This week I decided to put away all the Christmas decorations and rather than storing them in the basement, which requires me to go down a steep ladder, I thought it prudent to store the many boxes on shelves in the garage.
That's when I noticed a large wet stain on the floor. Hoping for a reasonable explanation I went to investigate the matter and decided that the wetness must be caused by ground water seeping through the crack between the floor and the foundation. I asked for input from our strata and was told that it is impossible for groundwater to seep through the crack, as the floor was poured over a thick layer of gravel and that the crack or seam between the floor and the foundation was waterproofed.
It was decided that the dampness in the air and my rain-wet car must have caused the issue, although one side of the garage was dry and most of the boxes were dry as well. It was just one spot in the garage and shelves that was soaking wet. All this dampness also caused mould on the adjacent wall and garage door! It was suggested that I needed a plug-in fan or fan system to circulate the air and I can just see my Hydro bill taking a high jump!
Not happy with the suggestion, I decided to give the shelves another good look and noticed that the one that stored a Himalayan salt lamp was wet. Unpacking the lamp was rather messy as the salt was wet and dripping water! A quick online search answered the puzzle of my wet garage. It appears that salt lamps, when not in use and stored, will attract moisture and over time can cause a considerable water build up! Who knew?
Ah, my first lesson in 2025 and I'm sure there will be more to come.
Judy van der Boom
Cowichan Bay
