Today I noticed moisture in my basement but we have not had rain for a week. I also noticed that an interior window leading to the crawl space under my brick porch has condensation. The crawl spaces seem to have their own tropical climates.

This is picture of the condensation on the window.

This is a picture of the same space from the outside showing some moss and a damp ground. This is the south side of the house and it gets sun all day.

This is the second crawl space under the porch. It has a masonry block wall on the inside of the house. It does not have an interior window.

Any ideas on how to get the ground dry and keep water out of the basement? I'd like to fix it one time and get it right.

Thanks

The first thing you need to realize is that basements and crawl spaces do not create moisture. If it's there, it's coming from somewhere. Once that is understood, the hunt is on. Here are some possibilities:
1. If the house is older, it may not have a vapor retarder under the floor. I couldn't tell for sure whether the crawl space has a concrete floor or not. If it's an earth floor, it should have a vapor retarder installed. If there is no vapor retarder, the only reliable way to get one is to bust up the floor, install one, and re-pour the floor.
2. The crawl space should be ventilated, with vents equalling or exceeding 1/150 of the floor area of the crawl space in net free area. Ideally, the vents should be located three feet from each corner of the crawl space, with more in between as needed.
3. Both basement and crawl space walls should have a heavy coating of bituminous dampproofing compound below grade. Often dampproofing is applied too thinly, or not at all, and older dampproofing may have broken down and deteriorated. Obviously the dampproofing should be on the outside face of the wall, so if it isn't there, the walls will have to be excavated to the footings and the dampproofing either repaired or applied.

If, when excavating for the dampproofing, ground water is encountered, then the walls will need to be waterproofed. There are many posts in this forum explaining the methods for that.

All this is assuming that the walls aren't cracked, and that there are no above-ground avenues for water to enter.

I know it isn't good news, but it's the truth, and there are no easy ways around it. Lots of people will try to sell you coatings to apply inside. They are band-aids at best, and a waste of money at worst. If you want dryness, you've got to stop the dampness on the outside, where it's coming from.

Thanks for the reply. I floors in thecrawl space under the porch are dirt and they do not have a retarder.

My goal is to find the source of the water so that I can have the proper repairs made. This morning I drilled holes in the concrete block inside the basement to see if they were holding water. So far the dust that came out was bone dry but the floor at the cold joints are wet. The house was built in 1900 so I do not have an tiles. I checked the sump hole and it was also dry but the cold joints on three walls are damp to wlightly wet. The sump hole is in the center of the basement. It is 12"x12" by 20" deep and the dirt at the bottom of the hole is dry. I am asking for a systematic approach that I can use to isolate the problem(s). Before I hire a pro, I'd like to have some knowledge of the problem.


What are the best steps to finding the water source in my case?

Thanks again for your help and support.

James

Where are you seeing moisture in the basement portion?

The moisture is only along the floor at the base of the walls where the wall meets the floor. It is not flooding. It is just damp at the cold joints between the walls and the floor.

quote:

was bone dry but the floor at the cold joints are wet. The house was built in 1900....

Therefore, the basement floor definitely has no vapor retarder under it, and probably no gravel or insufficient gravel. The natural moisture from the earth beneath the floor is finding the path of least resistance and appearing at the cold joint. The cure is to remove the floor slab (which is probably too thin anyway)and dig down a few inches, place at least 4 inches of gravel, then a vapor retarder (6-mil polyethylene sheet, with all joints taped, and taped to all walls and any other penetrations such as posts or pipes) and pour a new 4-inch thick floor slab.

A suggestion, if I may...

Condensation could possibly be a bad seal on the window or a humidity difference between inside and outside. If you have a access to a hygrometer or other humidity measuring device, take readings at various points inside the basement and crawlspace and then around the structure outside and see what you get. You may need to consider a good dehumidifier to regulate the air if the humidity levels are high inside... especially in the crawlspace. The EPA estimates that up to 45% of the air on the first level of the home is effected by the air below in crawls and basements, so regulating the air, if needed, will improve indoor air quality within the living space.

The picture of the square hole... what is that sitting at the bottom? It looks orange/red.

Ideally there should be no humidity difference, or if there is, it should be more humid outside than inside. If there is high humidity in the basement (or crawl space), there is a moisture problem which needs to be diagnosed and cured. Basements no NOT create humidity. The moisture is coming from somewhere, in this case up through the floor, and probably through the foundation walls. If it is stopped, then there will be normal humidity in the bsement, not excess humidity.

I can see in the photo that you have evidence of past water in the block walls. This is observed by the white powder seen on the failed water proof coating someone applied. This is enough to cause the conditions of condensate your seeing on the walls and windows.

The holes your drilled may be filled with cement from the block install so they may not drain. Also they may only drain when its raining out. The trapped water has evaporated through the walls or exited somewhere else.
Do a hose test in the corner of the house where these are observed. It may take a while but what I am seeing is evidence of moisture intrusion in the corner.

As far as the crawl space. you need to install either a vent on both sides of the crawl which I assume based on the age of the house there was one at one time which was removed and covered over to save energy. Or install a plastic cover over the soil in the crawl space.