All About Water Seepage: Signs, Causes, Impacts, and Fix It

Written By Adam Paul - Waterproofing Expert

The water seepage is the slow escape of liquid water from the major water source through minor defects of the building, such as cracks, joints, seams, connections, penetrations, spaces, or porosity of the material. Water seepage mostly occurs in areas such as the foundation, basement walls, walls, ceilings, roof penetrations, and roof and ceiling in the house. Water seepage is mainly of 4 types such as surface seepage, subsurface seepage, capillary seepage, and vapor seepage.

Water seepage occurs due to environmental factors and human faults such as heavy rainfall or snow melting, land inclination, poor soil drainage around the basement, cracks and damages, exterior grading, faulty plumbing, leaky pipes, and improper drainage systems in the garden. You can find water seepage through detecting devices, visual signs, musty odors, pooling water, moisture meters, and water bills.

Prolonged water seepage affect negativly in the house by weaking the building materials, reducing the structural strength, rotting the wood, rusting the metals, persistance dampnesss, decrease the aesthtic value and peel off paint in the house.

In order to prevent seepage negative impacts, you can follow these DIY solutions, such as clean the gutters and downspouts, ensure proper grading of the land, extend downspouts, check basement for cracks and damages and use dehumidifiers in damp areas in the house.

If the seepage is prolonged and you need a professional solution, Aqviz experts highly recommend installing a waterproofing membrane, repairing cracks and damages, improving drainage systems such as French drains and sump pumps, encapsulating crawl spaces, and crack injections, and floor drain installation.

What is the Meaning of Seepage?

The meaning of the water seepage is the slow escape of liquid water from the major water source through minor defects of the building, such as cracks, joints, seams, connections, penetrations, spaces, or porosity of the material. The discharge rate of seepage increases with the hydrostatic pressure and cross-section of the discharge area.

Water seepage mostly occurs in areas such as the foundation, basement walls, walls, ceilings, roof penetrations, and roof and ceiling in the house. Prolonged water seepage can dampen the wall surface, increase mold and mildew growth, rot the wood parts, deteriorate the materials, create electrical hazards, decrease the air quality, and affect property value. To prevent water seepage in the house, we should install a waterproofing membrane on the percolation area.

What are the 4 Types of Water Seepage?

Water seepage is mainly of 4 types based on its behaviour. Those are surface seepage, subsruface seepage, capilary seepage, and vapor seepage.

• Surface seepage occurs when rainwater or melted snow collects on the ground and finds its way into the home through foundation walls, window wells, or poorly sealed joints.
• Subsurface seepage happens below the ground level when water builds up in the soil and pushes through porous concrete or bricks.
• Capillary seepage occurs when water travels upward or horizontally through tiny pores in building materials like concrete, brick, or mortar.
• Vapor seepage occurs when water in gas form (humidity or moisture vapor) passes through walls, floors, or crawl space surfaces. This happens in areas with poor ventilation or where vapor barriers are missing or damaged.

What are the Causes of Water Seepage?

Water seepage occurs due to environmental factors and human faults. Understanding these causes and reasons that contribute to water seepage is essential in preventing further damage and ensuring the integrity of the building.

So these are the 8 critical causes for the water seepage in the house.

1. The house is situated on the inclined land
2. Heavy rainfall or the snow melting season
3. Poor soil drainage around the foundation
4. Cracks and damages on the foundation
5. Improper exterior(land) grading
6. Faulty plumbing in the house
7. Leaky pipes in the house
8. Improper drainage in the garden

Homeowners should inspect their homes for signs of water seepage and address any underlying causes promptly to prevent further damage and potential health hazards.

Where Does Seepage Mostly Occur in the House?

The water seepage mostly occurs in the foundation, basement, crawl space, walls, and roofs in the home. Prolonged water seepage tends to damage these areas by increasing dampness, growing mold and mildews, rotting wood, deterioration of the materials, paint peeling, bubbling, blistering, and weakening the structural stability.

Basement

Basement seepage is one of the most common and serious water-related issues in the house. Basement seepage typically occurs in five main ways such as cracks in the basement floor and walls, floor-wall joint gaps, higher hydrostatic pressure, poor surface grading, and leaky or improperly sealed window wells.

Basement seepage leads to five major consequences for homeowners such as mold and mildew growth, musty odors, wall paint blistering and peeling, wood warping, and weakening the concrete structure over time.

To prevent these basement seepage problems, we highly recommend that you to waterproof the basement, install a French drain with a sump pump system, use a dehumidifier, and improve the exterior grading on the surface.

Read More: How to waterproof the basement?

Foundation

Foundation seepage is another critical water problem in the house. It usually occurs in five main ways such as poor concrete mix or curing, foundation cracks, lateral water pressure from saturated soil, inadequate footing drains, and capillary action drawing groundwater upward through porous concrete.

Foundation seepage results in five major consequences, including crumbling or spalling concrete, vertical or horizontal cracks, damp crawl spaces, floor settlement, and moldy insulation or structural wood rot near the base.

To prevent these foundation seepage problems, we strongly advise you to apply an exterior waterproofing membrane, install footing drains, use a vapor barrier, backfill with gravel, and ensure proper slope away from the foundation for effective surface drainage.

Crawl Space

Crawl space seepage is a widespread issue, especially in older homes with poor moisture control. We have seen that the crawl space seepage occurs in five main ways, such as groundwater infiltration, open soil floors, foundation wall cracks, poor ventilation, and flooding from downspouts or surface runoff around the perimeter.

Crawl space seepage cause to high indoor humidity, mold and mildew under floors, musty odors throughout the house, rotting floor joists, and pest infestation attracted to moisture.

To prevent crawl space seepage issues, we recommend encapsulating the crawl space, installing a vapor barrier over soil, adding a perimeter drainage system with sump pump, sealing all vents, and grading the exterior soil away from the foundation.

Walls

Wall seepage is a common sign of long-term moisture intrusion and often shows up in both interior and exterior walls. It typically occurs in five main ways such as cracks in plaster or masonry, faulty exterior waterproofing, gaps around utility penetrations, clogged or missing weep holes, and rising damp through capillary action in brick or block walls.

Wall seepage causes five major issues, including peeling or bubbling paint, salt efflorescence stains, mold and mildew patches, interior dampness, and deterioration of plaster or drywall surfaces over time.

To eliminate wall seepage problems, we highly recommend that you to inject chemical damp-proof courses, applying exterior wall coatings, sealing wall joints and penetrations, restoring weep holes, and installing interior negative side waterproofing membranes where needed.

Roof

Roof seepage is a leading cause of interior water damage and often affects both the roof and the ceiling underneath. It usually occurs in five key ways such as cracked or missing shingles or tiles, poor roof slope or ponding water, damaged flashing around vents and chimneys, clogged or misaligned gutters, and deteriorated waterproofing membranes.

Roof and ceiling seepage result in five major problems, including water stains and damp patches on ceilings, peeling ceiling paint, mold growth in attic or ceiling cavities, roof decking rot, and insulation damage due to prolonged moisture exposure.

To fix and prevent roof seepage issues, we advise inspecting and repairing roof coverings regularly, replacing aged waterproof membranes like bitumen or EPDM, maintaining clean gutters and downspouts, sealing all roof penetrations properly, and installing vapor barriers in attic spaces to reduce ceiling moisture seepage.

How to Find Water Seepage in the Home?

You should know how to detect water seepage in order to address the issue promptly and prevent further damage. You can follow the methods below to detect water seepage in the house before it tends to leaks.

1. Use a seepage detection device: A seepage detection device can identify any potential leaks or seepage points in the building structure.
2. Inspect water seepage through visual signs: Water seepage can be detected by visually examining the walls, floors, and ceilings for any signs of water stains, discolouration, or peeling paint.
3. Inspect for musty odors: You should pay attention to musty odors or dampness in certain areas can also indicate water seepage.
4. Check for pooling water: You should check for signs of pooling water around the foundation, basements, or crawl spaces.
5. Use a moisture meter: Moisture meters can measure the moisture content in materials such as walls, floors, and ceilings.
6. Increasing the water bills: Unexpected increases of water bills may result from water leakage or seepage.

What are the Negative Impacts of Water Seepage?

These are the 7 negative impacts of water seepage in the home.

1. Weakening the building materials, such as concrete, wood, and steel
2. Reduce the structural strength of the building
3. Rotting of the wooden building structure due to water
4. Rusting the metals due to contaminated water
5. Persistent dampness and fosters mold growth on building surfaces
6. Spoil the building’s aesthetic appeal by causing stains and efflorescence
7. Peel off the paint on the walls

Mainly, water seepage issues are found in basements and foundations. Groundwater can seep into the basement during winter and rainy season. Seeped water can cause to dampness and a musty smell in the basement. Building structure can be reduced due to water seepage in the foundation. You can resolve these issues with simple repairs. As a permanent solution, you can waterproof the basement floor, basement walls, and foundation.

What are the 11 DIY Solutions for Seepage?

DIY solution for the seepage is an important approach to prevent water seepage damage before it grows. Seepage DIY solutions are great until you hire a professional service.

These are the 11 DIY Solutions for the Seepage

1. Seal foundation cracks with hydraulic cement
2. Apply waterproof paint or sealant on the interior basement walls
3. Clean and maintain window wells
4. Install window well covers
5. Check and replace caulking around windows and doors
6. Regularly inspect the sump pump and test its operation
7. Keep landscaping sloped away from the foundation
8. Avoid overwatering plants near the foundation
9. Install splash blocks under downspouts
10. Inspect the roof for damaged or missing shingles
11. Monitor humidity levels with a hygrometer

What are the 9 Professional Solutions for Seepage?

If the water seepage is prolonged, you should hire a professional expert to fix the issue. As waterproofing experts, we recommend below professional solution for the seepage.

9 Professional solutions for seepage.

1. Install interior and exterior waterproofing
2. Bentonite clay injections for sealing exterior walls
3. Epoxy or polyurethane crack injections in basements
4. Apply cementitious waterproofing coatings
5. Install exterior drainage board systems
6. Floor drain installations
7. Gutter and downspout rerouting
8. Window well drainage system installation
9. Crawl space encapsulation

How to Stop Water Seepage?

As waterproofing experts, Aqviz follow the below step by step guide to stop the water seepage.

1. Identify the seeped water source: Determine the cause of the water seepage, such as cracks in the foundation or faulty drainage systems.
2. Seal foundation cracks: Use a concrete sealant to fill any cracks or gaps in the foundation walls to prevent water from seeping through.
3. Install exterior waterproofing: Apply a waterproof membrane or coating on the exterior walls to create a barrier against groundwater seepage. When you waterproof, you should know how to waterproof the basement properly.
4. Improve surface grading: Ensure the ground slopes away from the foundation to direct water away from your basement. Add soil or regrade if necessary.
5. Maintain gutters and downspouts: Clear debris from gutters and ensure that downspouts are properly directed away from the foundation to prevent water buildup.
6. Install window well covers: Use clear plastic covers on basement windows to prevent water from entering through window wells.
7. Consider an interior drainage system: If other measures are not sufficient, you can install an interior drainage system or sump pump to collect and remove excess water.

By following these steps, you will be able to effectively stop water seepage in your basement, providing a dry and safe environment for your home. Taking proactive measures to stop groundwater seepage and protect your basement floor from water seepage ensures the long-term stability and durability of your property. 

Water Seepage vs Water Leakage 

The main differences between water seepage and leakage – Water seepage is a gradual movement of water through cracks, joints, or porous materials, and  Water leakage is a water flows or drips from the water source.

Water seepage can increase with hydrostatic pressure and prolonged periods, and it tends to cause moisture damage, mold growth, and weakened structure.

Water leakage is often visible and can cause sudden flooding, property damage, and even health hazards due to electrical risks or contaminated water.