✓ If you have a property with basement wetness caused by sewer problems either from a flood or the sewer line being plugged. Install a special floor drain with a shutoff valve to prevent sewer backup. Only apply this if your house is in a low-lying area where flooding is predominant.
✓ If the problem is as a result of condensation, run a dehumidifier in the basement. Insulate cold-water pipes to prevent condensate drippage. Also ensure appliances such as dryers have vents running to the outside. Doing this can help reduce vapour build-up during warm and humid season
✓ Check the grade of your yard about 6ft below the ground around the foundation. Use a level, long board and tape measure to check the grade.
✓ If you are experiencing rainwater running towards the house, this can be an open invitation for water infiltration which can cause cracks between the ground and the basement wall. Pack some soil against the outside of the wall and tamp it down firmly, and cover the pile-up and sloping soil with a layer of construction plastic and mulch held down with a layer of stones. The plastic keeps the weeds from growing.
✓ If you have clogged gutters, clean them out to avoid free fall of water from splashing and eroding into the basement.
✓ If you have downspouts installed in your property, ensure the downspout piping is extended to carry the water from the roof at least 48 to 72 inches from the foundation and ensure to build the grade around the house so that it carries water away from the house.
✓ Inspect the property you are or the one you are about to acquire if it has a foundation tile drain installed and if located outside the basement walls at or below the basement floor level.
✓ Patch cracks in the foundation walls using waterproof masonry sealant only if the cracks are under 0.25 inches wide, otherwise use a dual layer waterproofing consisting of a non-woven polypropylene waterproofing material for larger cracks.
✓ If you have larger water problems, it is best you consider the sump pump system. Foundation drainage systems are designed to remove water pools around foundation footings.
✓ If an interior basement wall is going up while the rest of the structure stays calm, the least expensive correction may be to take off the top of the wall and substitute a row of small screw jacks to let the house down a little at a time. Lowering should be no faster than 1/4 inch per week to keep the noise level low and allow the plaster to adjust.