A Do-It-Yourself Test To Determine If Your Basement Needs Waterproofing
If water is seeping into your basement, addressing this issue quickly with the help of a waterproofing contractor can be a vital part of preventing serious damage to your home's foundation. Unfortunately, if you are like many people, you may find yourself struggling to determine whether or not your basement needs waterproofing. Thankfully, there is an easy test that you can do yourself that will help you to make this important determination. Continue reading below to learn more about each step of this do-it-yourself testing process.
What You Will Need
- plastic sheeting
- heavy duty tape
Step #1: Hang Plastic Sheeting
The first thing you will want to do is to hang plastic sheeting on the walls of your basement. You will also need to use this plastic to cover the floor of your basement. This plastic should be hung using heavy-duty tape that will be able to stand up to moisture without losing its adhesive strength. While the type of plastic you use is not important, it is important to ensure that the plastic is sealed around the entire edge using tape. A failure to properly secure the plastic could prevent you from getting accurate results.
Step #2: Wait
Once your plastic sheeting is in place, the next thing you need to do is simply wait. You will want to leave the plastic in place for at least a few days in order to guarantee the most accurate results from this test. The longer you leave the plastic, the more accurate your results are going to be, so do not give in to the temptation to rush through this process.
Step #3: Interpreting The Results
Once ample time has passed, you will need to return to your basement and begin checking each sheet of plastic individually. If water has been seeping into your basement, you will see evidence of this moisture on the inside of the sheet of plastic. If all of your plastic is dry, your basement is perfectly fine. However, if you find any moisture on the inside of the plastic sheeting, you will want to contact a waterproofing contractor as soon as possible in order to have them come do a more thorough inspection. Be sure to take note of which areas of your basement showed evidence of water seepage so that you can share this information with your waterproofing contractor as well. This information can help them to more quickly determine what steps to take next.
Contact a waterproofing contractor to learn more.
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