Some of these issues are caused by larger structural issues, which we will address further down.
Cracks – The biggest entry point for leaks is cracked walls. The way the crack looks can tell you a lot about what caused it. Vertical and horizontal cracks together mean that you are experiencing bowing or settling walls. Bowing walls appear to be bending inward. A crack that looks like a stair case usually indicates heaving or foundation settlement. Heaving is the upward movement of a foundation or slab caused by underlying soils that expand or swell.
Basement Windows – Over time almost all window wells will full up and leak due to clogging, lack of proper drainage, or rotted windows that need to be replaced.
Pipes – The leak doesn’t come from the pipe itself but from where the pipe meets the wall.
Seepage Through Basement Floor – Where your basement wall meets your floor, there is thing called a cove joint. This area is highly susceptible to water infiltration.
Seepage Over Top Of Wall – Leaks can enter due to improper grading, huge rainfalls, or faulty construction.
Concrete Honeycombing (Dry Pack) – This happens on poured concrete walls when the concrete is not consolidated well enough or when the concrete has a lot of rock in it and the rocks stick to each other
Now that you have found the leaks, it’s time to find the right repairs for each of them.