Wet walls make your structures weak. It can pose danger to your house wall. The biggest challenge in dealing with wet walls is the identification of the source of water. However, with an extremely simple test of condensation you can find the culprit.
To run the test, you require a piece of aluminium foil. Size of the aluminium foil has to be one foot square. You would also require a duct tape. If the full wall is wet then you’ll have to do sleuthing.
First dry a small area with a rag cloth. Now on to this clean area just put the piece of aluminium foil and stick it with a duct tape.
This has to be left on the wall for a day. After 24 hours remove the foil. The nature of the foil will decide the flow of water. If it is dry then moisture is originating from somewhere else in the basement. Most of the time the culprit in these cases is the basement shower. To fix it you may put up a vent fan in the bathroom.
If the foil comes out to be wet then the wall is getting water from outside. One of the biggest mistakes to make is to repair a wall with standing water in the basement. So, pump out the excess water in your garden to be safe. This will reduce the risk of electric shock too, which might happen with water seepage.
Basic cracks can be sealed using Permadry Waterproofing or Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement as well. It is easily available at Home depot. Make sure you read the instructions on the box and then apply it. It is easy to use and gives you hassle free lasting solutions.
