WEEPING WALLS

IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE YEAR-ROUND

Water is a true force of nature, it has a knack for exerting pressure repeatedly until it can forge a new path for itself. This is true even when it comes to water pressure on your home's foundation. Whether your home has poured concrete, or a stone-based foundation, water can find ways to go through these porous materials and get under your home. When enough water finds its way through the foundation walls, homes end up with 'weeping walls'. While these are very easy to identify when the ground outside has an excess amount of water, during the dry months it can be more difficult to identify.

During the drier times of the year, there are still a few ways to identify if and where weeping walls are occurring. Even if there is not an exuberant amount of water, the small porous holes in the wall will still bring in any water it can, allowing these places to be damp to the touch. If left to weep for a long period of time, mineral deposits will form where the weeping is consistent. These areas will look like long dark stains on the foundation walls and will vary in color depending on the minerals found in the soil around your home. 

When weeping walls exist in a home, it is important to do a full encapsulation of the space. If just a vapor barrier or just a drainage system is installed, the water can still get into the space under your home and cause damage. Any water on the wall will have the opportunity to become condensation and absorb up into the wooden pieces of the foundation of your home. It can also then pool on top of a vapor barrier if it gets the chance. 

If your home has signs of weeping walls, or you would like one of our design specialists to come and examine your home for you, contact us to get your free estimate scheduled!