Where Basement Water Comes From

Where Wet Basements Come From
In order to prevent a wet basement, it is important to understand where the source of the water. There are four common sources of water that seeps into your basement:

1. Surface water running down foundation walls
2. Groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure
3. Storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system backing up into the home's existing perimeter foundation drain and leaking into the basement (this can only occur if the perimeter foundation drain system is connected to the municipal sewer system)
4. Sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home's drain system, causing sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.

When you experience a wet basement for the first time, it is imperative to determine if the water problems are going to reoccur or if it was a one-time event. Essential to solving this question is determining the source.