Your basement. Keeping it dry is one of the most important things you can do as a homeowner. So you’ll want to avoid allowing water to pool around your foundation or condensation to accumulate on your walls. And the best way to do this is through prevention. A nice dry basement is its own reward — it’s useful and it keeps your home stable.
Here are just a few of the reasons why maintaining a dry basement is an important component of good home ownership:
A dry basement helps you avoid cracks in the foundation
If water pools around your foundation, it can create hydrostatic pressure, which creates cracks in cement. And if the leak persists, cold weather can only make it worse, as the water trapped inside the cracks freezes and expands. Keeping a dry basement helps avoid a snowballing problem.
Black mold can’t survive in a dry basement
Mold thrives in damp places, and leaky basements create the perfect environment for the kind of toxic mold that threatens people’s health. Basements are full of the kinds of things mold loves, like drywall and dark corners. But if you deprive it of the water it needs, it’ll dry right up.
A dry basement is a useful basement
If your basement has leaks or excessive condensation, you can’t do much with it. Hanging clothes to dry is a futile effort in a damp basement, and storing your old toy collection might not be such a great idea if your walls are leaking.
A dry basement can be remodeled
If you’ve always dreamed of having a home theater or hobby room in your basement, you can forget about it — if your basement is wet and leaky. The initial step in any basement remodeling project is ensuring that the basement in question is a dry basement.
A dry basement maintains your home’s value
A leaky, damp basement can lead to any of the problems described here. And all of these can have a deleterious effect on your bottom line if you choose to sell your home. Consider it yourself: Would you pay asking price for a home with black mold or foundation cracks?
