A leak in your basement can be one of the most destructive, annoying and expensive issues you can face as a home owner.

Knowing what can cause a leaky basement should give you a better chance of avoiding it happening to you.

what causes a leaky basement

Here are the most common causes of foundation damage leading to a leaking basement.

LACK OF BASEMENT WATERPROOFING

Let’s just get the most obvious cause out of the way first.

If your basement isn’t effectively waterproofed with things like a Platon membrane and a working footing drain you are at high risk of dealing with a leaking basement and the negative impacts that can bring.

Contact us anytime to discuss your basement waterproofing needs.

Learn more here.

POOR FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION

While there is little you can do about how the foundation of your current home was constructed, paying special attention to this part of the home building process is especially important for those who are building a new home.

There are plenty of ways a builder can screw up the foundation of a home:

  • Building on top of poor quality soil or 2 different types of soil with varying rates of water absorption
  • Failing to properly compact the soil beneath the foundation
  • Making the footings and walls too thin
  • Using poor quality or poorly mixed concrete
  • Weeping tile set at improper height
  • Improper amount of clear drainage stone over weeping tile

Foundation construction is probably the least sexy part of building a new home but it’s very important to pay attention to.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful and functional your main floor is if it’s built on a house of cards.

LACK OF GRADING

This is one of the most common causes of a leaking basement but is luckily the most fixable item on this list.

No matter how well your basement is waterproofed, even the best basement waterproofing systems can only handle so much so it’s important to make sure water is diverted away from your home.

Quality eaves trough and downspouts play an integral role in collecting and moving water away from your home.

If you notice either of those working at less than maximum efficiency it’s time to have them repaired, lengthened or replaced.

Learn more about the best drainage product for basement waterproofing.

HARSH CANADIAN WINTERS

The most obvious impact that an Ontario winter can have on your home is melting snow near your home leading to a significant amount of water around your properties foundation.

While this is certainly something to consider (and work on minimizing the impacts of by shoveling snow away from your home before it melts and ensuring your drainage system is working effectively) it’s actually not the most potentially hazardous aspect of winter weather as it relates to your homes foundation.

The dreaded freeze / thaw cycle.

As the temperatures plummet in the winter, moisture in the soil surrounding your foundation can freeze and expand, leading to what’s known as “frost heave”.

Frost heave can be a powerful force of nature with the ability of cracking concrete.

Soil isn’t the only thing that be impacted by the freeze thaw cycle. Construction materials like concrete, wood and insulation can also collect moisture that will expand as it freezes and contracts as it thaws.

This repeated expansion and contraction can wreak havoc on your basements foundation, especially when it’s not constructed well (see the first item above).

We’re lucky enough to experience the best of all 4 seasons here in the Niagara Region, but with that beauty come special risks to our property that we should all be aware of.

If you’re concerned about a leak in your basement, we would be happy to come for an inspection and offer our advice on potential steps you can take to address the issue.

We cannot stress enough the importance of a working weeping tile system. 

Water table builds up to the frost line.  It freezes and puts a lot more pressure than it was designed to take.  The frozen dirt expands and eventually destroys the foundation, needing underpinning to repair broken footings and structural beams to fix bowing walls.  Something interior waterproofing does not address.