Basement Water Patch and Puddle and High Humidity in House Damp can be a major issue in the home. Find answers to questions or post your own here.

[homestress]

Hi everyone. This is my first post, so please go easy.

Since moving to our property a few years ago, we've had a damp cellar and very high humidity in the house. This causes a lot of condensation problems and even after changing our lifestyle such as drying clothing at launderettes, using extractors and dehumidifiers and plenty of ventilation, our humidity levels stay stubbornly high.

But recently, whilst accessing the cellar, I've spotted a damp in our coal room floor hidden under a workbench - This is an area I've normally never checked.

The damp patch is:

Approx 1ft by 1ft in size

Constantly wet

Clean/rain water mixed with dirt from cellar - no smells at all

Not touching the edges of the walls and seems to be coming from the ground up

I've already checked:

Roof gutting and downspouts - All clear and not overflowing

Gulleys around the house - Camera thrown in to check for damage or any sign of blockage - Nothing at all

I'm not sure how important this is, but I would like to add though that the neighbour has what seems to be like a storm drainage with a large manhole cover. I have lifted this cover and it seems to be clear with water running down it. However this is running exactly parallel to where our puddle is. I'm suspecting that either we are getting ground water or we have an old disused storm drain which is causing all these issues. Could anyone advise please?

[homestress]

What do you think?

[Grantx]

Those are the old foundations in what I presume is an old house.

Contingencies for penetration of damp wre minimal, if non-existent, in older properties. Many houses were built with little or no cavities. We can therefore assume the same applied to foundations.

One possible remedy is called "tanking", whereby the walls, floors and ceilings are waterproofed. Depending on the severity of the problem this could involve simply painting appropriate waterproofs on the surfaces. Look up "tanking" on YouTube and Google.

[homestress]

Hi Grant,

Thanks for your reply. This house was built in 1935. How can I be sure that these stones are the actual foundation and not simply an old floor of the cellar which I've revealed?

Also I just want to add that I've spent time digging further below and it seems the water is not actually coming out of the ground, but it's leaking from under the right stone. It's as though the water is coming down the back of the wall and then finding it's way under the stone. The reason I know is because the more soil/clay I remove, the wetter it's getting under the stone.

[Grantx]

Looks like a question of elimination. If you can, dig down against your exterior wall in line with, and to the same depth of, your neighbours drain/manhole. I suspect that if his water is clear there is no leek. However, you may find something to which your leak can be attributed.