Keep Your The Finger Lakes Basement Dry

To achieve a dry basement -- including humidity -- something more may be needed and to create a dry basement, something more may be needed. Moisture can easily travel through the concrete and grout used in your foundation walls and floors - and even more easily through sections of exposed dirt.

Installing a basement waterproofing system inside of your home is a fantastic idea. With all the innovations that have been made in the last decade on old-fashioned drain tile, French drain, and weeping tile systems in New York, along with the modern and more reliable sump pump systems, a waterproof basement is just a phone call away.

Looking for a wet basement solution? Call Halco today for a free basement waterproofing inspection and quote! 

Step 1: Install a Moisture Barrier on Your Walls and Floors

Avoid water damage. Even a small amount of water can damage your basement and cause problems.

Even when the surfaces of your basement walls and floors look dry at a glance, you can be sure that moisture is entering the basement continually through the concrete in the form of water vapor.

There are several ways to tell if moisture is passing through to your basement. One of the most common is a white, flaky powder that accumulates on basement walls. This is known as efflorescence, and it's left behind as moisture leaves the basement walls and enters the air. Other signs include mold and musty smells in the basement and rust on your pipes, tools, or other metal in the space.

If you're not sure if your basement floor is adding to your basement humidity, check it out by laying a layer of plastic on a section of your basement floor for several days. If the space underneath is damp, then you know the moisture that would have passed into the basement air was instead trapped underneath the plastic.

Step 2: Install a Reliable, Energy-Efficient Dehumidifier

Typical dehumidifiers are simply not powerful enough to keep a basement dry. Additionally, the cheap dehumidifiers sold at some hardware stores have collection trays that continually fill up, sometimes in as little as 8-12 hours.

With 168 hours in a week, this means you'd have to empty your collection tray 14-21 times to keep your machine running. Even then, is it doing the job?

Halco has the answer to your dry basement needs: The SaniDry™ XP Basement Air System. This is the only dehumidifier available in New York that has the power and effectiveness you need.

Step 3: Service your Sump Pump Regularly

Your basement waterproofing system plays an important role in your home by protecting you from groundwater seepage.

Scheduling an annual maintenance to check on your home's sump pump, basement drainage, and other components of your system will ensure your system is working right and will help find any potential problems before they find you!