temperature of the ambient air above the slab, moisture will condense on the surface of the slab. This condition, commonly called “sweating,” typically occurs when warm, moist air flows into a building that has relatively cool floors.”
Yes, concrete can absorb water because it's porous like a sponge. When the ambient relative humidity is high, concrete can absorb water vapor (moisture) from the air. When the relative humidity is low, water will evaporate from the concrete into the ambient environment.
Dampstop is a 2 part water based epoxy used as a moisture vapour barrier. When applied to a sound surface, Dampstop will help prevent the escape of rising or lateral damp from walls or floors.
The only way to stop water from coming into your basement where your walls meet your floor is by installing a drain tile system. There's no way to prevent water from soaking the soil near your foundation completely, but you can catch that built-up moisture and send it somewhere else.
There are two likely culprits: either a leak or a pipe burst. If you have any plumbing fixtures near the area - sinks, dishwashers, etc - check for leaks near them first and foremost. If water is flowing from the fixture itself, you've identified the source.
Seepage doesn't require any cracks or passage in walls or roof of the house. It occurs when the wall or slab is porous and water appears on its surface by escaping through the wall or slab. Leakage occurs when there is a crack or hole in the wall or roof.
Dampness is the presence of excess moisture on the surface, and seepage is the process by which liquid flows slowly through a porous surface or hole.
For most floors, condensation is the main reason for the sweating, especially in warm weather. When warm humid air from outside comes into contact with the cold concrete the air rapidly cools and condenses on the surface causing the wetness.
Once the floors, ceilings, or walls are wet, water damage can happen quickly; mold and mildew can start growing and spreading in just 24 to 36 hours. The first step is to call a nearby water damage restoration pro.
If you have water damaged subfloors, you'll likely notice your floors are swollen or lifted. They may also feel soft or squishy when stepped on. The best choice for damaged subflooring is usually to have it replaced — especially if it is growing mold.
Interior Plumbing
If you find a water leak inside the wall, you have more than a simple plumbing repair. It may be time to call in the pros. The wall needs to be cut open to determine the exact location of the leak, and the damaged sections need replacement. Then, the wall will be patched, sanded, primed, and painted.
The most common differentiator between rising and penetrative damp is the height at which it occurs. Rising damp will only occur up to a metre from the ground, whereas penetrating damp can occur anywhere.
In most cases, water seepage is caused by leakage from defective water pipes, sanitary fitments or drainage pipes. Usually, these defects can be rectified by simple repair works. Owners should directly engage a building technician or licensed plumber to identify the cause of seepage for prompt repairs.