Basement Waterproofing
Basement Waterproofing
It is important to the health of your family that your basement is kept dry and the air quality at safe levels. Doing so can help preserve the structural integrity of your home and prevent additional problems.
Basement flooding is caused when water enters the basement environment. This can happen in a variety of ways; over the top of the foundation, through the cove joint (where the wall and floor meet), through leaking wall or floor cracks, through basement windows, through above grade issues like windows and siding, or plumbing issues.
Moisture can cause expensive damage, including rotting of support beams and floor joists. This decaying wood doesn’t just endanger the home’s structural integrity, but it can also be very attractive to unwanted pests, including termites and roaches. Furthermore, moisture in this area of the home can lead to growth of dangerous mold or mildew. This is a fungus that can grow on walls, floors, or ceilings, and it can make the home “like a basement”, which could lead to a variety of serious health problems. These issues can be avoided by making sure that an effective waterproofing system is installed to help keep it moisture-free.
Common Basement Problems
There are a number of ways water can enter your home and we have proven solutions for all of them. Continue on to identify the nature of your water infiltration issues so that you can learn about our solutions.
Leaking Wall Cracks
Wall cracks are the most common type of problem that we find in poured concrete foundations. A poured concrete foundation is vastly superior to walls constructed out of masonry block or bricks because it is inherently stronger and much easier and cost-effective to diagnose and repair when cracked. However, all concrete mixtures contain water, which evaporates during the curing process; this drying causes cracks to develop usually within the first three months of construction. The other cause of cracking is poor building techniques.
This is GOOD NEWS! It means that your foundation walls have all the cracks that they will ever have, unless there’s an underlying structural problem. There are many other theories that say hard winters, heavy rainstorms, and “continued settling” can continue to cause cracks, but unless you have movement in your foundation, you can set those tales aside. Think about it, there would be no sense in repairing cracks if they were going to continue to develop.
The BAD NEWS is that the cracks you have are getting worse! Even hairline cracks that aren’t leaking now are likely to leak at some point in the future. Why?
Water is erosive and will continue to deteriorate the crack until it works its way to the inside of your home.
When a wall cracks, there are two pieces of concrete that are tightly wedged together. This is significant because the expansion-contraction cycle of the ground can move those two pieces in opposing directions, causing the crack to open and most patches to fail.
The main way we can solve this problem is by implementing a wall crack repair method that will both seal the crack and prevent it from getting any larger.
Cove Seepage
Another common type of below grade issue is water entering your basement from the cove joint (where the wall and floor meet). When the ground gets saturated during heavy rainstorms, the water table under your foundation starts to rise, which is called hydrostatic pressure. This increase in pressure during a storm, or wet season, can force water through the cove joint. It will typically recede after the storm, leaving no trail or clue as to where the water infiltrated your basement. This type of problem is often the most difficult type to diagnose.
When water is entering this part of your home, the best thing to do is to install a drainage system that collects the water and sends it to the sump pump.
Sump Pump Issues
The heart of a basement waterproofing system is the sump pump. Your sump pump keeps water flowing away from your home. When it fails, the drain tile and window well drains will back up and the result could be several inches of water in your basement. That is why it is important to have a quality sump pump battery backup that you can count on when you need it most. For the ultimate peace of mind, see our Basement Defender System that will alert you BEFORE your sump system fails.
We offer a variety of different sump pump systems to ensure that you have adequate pumping capacity no matter the amount of rain.
Leaking Mortar Joints
Many homes in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana have foundation walls constructed of something other than poured concrete, such as cinder block, brick, stone, or even wood. Masonry foundations pose more of a challenge when it comes to keeping your basement dry because the walls are not solid. Instead the walls are constructed using mortar to hold the individual blocks or stones in place. Over time, this mortar will deteriorate and become less water resistant, allowing water to flow into your basement through the open joints between the blocks. Another major drawback with block walls is that water can enter one area of the foundation, run through the hollows of the blocks, and enter the basement on the interior several feet away from the point of exterior entry.
These other types of foundations are more commonly susceptible to structural problems. Despite their predisposition to having problems, we have drainage systems that work well with block walls and can prevent water from entering into your home.
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