“I have lived in my Georgia home for over 20 Years. Why is it now just getting wet?”
There are two factors when considering the cause of basement ground water intrusion. TIME AND CLIMATE CHANGE!
Cold weather causes stress in the foundation. This usually leads to cracks in concrete walls and substructures. Over the years temperature changes from hot and cold can cause unseen damage behind finished walls in your basement. This usually accurse in the winter months.
When Summer arrives the climate change brings heavy precipitation and ground water to open voids that have cracked Georgia clay and foundation walls. Your home most likely has a protective layer of black film around its foundation. This film is a membrane applied with a spryer or roll on application once the home was built. This product is a paint and when your foundation cracks the paint cracks along with it. A drainage pipe was placed at the footing or at the lowest level of the foundations exterior wall to divert any ground water build up. This pipe becomes clogged with dirt leaving the water to build up around your foundation. This build up of water in the soil we call hydrostatic pressure.
Hydrostatic pressure itself can cause stress on your foundation due to heavy weight on the structure. This stress can also cause cracking in the foundation allowing water to seep through those cracks. Concrete itself is porous and the water build up without cracks can seep though walls slowly.
Georgia clay in many hot months shrinks the soil leaving large cracks under ground. This will lead to under water gateways to travel beneath the soil, allowing underground water to travel to foundation walls. Most poured wall foundations are constructed with metal tabs. Theses tabs become rusted and decay over the years. This also leads to an ideal water way to seep into your basement.
Surface water is also a strong determining factor when considering the source of ground water intrusion. Roof water collected by gutters and downspout run off are one of the many sources of surface water. This is something we call preventative maintenance. Running downspouts away from the foundation and pipping all surface water away form your home can and will help keep your basement dry when it comes to redirecting surface water.
If your home is experiencing ground water then a water management system needs to be installed. This is considered waterproofing your foundation but is most importantly redirecting the source of the ground water. This can be done by placing an exterior or interior perimeter drain. Theses drain lines are systems designed to preeminently block and redirect ground water. Interior and exterior solutions are determined based on your Georgia homes foundation. Many factors are looked upon and decided by a field expert. This is why this job is no do it yourself project. Leave it to a pro to determine your source of intrusion and the answer to fixing your problem.