A wet climate can make maintaining your home more challenging. Extra rain and high humidity levels all create moisture that can easily make its way into your property. Once there is moisture inside your residence, it can cause additional issues. In this guide, we will discuss the importance of waterproofing your home to keep your living space safe from the dangers that living in a wet climate can present.
Indoor Air Quality Improves
When you introduce excess moisture into an environment, mold, mildew, and bacteria are the inevitable result. When air humidity exceeds 60%, mold and mildew will start releasing spores, and bacteria will start to multiply. These microorganisms are terrible for indoor air quality, and in some cases, they pose a health risk. Most mold and mildew develop first in crevices and cracks, so sealing these promotes better indoor air quality. By waterproofing, you’ll experience reduced humidity indoors, which is a great way to start improving the air quality in your living space.
Protects Your Home From Water Damage
A lot of the water damage that you will see on the main floor of your home comes in at the base at ground level. This means that there will be wall and floor damage to deal with in your home. When moisture is inside the walls or behind wallpaper in the home, there is a chance that mold will form underneath these layers. As the water soaks walls, the floors can absorb the water as well.
It’s not just the rain that causes moisture issues in a wet climate area; high humidity can be an additional struggle when it comes to keeping your property dry. To reduce the humidity in your home, consider a whole-home dehumidifier. At RhinoLift Foundation Solutions, we can integrate a dehumidifier into your home’s HVAC system. This add-on to your heating and cooling system will help maintain moisture levels throughout your entire home.
In wet climates like Charlotte’s, there are many ways that rainwater and moisture can enter your home. When the walls in your home start to crack, there is a good chance that the damage is not merely aesthetic; it is likely a structural issue that will continue to worsen without professional foundation service. Our team can inject a polyurethane solution that will repair cracks in the wall and keep unwanted moisture out of your living space.
Minimizes Basement Moisture Issues
The first place that you will see water in your home is often the basement. If there is an issue with your outdoor drainage, the water will pool at the side of the house and seep into the basement instead of your gutters and downspouts directing it away from your home. If you see water pooling, you may need to clean your gutters and downspouts. Consider extending your downspouts to redirect the water farther away from your property.
This isn’t the only way water will infiltrate your basement; concrete actually absorbs water, and over time, this moisture gets into your home. As water seeps in due to foundation damage or concrete seepage, it will do significant damage when left on its own. For example, when water pools around wooden structures within your home, these rot very quickly. With rot comes weakening, and if your home has wooden beams, floors, ceilings, or walls, disaster is a hair’s breadth away.
Keeping this water at bay can help prevent structural damage from occurring to the foundation of your home. All of this can lead to the floors and beams sagging and warping. If you do not address these issues quickly, they could compromise the entire structure of your place. If your basement has excess moisture in it, consider installing a sump pump. Contact a member of our team at RhinoLift Foundation Solutions for information about basement drainage systems.
Maintain Roof and Chimney Integrity
One of the first defenses your home has against a wet climate is your roof. Make sure all of the shingles are in good condition so that excess water does not seep into the attic. Once you know that your roof’s integrity is where you need it to be, use a water-resistant coating to give your home extra protection.
If you notice that the chimney is separating from the roof, there is a good chance that structural damage is already occurring in your home. Our team will use push piers to stabilize the chimney and add bedrock to the foundation to help secure it. If there are any surface-level cracks in the chimney, we will use stucco to address the imperfections and make it more waterproof. If the damage is major, we will consider rebuilding the entire chimney.
Prevent Foundation Damage
When there’s excess moisture in the air, you can assume that the soil has even higher levels of water. When soil has a high level of water, it expands and then contracts as evapotranspiration occurs and the water enters the air. This expansion and contraction will damage your foundations so that the foundation starts to crack and walls begin to warp.
In addition to finding cracks in your walls, there are other indications that there could be damage to the foundation. For example, the windows and doors could have difficulty opening and closing. The floor could be uneven, and you could notice sloping when you place items on tables or counters in your living space. Call RhinoLift Foundation Solutions today if you notice any of these issues to schedule an inspection and ensure that your foundation is not an issue longer than it needs to be.
Deep Soil Injection
One way that we at RhinoLift Foundation Solutions address foundation issues is to inject polyurethane foam into the soil to stabilize the structure of your home. It is a great way to lift the foundation to take care of a foundation that does not disrupt your home and ability to live in the space. It is a great solution for stabilizing a patio, a pool deck, a retaining wall, or a driveway. This is also a great option for homes that have a crawl space. We also suggest adding crawl space vapor barriers to mitigate moisture under the home and prevent wood rot from occurring.
Helical Pier
This is another type of foundation repair that we use to anchor aspects of your home to the ground. Basically, we lift, level, and stabilize the foundation to prevent more of a shift from soil erosion. If you are planning to do renovations on your living space, this will provide additional support for the foundation. This means that the foundation will be more secure, especially if the soil tends to shift.
Protect Your Home With Regular Maintenance
Living in a wetter climate should not inconvenience Charlotte residents. At RhinoLift Foundation Solutions, we’re focused on providing the community with the tools it needs to have weather-secure homes. We specialize in foundation repair, concrete repair, basement waterproofing, and crawl space repair and maintenance. We’ll help you find the foundation solution that’s best for your Charlotte home. Contact our team at RhinoLift Foundation Solutions today. Our team of reliable foundation specialists will provide you with the support you need for a leak-free property.
