Signs Your Basement May Be Water-Damaged | SERVPRO® of Gwinnett County South

5/21/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Gwinnett County South is a full restoration company. Our team is on call and ready to help you determine the best course of action.

A basement can be a helpful, useful addition to your Gwinnett home. It can serve as a storage area for your Pokémon collection, your old comic books or your baseball cards. You can make space for your drum set or your flower business, or you can furnish it with a couch bed for your college student who needs a place to chill during the summer.

Basements are versatile, to be sure—but whatever their configuration, they do have an Achilles’ heel, in the form of accumulated moisture. Because they’re dug out of the ground, they are prone to take in water over time from the surrounding soil.

While it’s not guaranteed that you’ll experience water damage, you can’t have those Pokémon cards getting damp, so it’s good to know what you’re up against and what you’re looking for.

So let’s examine the most common signifiers of basement water damage, and if you discover that these are happening in your own basement, you know where to turn for fast, reliable remediation.

The Most Common Water Damage Signs

Unpleasant, musky odors. Though the water that leaks inside your basement may not be unclean to begin with, it can quickly allow bacteria to grow as it settles in, and when it begins to evaporate, it will give off a musky smell. Many people just operate under the assumption that basements naturally smell this way, but that shouldn’t be the case. This smell indicates that mold and mildew are present in the environment, and you definitely don’t want to be dealing with that. You may not see them right away, but your nose is telling you there’s a problem.

Flaking paint on masonry or walls. Bubbles, flakes and cracks in your interior paint are sure signs that water has found its way inside. Even if your blocks or walls are coated with so-labeled waterproof paint, eventually they will be unable to hold back the proof. Water finds a way in and down, and no paint will hide it forever.

Foundational cracks. While homes do shift over time, large cracks in the foundation aren’t normal, and they could be signs of a big water leak that has gone unnoticed. Cracks can also show up in the floor, the ceiling or in your walls, indicating that your structure is under pressure because of an unstable foundation. Hairline cracks inside aren’t a major worry, but if they start to grow, get them looked into right away.

If you notice any of these signs in your basement, let us take a look. Our expert water restoration technicians can help you determine what is causing these issues and how to treat it properly. Contact us today to learn more.