Any home that you've got can have a wet basement and there are generally two reasons for this; even if you buy the house in an upscale area like Long Island in New York, water can find its way in from two primary sources. The first of these is surface water which includes run off and melted snow. The second type of water that can adversely affect your basement is groundwater. Groundwater can come from a high water table or an underground spring or stream. These problems generally show themselves inside the home in the form of a wet basement that your inspector will detect.
Even if you have a water problem in your basement, that doesn't mean that the basement will be wet all the time. A home inspector will look for clues, and one of these will be in the shape of any furniture sitting on the basement floor. For example, an old wooden chair that sits on the basement floor but shows no signs of water damage usually means the basement doesn't leak. However, if everything is raised up or sits on wooden planks there is a reason to be suspicious.
One of the best places to look for water damage is on unfinished basement walls as they provide clues like water stains or peeled paint. Often, a white salt deposit will be left on the wall which is indicative of previous water damage. While these are the kinds of things that your inspector will point out, it's a good idea that every new homeowner know something about water damage.
It's a good idea to check under appliances which may leak water as well. Check for water stains or rust under the stairs, the furnaces and hot water heaters, behind the laundry tubs, and in cupboards in cold storage rooms. Remember, there's a difference between the water left on the floor from a leaking humidifier and the walls. A finished basement presents a different set of problems when looking for water damage.
Here, you will need to look at the bottom of paneling for dark streaks. Another sign to watch for is rust around nail heads and electrical outlets. As well, you and the home inspector may find cracks in the basement floor. Often, these are due to water below the basement floor and do not affect the structural integrity of the house.
It should be noted that some moisture is found in most Long Island basements. Usually, the source is surface water. As is the case with many other problems, the best solution is to attack the situation at its source and find remedies to change the course of the offending surface water. Often, this will mean that the homeowner needs to change the slope of the land surrounding the house, and this can be done by the procedure known as grading.
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