Water in Your Basement Cove

The section where the wall of your basement meets the floor is referred to as the space’s cove joint. These joints have a significant amount of exposure to the groundwater that can put your home’s structural supports at risk. As such, it’s fairly common to see seepage and flooding at these points in your basement. If left untreated for an extended period of time, cove joint leaks can become havens for mold growths. Similarly, leaks in these locations can contribute to the hydrostatic pressure impacting the structural integrity of your foundation, hastening along cracks or sinkage that might lower the overall value of your home.  

These joints, however, do not leak at random. If you do not have home waterproofing measures in place, you may find yourself contending with unwanted seepage after every heavy rainstorm. Alternatively, seepage in these areas may suggest damage in your foundation or basement that you’ll need to see right away. The most common causes behind basement cove joint leaks include:   

• Hydrostatic pressure  
• Foundation shifting  
• Leaks, interior and exterior

The path of fixing water in a basement cove isn’t always easy, and it can be a bit confusing, especially from the outside. The good news is that when you break it down, there are typically four steps, although a basement waterproofing expert may need to do more.

Pump Out Any Standing Water  

The first step is simple: If you have any standing water in the basement, you need to pump it out as soon as possible. Standing water in the basement can cause a huge variety of concerns, including but not limited to basement dampness, mold and mildew growth, and even foundation problems if you aren’t able to pump it out properly.

Although this should be the first step, it obviously isn’t the last step. Pumping out standing water is useful because it gets rid of an immediate problem, but that standing water is just a symptom of a deeper problem. What’s next? You need to start looking for that deeper problem. 

Find the Source of the Water  

Once you’ve pumped out the standing water in your basement, it’s now time to find the source of that water. There are many reasons you could end up with water in your basement cove, but it’s most common to have the water seeping through leaky basement walls. However, that isn’t always the problem; it could be due to a number of issues.

This is one of the reasons you should contact a basement waterproofing expert instead of trying to go in and fix this problem on your own. Often, finding the source of water in your basement cove is a difficult and time-consuming job, and it’s best completed by experts who have spent a lot of time training to do this. 

Fix the Source of the Water  

After you’ve found the source of the water, you should go through the process of fixing it. Of course, fixing the water source isn’t always easy; it’s possible to have a tough time fixing it. Especially in the case of water in your basement cove, the source of the water might be widespread hairline cracks in your basement wall, which could be an even deeper cause of a number of things.

Again, a basement waterproofing expert is your best bet here. Although there may be a variety of DIY tips and tricks online, a basement waterproofing expert will have all the tools they need to help you uncover the best waterproofing solutions to keep your basement clean and water-free. 

Maintain a Clean and Dry Basement  

Lastly, once you’ve fixed the initial source of the water and pumped out the water, you’ll need to find a way to maintain that. You might need to use a number of tools to maximize your basement maintenance process. Depending on your unique situation, you might need a dehumidifier or an interior drain system.

However, you can’t just install one of these fixes and call it a day. These fixes need to be tailored to your unique needs, and it’s important that you consider what your basement’s doing if you’re going to install one of these fixes. Only a personalized assessment from a basement waterproofing expert will give you that.

It is rarely in your best interest to try and apply a DIY solution to a problem with your basement or foundation. The same can be said of your basement cove. Should you try and remove water from your basement cove without assistance, you could find yourself facing a myriad of unexpected problems. Cove joint leakage is especially tricky to take on, as the damage there often appears most obviously beneath your floor.  

Unfortunately, if you don’t know what you’re dealing with when you first go to remove water from your basement cove, you’re more likely to find yourself losing money as you work. Similarly, you can often cause more damage to your basement cove when you try and fix the problem therein on your own. Professional contractors, for example, have years of experience working with basement coves and helping homeowners prevent the effects of long-term water damage. If you don’t have that same experience, you may accidentally work with materials that react poorly to long-term exposure to water.