Capillary Break

Just as a dry sponge soaks up water, concrete walls have the capacity to wick up moisture from the footings. To avoid the adverse consequences of such moisture migration, a capillary break should be placed between the footing and the wall. Capillary rise can contribute up to 57 L (15 gal) of water a day to a building's interior moisture load. The effects often manifest in the form of black mold around the lowest one or two feet of the interior drywall.