If you have water in your basement, one of the first things you need to determine is where the water is coming from. In this episode, Adam explains how A1 Foundation Crack Repair detects water leaks using low cost techniques to quickly hone in on the source of the water.
Narrator: It's time once again for the Crackman podcast, sponsored by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. I'm Darren Kincaid and I'm here with the Crack-Daddy himself, Adam Tracy. Adam has 20 years of experience in the construction industry and as a civil engineer, is A1 Foundation's resident engineer on staff solving a plethora of unique foundation problems every day. This podcast provides expert basement waterproofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation's viable insight will help avert the disaster of a flooded basement, health problems from water infiltration, and protect your biggest investment, your home. The topic of today's podcast: How A1 Foundation Crack Repair detects water leaks.
Narrator: So, Adam, if you have water in your basement, one of the first things you need to determine is where the water is coming from, am I right? What are the best practices for detecting water leaks?
Adam: It is critical for a homeowner to understand where the water is coming in from. I know in a panic situation—water’s coming in—you just start dialing and you try to find anybody who can help you out. But if you stop, slow down, take a breath, and analyze the situation even just a little bit, even if you're not super confident in your abilities to detect where the water is coming from, it will save you thousands of dollars in the end.
The reason why is that when we don’t know anything, and you’re not sure how water’s coming in, or you’re just flooded and panicked, the way we joke around here is, “the less you know, the more you pay.” It’s not because we’re trying to take advantage of you—it’s because in order for us to determine how to best solve the problem (which is to prevent water from coming in), we first need to understand where the leak is actually happening. Leak detection and finding out the location of the water infiltration is the most important part of the discovery phase.
There are many companies out there ready to sell you a solution no matter what your problem is. You have a foundation crack? They’ll sell you this system. Well, that system might also be used for other things—but the reality is that we try to match the right repair to the right need of the property. For example, if you have a stone foundation, you’re not going to do a foundation crack repair like you would for a concrete foundation. They’re very different.
So, best practices number one: identify where the location is. It sounds simple, but it’s hard to do, especially if your entire basement is flooded. You might step downstairs and there’s two inches of water. We have to understand: How is it coming in? Where is it coming in? And why is it coming in?
The first way to think about it is to ask: What kind of event caused this issue? Is it a dry day—it hasn’t rained in weeks—and all of a sudden there’s water in your basement? If that’s the case, you’re probably looking at a plumbing issue, or something like a broken water line outside. Sometimes it’s sprinklers, sometimes it’s the main water line coming from the city or a well.
Now, if it has rained heavily and you have water coming through, that’s outside water coming in. If there’s been inches of rain over several days and now you see water around the basement, we might be looking at several things: a perched water table, the global water table, or just soil that’s become supersaturated.
If you have a finished basement, things get a little trickier because we can’t see or access the foundation. There are some tools that help, but they’re not pinpoint accurate. Identifying whether the leak is everywhere, on one wall, or in one spot will help determine if it’s a major water table issue or a localized one.
If the basement’s finished and you’re only seeing water on the floor, that doesn’t mean it started there. I get this call all the time: “I just see it on the floor; I think I need a sump pump.” Well, of course you see it on the floor—that’s where water settles. It’s not going to come squirting through the drywall unless it’s catastrophic, which is rare.
So in that case, it’s time to look outside. If there’s no visible crack, then we have to do the hard work of opening up the wall. Some homeowners don’t want to do that because it might damage the basement, but the truth is, the water is already damaging it. It can lead to mold and mildew. We have to be comfortable doing a bit of demo and investigation.
If you skip that step, we’re forced to guess—and we’ll always “overguess” to make sure your basement stays dry. But I’d rather find the exact source and keep costs as low as possible, even if it means replacing a small section of drywall afterward.
So, the first thing to do is identify how the event happened, where it happened, and then look both inside and outside the foundation. Rule out simple things—plumbing, water tanks, or anything that holds water. Around heating systems, for instance, check the condensate pump if you have forced hot air.
Another key question: What kind of foundation do you have? This helps identify which solutions are available. If you don’t know, take a photo or tell us the age of the house—those details help us determine the foundation type. You don’t need to be an expert, just a little informed.
If all else fails, there are leak detection companies, but they mainly focus on plumbing and gas leaks. They will look at foundations, but often charge thousands of dollars. In many cases, this work can be done at home.
If you know there’s a leak area but can’t pinpoint it, try to recreate the event. For example, run a garden hose outside near the suspected area—20 minutes on, 10 minutes off—for an hour. You’ll simulate a heavy rainstorm in a controlled way, not at 2 a.m. during a real storm.
There are simple steps you can take: identify the issue, figure out your foundation type, note whether it was rain-related or not, and take pictures—lots of pictures. Photos help us understand exactly what happened, even if it’s dry when we visit.
Hopefully, this never happens to you. But if it does, you can methodically go through this process. When you understand, as the homeowner, where and how the water is coming in, everyone involved can give you the exact right solution for your home.
Narrator: Well thanks, Adam, for explaining water leak detection services and how A1 Foundation Crack Repair detects water leaks.
Narrator: If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or if you'd like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visita1foundationcrackrepair.com or call Adam at (866) 929-3171, or you can email Adam at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.