Start from the sign
What are you seeing?
You do not need the right word for the repair. Find the thing you have noticed, read what it usually means, and follow the link.
In a basement
- Water on the floor after rainIf it lies along the foot of a wall, ground water is coming up at the floor joint. If it spreads from one spot, look for a crack or pipe above it.Basement waterproofing
- Dark, damp patches on the wallsEither water passing through the masonry or room air condensing on a cold wall. A square of foil taped to the wall tells you which.Wet basement
- White powder or crustSalts carried out of the wall by water that has since dried. The wall is letting moisture through even when it looks dry.Wet basement
- A drip at one crack or pipeOne entry point. If it only runs in storms it is ground water, and that single path can usually be sealed.Leak repair
Under a house with a crawl space
- A musty smell upstairsAir rises from the crawl space into the rooms above. If it smells of earth or mildew, the soil under the house is feeding it moisture.Encapsulation
- Soft, sloping or bouncy floorsThe framing may have been damp long enough to weaken, or a support has moved. This one should be looked at soon.Crawl space repair
- Standing water under the houseRain or ground water is collecting with no way out. It needs a drain and usually a pump before anything is sealed.Crawl space repair
- Insulation hanging down or lying on the soilBatts fall when they take on moisture. The damp that pulled them down is still there.Crawl space repair
Around the house
- A sump pump that runs all the timeA failed check valve, a stuck switch, or more water arriving than the pump can move. Constant running shortens its life.Sump pumps
- Puddles against the foundationThe ground slopes toward the wall or a downspout empties there. Whatever sits against the foundation ends up inside it.Yard drainage
- Water at the wall well above the floorIt is coming through the wall itself, not rising from below. That is the case for work on the outside face.Exterior waterproofing
Two signs at once
Most houses show more than one. Say all of them when you call, and say which came first.
It also helps to know when it happens: every time it rains, only in the longest storms, or all year. That one detail separates roof water, ground water and plumbing.
Ready to have someone look at it?
Describe what you are seeing and where in the house it is. The company on the phone will tell you whether it is work they take on and when they could come out.
Get a waterproofing company on the phone
For homeowners with water coming into a basement or crawl space, or a yard that drains toward the house.
Call (503) 555-0120Calls can be recorded. Read how the referral is paid for and what happens to your details.