Water is a very important factor that can damage your basement in many ways. The water can produce moisture in your basement, affecting the entire environment and causing a destruction of your basement. Moreover, the walls of your basement can also suffer from water leakage, which is very dangerous for your basement. In all cases, water plays the main role and you need to know about some tips and techniques that can help you remove water from your basement.

There are a few selected methods for dealing with all such basement issues and most of them require professional help for their completion. The problem varies in different cases and you need to know about the exact problem to set your basement right. In this article, you will learn about basement issues, and various techniques that will help you set a leaky basement. But before starting anything else, you need to perform a test to efficiently diagnose the exact problem.

A Quick Test to Figure out the Exact Problem
If you are not sure whether it is a leaky basement or basement condensation, taping a thick foil of plastic or tin solves your problem. Learn how to do it:

• You just need to tape the foil on the wall of your basement where there are any chances of leakage.
• Tape all the sides of the foil and make sure you do it properly.
• Leave the tin / plastic foil for a few days on the suspected wall of your basement.
• After a few days, examine the foil and see if you find drops of water inside or outside the foil.
• If the water droplets are found inside the foil, it’s a case of leaky basement. On the other hand, if these water droplets are found outside of the tin / plastic foil, it would mean that your basement is suffering from moisture problem.  
• Once you know the problem, you are all ready to consult a particular professional, specialized in dealing with your particular basement issue.

Setting a Leaky Basement
It has been observed that in majority of homes water runs inside either from the walls of the basement or the basement flooring. It is very harmful for the entire house because water weakens everything on which a house is constructed – especially the basement. Most of the times, it is because of the rains. Once you are aware of the problem and the reason which created the problem, you can always handle it easily. Gutters and downspouts play a pivotal role in this issue. You need to know about them if you want to set your leaky basement right.
Gutters and Downspouts
Gutters divert the direction of the water when it is raining and they must be cleaned and properly installed. If they are having problem in catching the water, the water would ultimately travel straight to your basement. But you can get rid of this problem if you make sure that you follow these steps:

• Gutters must be installed properly and must be against the dashboard of your roof. It is harmful for your basement if they are situated in any other order that floods the water towards your basement, result will be a leaky basement.
• A cleaned gutter is capable of absorbing more water as compared to a blocked gutter. Make sure that your gutters are clean and without any hindrances which are often caused due to accumulation of leaves, dirt and sticks. If not, the gutters will not be able to catch and divert water and ultimately, your basement will have to face a tough time as either in a leaky basement or basement condensation.
• Install shingles. They help the water fall deep inside the gutters and prevent a leaky basement situation.
• The downspouts must be installed at a distance from the basement of your home and they should also divert the water away from the basement.
• If you cannot alone test all these things, go to a professional expert to help you deal with all kind of leaky basement issues.

Give Your Yard a Slope
Sloping your yard in a direction which is totally opposite to the basement of your house is the best way to get rid of leaky basement and to save your home. If the front of your yard, next to your house, is lower as compared to other parts, you need to fill it up and give it a slope which would force the water to flow away from your basement in the rainy season. In addition, some brick work or a layer of flagstone can also help you out. And you can also get help from a landscape contractor to help you deal with driveway, patios and paths.

Use of French Drain and Foundation Drains
A French drain is basically a trench with crushed rock. It takes the water inside it and diverts it away to the assigned destination – away from your basement. It is useful if your front yard is below your neighbor’s. All you need to do is to dig a 8-12 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches wide trench, fill it with landscape fabric, crushed rock and dig it in such a manner that its direction is away from your home.
On the other hand, foundation drain follows the same principles as those of French drain but it utilizes PVC perforated piping to divert the water and it is installed at the bottom of your basement.

Waterproofing Walls
Waterproofing walls is a very expensive technique to set your basement walls free of water. You have to dig out around your basement walls and also have to install a foundation wall. Apply a waterproofing membrane is beneficial as compared to ordinary damp proof materials. It helps for a long time but as mentioned before, it is very expensive.

Use of Sump Pumps
It’s set up takes place in the lowest part of the basement and it is considered as the last weapon against water flooding. The purpose for installing it in the lowest part of the basement is that if water reaches the level just before the basement, slump pumps is automatically turned on and it throws the water away from the basement through a discharge pipe.

• Basement Remodeling-Dos and Don’ts
• How to Set Right a Leaky Basement?