What constitutes a home drainage problem? That question can seem like the most difficult one in the world when panic sets in due to home drainage problems that come up at the worst time. Most home drainage problems are caused by groundwater that is accumulated on, or next to, the foundation area of your home.
The groundwater may come from the rain drain system venting water from your roof. It may come from the rain that falls on the ground surrounding the home, and does not drain away on an adequate compacted slope. There can be other reasons as well, but they are rare instead of common.
Many times homeowners do not go into the crawlspace of their home very often. They also do not know what to look for when they do go into the crawlspace. Most often these homes have no properly installed hand excavated french drains. Many do not have properly installed low point drains.
As a result of not looking for groundwater entry into the crawlspace, homeowners do not know that it is happening until it becomes part of bad timing, as well as fear and loathing during a real estate transaction. At times however, the signs of groundwater in the crawlspace become easily recognized by the smells, mold, and dampness that rises from the crawlspace into the home.
The absense of foundation venting and air movement may increase the home drainage problem as well. Additional signs of groundwater in the crawlspace may come in the form of doors and windows, as well as cabinets within the home that jam, stick, or simply will not close where once they did. This should tip you off to possible sinking foundation spot footings in your crawlspace.
Groundwater drainage problems in your basement are easier to see, and therefore quicker to notice. The smells and mold are more evident as well, due to the fact that more time is spent down there than in the crawlspace and the groundwater drainage problem is easier to spot.
Brown or red water stains that evidence groundwater running down the basement walls are many times noticed first, as well as white chalk like deposits where the lime has been forced out of the concrete by groundwater saturation on the concrete. This white chalk like substance is called efforescense, and is usually noticed by the drainage contractor, the homeowner, or pest dry rot and structural inspector on the outside of the foundation where the dirt touches the concrete. In the basement or crawlspace, efforescense may be seen at the same level as it was noticed outside, as well as other places on the foundation wall.
As a practical matter, most home groundwater drainage problems in the crawlspace are not noticed until the homeowner is in the process of selling the home and the pest dry rot and structural inspection discloses them. The timing is never good for the seller or buyer at this point in the real estate transaction.
See other articles on this web site for ways to save yourself the hysteria of losing an important buyer because of this type of home groundwater drainage problem.
The source of the home groundwater can most often be ascertained by an experienced drainage contractor looking for problem areas on the outside of the home.
Many articles on this site will teach you how to go about determining the most likely cause, or combination of causes that create home drainage problems. Correction of these causes will most often stop the groundwater entry into your basement or crawlspace.
If you have a reputable drainage contractor propose and install a solution to the problem, you may be able to re-gain the trust and interest of the home buyer.
The groundwater may still be present, and probably will require some time to soak into the ground besides that which was pumped out, but if the buyer feels that the drainage contractor has offered, and constructed a home drainage solution that makes sense, the buyer and the lender will likely go with it, and you will get your transaction closed.