Suddenly you start to notice water pooling on your garage floor? This is a problem that needs to be fixed quickly. If it isn’t, then there could be serious structural damage. Firstly, you need to get to the bottom of why it is happening.
There are a few reasons why water can come through a garage floor. If you have pipes running underneath the floors, these can leak. However, in most cases, it is because the amount of groundwater under your garage has risen, perhaps due to extreme weather. This water is pushed up through the concrete.
On this page, we want to walk you through the reasons why water may come up through a garage floor. We also want to give you a few ideas on how you can stop it from happening in the future.
Why Does Water Come Up Through My Garage Floor?
There are a couple of reasons why water could be coming up through your garage floor.
A Rise In The Water Table
Back in High School, you would have learned about the water table.
Without going into too much scientific depth, the water table is the area under the soil where groundwater travels to. As it rains, water will seep through the soil, sitting just below the surface. In most cases, this will be around various rocks.
If it rains too much, the water table starts to rise. In cases of severe weather, the soil could become completely saturated. As a result, water can’t seep down into the soil. It sits on the surface.
As the water levels continue to build up, it will put more and more pressure on the garage floor. Eventually, there will be so much pressure (and so much water build-up) that the water has nowhere to go but force itself through the concrete. Because concrete is quite porous, this happens rather easily.
If you live in an area that gets a lot of heavy rain, then this is likely the reason for water coming through your garage floor.
Leaking Pipes Under The Garage Floor
If it hasn’t rained, but you are still noticing water forcing its way through your garage floor, there could be a damaged pipe underneath your garage. This can cause the same issues, i.e., the ground becomes oversaturated with water.
You may be able to hear running water under the garage floor if this is the case.
Can Water Come Up Through a Concrete Floor?
Water can come up through a concrete floor.
Concrete is porous. If the water table rises, small droplets will be forced through the concrete. This is assuming the concrete hasn’t been sealed. As a result, you will see water pooling on the floor. Eventually, that water is going to sink back into the concrete.
Honestly, your main concern isn’t going to be how porous the concrete is. Other than sealing the concrete, there isn’t much that can be done about that. Your issue is that as concrete ages, it starts to crack and crumble. When this happens, water will be forced through the cracks. Over time, this will make the cracks larger and can result in some rather serious structural damage.
How Do I Stop Water Coming Into My Garage?
Sadly, if the water table is rising, there isn’t much that you can do. Professionals would be able to dig deep excavation trenches to get rid of some of that water build-up, but you can’t do that yourself. You would need some seriously expensive and heavy machinery.
All you can really do is attempt to reduce the amount of water flowing into your garage. Eventually, that water table is going to drop again. So, if you can hold off the bulk of the water, you should be fine.
The following things can be done:
- You can fill in any cracks or holes in the concrete with a concrete filler.
- Walk around the garage room and ensure there are no gaps between the wall and floor. If there are, use a sealer on that too.
- Use a concrete waterproofing solution on the garage floor.
Assuming you do not have serious groundwater issues, barely any water will be able to creep into your garage if you do this.
Why Does My Garage Floor Get Wet When It Rains?
So far, we have spoken about how water seeping upwards can cause your garage floor to get wet. However, this isn’t the only reason your garage floor can get when it rains.
If the concrete is only slightly wet, it is more likely to be condensation.
When it rains, moisture sticks around in the air. This air blows into your garage (which isn’t airtight). The moisture is released from the air as it hits the cold concrete, and the concrete becomes wet.
This isn’t a huge problem. It may cause light damage to the concrete over a few years, but nothing that can’t be patched away.
How Do You Fix Water-Damaged Concrete?
It depends on how serious the problem is.
If your concrete has had to deal with years and years of water coming up and then sinking back into it, then maybe not. The concrete could be warped, and there may be some structural damage underneath the concrete. It is probably best to call in an expert so that they can inspect the damage.
If there is a bit of light cracking and crumbling, then you can fix the problem. You will have to follow these steps:
- Get hold of some concrete patching material.
- Apply the material, as instructed, to any cracks on the concrete.
- Wait for it to dry.
- Apply a concrete sealer to the floor of the garage.
Conclusion
In most cases, if water is coming up through your garage floor, it means that the water table has started to rise. This often happens when it rains a lot. There is too much water for the ground to hold. The ground won’t stop filling up with water, though. it needs to go somewhere, and this tends to be up. If your garage floor hasn’t been properly sealed, it means that the water could be forced through the concrete. Thankfully, this is an issue that should be fairly easy to fix. However, make sure that you deal with the problem quickly. The longer you leave it, the more chance there is of structural damage.
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