According to the Wicking dictionary it is:

1. A loosely braided, twisted, or woven string or strand of fibers, as in a candle or oil lamp, that draws fuel to the flame by capillary action.

2. A piece of material that transports liquid by capillary action.

wicked (w-kt), wick ing, wicks

To transport or to be transported by capillary action: the water is gradually absorbed through the bricks.*

So if your basement waterproofing professional mentions the term, Wicking, it simply means that water is traveling up the wall.

How can this be? Doesn’t gravity keep water closer to Earth? How can water go up my foundation walls, are they concrete?

Those are all very good points. To understand this term we have to understand the behavior of water. The water seeks its own natural level. It does so by filling in the gaps left behind by displaced objects. The composition of the water, or molecules, will bind to each other and actually push and pull to make it happen. Water can find its way through tiny openings through this molecular push-pull action.

The concrete has small openings left over from its drying process. The water evaporates in a process called Curing. It leaves very small holes called micropores. The micropores, separated by thin layers of concrete, can be easily broken with enough force. So, like a sponge with holes, the holes in the concrete invite water to seek its own level as it enters the voids left over from the drying process.

Water pressure from outside the house can force more water into these pores. Eventually, the water fills the pores and begins to search for other pores. Most likely the pores are above where the water currently is. It reuses the push and pull of its natural capillary action and slowly climbs up the concrete wall using the micropores.

With water rising higher in your walls and the saturation level of the wall increasing, it’s a matter of time before the water breaks through the final barrier and into your basement.

*The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by the Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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