Efflorescence

It might be easy to discover, but the word “efflorescence” can be confusing to many people. Does efflorescence mean the basement leaks? Can you just wipe it off? Does it mean that something bad is happening to your home?

The good news is, efflorescence is less complicated than the name might indicate. Efflorescence requires these three distinct components to form.

 Salt

Efflorescence starts with salt. The wall on which efflorescence forms needs to have some sort of salt that water can then dissolve.

Most home foundations, basements and crawl spaces are made of concrete or brick. It’s most common for concrete or brick to be made with limestone, clay or sand. These natural materials tend to have a wide variety of minerals, including salt.

 Water

The next ingredient is water. Efflorescence requires that some sort of water encounter the salt in these bricks to dissolve it. That means when you see efflorescence in your basement, crawl space or foundation, there’s some sort of water there.

There may be water outside your basement foundation from poor grading, heavy rain or groundwater. You may have a plumbing leak or flood. Regardless of the reason, hydrostatic pressure can push the moisture into your basement.

An Entry Point

Lastly, the water needs to be able to get through the walls into your basement, crawl space or foundation. Solidly built walls don’t have any cracks in them, which means that even if water exists on the outside of the wall, it won’t create efflorescence on the inside.

However, wall cracks, foundation cracks, pores in the concrete and even the floor-wall joint in your basement can create that entry point. When you see efflorescence, it means water is leaking into the area where you see it.

Once you see efflorescence, you’re going to want to get rid of it. Whether you have efflorescence on basement walls, on your basement floor, or it’s showing up somewhere else, it’s important to take care of the problem. The solution is in taking care of it for good.

It’s Not Just a Cosmetic Issue

True, it’s easy to just wipe off efflorescence. After all, it’s basically just crystallized salt on the outside of a wall. It’s non-toxic and typically easy to remove.

However, the problem goes much deeper than just the external appearance. If you just brush off the efflorescence with a strong brush, it’s going to go away. However, you’re basically just camouflaging the problem.

To create efflorescence, you need some form of entry point for water. That’s really what can cause issues. Efflorescence is basically a symptom of a much deeper problem, and JES can help you stop it before it becomes more serious.

The Water Is the Key

When you’re dealing with efflorescence, the efflorescence isn’t really the issue. In fact, water is what you should be most worried about.

Many people wonder: does efflorescence mean the basement leaks? Although it doesn’t necessarily mean your walls have huge cracks or serious leaks, it does mean there’s water coming into the walls from somewhere.

In some ways, that means efflorescence can be a blessing in disguise. JES can help you discover the issues with water in your basement, which means you can get to work fixing it before it becomes a cracked foundation or flooded crawl space.

It’s Important to Fix It Permanently

There’s no such thing as an effective partial fix for efflorescence. After all, the efflorescence will just come back over and over again unless you fix it at the source.

Plus, if you don’t fix the core cause of efflorescence, which is the water coming into your basement, crawl space, or foundation, you could open yourself up to more problems. Water leaks can lead to floods or cracked walls and foundations, which can cause much bigger problems in the future.

With JES, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re going to be able to fix your efflorescence permanently. You can hand it over to the experts, who can tell you what’s going on and give you a path to fixing it.

Any type of home repairs tend to get pretty expensive pretty fast. To avoid those expenses, many homeowners want to try a DIY option before committing to an expensive professional fix. But the fact is, fixing efflorescence is an issue best left to the professionals. It’s a serious home problem that needs professional attention to fix.

You Can’t Just Wipe It Off

Most DIY “fixes” for efflorescence only fix the surface problems. That typically means just wiping off the white, chalky external signs of efflorescence. These DIY options don’t fix the problem.

At the end of the day, the chalky bloom of efflorescence is a symptom of an ongoing problem. If you just wipe off the external signs, you’re not dealing with the problem. Not only will it come back, but it can come back in an even more serious fashion, leading to significant home problems.

When you trust a professional company like JES, you know the company isn’t going to just wipe off the external signs and call it a day. Instead, you know you’ll get an in-depth explanation of what’s going on, and JES will take steps to truly fix it.

You May Not Have the Right Tools

Typically, fixing efflorescence in basement walls, in your crawl space, or in your foundation requires sealing. You need to seal the walls, joints, cracks or anywhere else that’s letting in moisture.

This sealing process requires very specialized tools and materials that most DIY homeowners simply don’t have access to. Even renting these tools can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, which can eventually equal and even surpass the cost of hiring a professional.

Professional companies have all these tools because the tools are their livelihood. JES has invested the money necessary to build this backlog of tools, which is why it may even be less expensive to use JES.

A Professional Will Know How to Fix It

Specialists from professional companies like JES understand how to fix these problems. While there’s nothing wrong with not knowing how to fix efflorescence, it is best left to the professionals.

Trying to DIY a fix when you don’t actually know how to fix the thing you’re trying to fix will just lead to more problems. In home repair, when you cause more problems, that usually means hundreds or even thousands of dollars you’ll have to spend.

Instead of potentially causing even more problems, you can get in contact with JES and make sure the problems are fixed the very first time.

Nobody wants to spend a huge amount of money on a home repair. That’s why many people instead want to put off the fix if possible. When you’re dealing with efflorescence, it’s vital that you fix it as soon as you discover these problems. Otherwise, your efflorescence problems could develop into something much more serious.

Warning Signs

Efflorescence is itself a warning sign. This isn’t something you can ignore; it’s a warning sign that directly lets you know something is wrong. You should be taking advantage of that warning so you can make sure it doesn’t impact you more than it already has.

In reality, efflorescence is truly a blessing. Sure, it’s frustrating to have to spend money on fixing it. However, you’ll spend much less money fixing it at this stage than you would if you were to wait until it turned into a flooded basement or cracked wall.

When you contact JES for an inspection as soon as you discover efflorescence, you can catch problems as soon as they’re starting. Instead of waiting until something goes drastically wrong and then having to fix it from the ground up, efflorescence gives you the opportunity to fix things from the start.

Unsightliness

This might not be your number one problem, but it’s one to keep in mind. If you choose not to fix the efflorescence in your basement or other areas, you’re going to have to keep looking at it. Even if you brush it off regularly, you’ll still have to see it whenever you haven’t brushed it away or when it comes back.

If you’re someone who spends a lot of time in the basement, efflorescence on basement walls can be very upsetting. After all, you’ve created a space where you can go when you want to just hang out. Efflorescence is intruding on that space.

Sure, the aesthetics of your home may take second place to the structural integrity, but they’re an important component, nonetheless. JES can help you understand where the efflorescence is coming from and formulate a plan to stop it in the future.

Water Damage

The biggest problem associated with efflorescence is water damage. Because efflorescence directly has to do with water, it means your home is under assault from water damage. That may be very serious, like groundwater seeping under your foundation, or less serious, like porous concrete allowing small amounts of water inside.

Regardless of how serious the water damage issues are, it’s important to approach them as soon as possible. You don’t want to just leave water damage. If you do, you risk the possibility of having it turn into something extremely serious in the future, such as foundation structure problems.

Instead, JES can help you determine the extent of the water damage and what you need to do to contain it. Whether that means an all-out sealant for the entire foundation or just a few changes here and there, JES can help you understand what you need to do to fix current water damage and prevent future damage.

If you’re starting to see white, chalky powder collecting on your basement floor, that’s efflorescence. It’s not an uncommon problem for basements and garages to have, but it is important that you tackle the efflorescence problem as soon as possible.

Efflorescence happens when water draws salt to the surface of something that has a high salt content. Basement and garage floors typically consist of brick or concrete, both of which can have high salt content. That means if you have a water source in and around these floors, which can happen because of flooding, leaks, or cracks, you might start to see efflorescence.

Your basement or garage floor can only form efflorescence if you have an entry point for water. A wet basement is a serious problem, as the water can cause condensation, a musty smell in your basement, and other basement water problems. Although the efflorescence isn’t dangerous on its own, it’s a warning sign of a problem that could be.

Fixing efflorescence isn’t an easy task, but it’s one that you can do. It’s important that you talk to a JES basement waterproofing specialist and schedule an inspection instead of trying to do this job on your own. That way, you can be confident that you’ve discovered and handled the actual root of the problem.

Removing mold from floor joists may require a team of professionals, depending on the extent of the mold and what type of mold you’re dealing with. The fact that the mold is white and fuzzy might not do much to positively identify the mold, so you might have to call in a professional in mold removal to help.

The idea of “toxic mold” is sort of a misnomer. For the most part, people who have a bad reaction to mold have a mold allergy, and they’re having an allergic reaction to mold. However, even people without an allergic reaction to mold can have milder health concerns because of mold, which means it’s a good idea to remove it.

You definitely don’t want to have mold on your floor joists in any context. Mold on its own isn’t usually toxic or deadly, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. You should consider mold in your home a potential health concern and remove it from the home as soon as you notice it.

The idea of “toxic mold” is sort of a misnomer. For the most part, people who have a bad reaction to mold have a mold allergy, and they’re having an allergic reaction to mold. However, even people without an allergic reaction to mold can have milder health concerns because of mold, which means it’s a good idea to remove it.