Buying a new home is exciting. Whether you’re looking for a bigger place for the family, relocating or exploring investment opportunities, a new home opens up new opportunities!
It’s common for homebuyers to have houses of interest inspected prior to purchase. Home inspectors check typical elements like building structure, foundation, plumbing and electrical, and they also have a brief look at dampness.
This, however, is often not enough to uncover many dampness issues. In order to get an accurate read of the dampness in a basement, you should:
- Use a moisture reader
Home inspectors don’t normally use moisture readers and they are essential to getting an accurate read of dampness in a basement. It’s important that you either obtain one or employ experts to get an accurate read of moisture in the basement.
- Check for Efflorescence
Efflorescence is the salts and minerals that come out of concrete once the concrete absorbs water or moisture. This can be found on the concrete on the walls inside the basement. It looks like white powder, as shown below:
Most of the time, efflorescence is mistaken for mold growth. Although it is not immediately harmless, it is often an indication that the weeping tile is not draining properly on the outside, allowing the water and moisture to get into the wall.
This can cause problems later on. Poor drainage means the basement is at risk of further harm, with heavy rain or melting snow potentially resulting in basement flooding, which can be costly to fix.
Whether you’ve identified basement waterproofing issues and want a quote on repair, or you need help identifying issues, DryShield can help. We’re the experts in basement waterproofing and repair in Toronto and the GTA. We have decades of experience repairing homes and we’re Canadian owned and operated. Contact us today at 1-800-277-5411 or request a free quote online now!
