What is Waterproofing A Basement All About?

How do waterproofing systems work in the basement and what exactly are they?

 To answer that question, let’s first look at historically conventional basement waterproofing and how it is supposed to work.

In case you are curious to know how the basement is built, you will see that the idea was first conceived in the design and then the next steps follow. It starts with the digging of a big hole, then the footer or foundations are laid. After the base is done, the walls of the basement are built and then only the rest of the house is constructed.

 That big hole in the ground, the first on the list above is important to note.

 When the walls of the basement are built, there is always a gap left outside the walls which needs to be filled. Loose backfill is what is used to fill this void. The problem here is that water looks for the path of least resistance, and you’ve just given it just that with a huge pile of loose backfill, no matter how well it’s been compacted.

Water will continuously seep into this area. Typical ways of waterproofing a basement utilize water drainage pipes that often become silted. It’s natural enough, the water is bringing all sorts of suspension with it. Allowing these pipes to fill up, can result in an overload of the system, which can be catastrophic to the basement’s outside walls. Water will work its way through even the smallest gaps, even though basement walls are waterproofed in some way.

 The problem of this type is not easily rectified. The reason is that the pipes which are supposed to take away the excess water are gradually getting deteriorated and worsen over time.

 Many times there is simply no access to these pipes which is a huge oversight. Basement waterproofing is also applied to the external walls of the basement to try and keep the water out. This is often referred to as a tanked system.

If you want to find out if you have water inside the concrete block of your walls simply tap a hole into the concrete block, near the floor, and see if you have water coming out of this block then you may want to consider a drained cavity waterproofing system this system drains the water from your walls, much the same way you just did, by adding drain holes in the bottom blocks that allows those areas to drain into a type of interior french drain system. Water is controlled, collected and allowed to flow through hidden drainage channels either to natural drainage or to a sump pump where the water is removed away from the property.

Waterproofing a basement is reputedly a better system when they are installed internally, have easy access ports for removing any silt and can be applied to basements where traditional tanking or other methods have failed but with minimal disturbance to the original basement.

So to summarise, a good basement waterproofing system will:

 - usually be a permanent or long-term solution
 - stop both ways by which water can enter through the walls and up from the floor
- not disturb landscaping, decks, patios, driveways, etc
- usually be an approved waterproofing method for home loans
- often be substantially cheaper than other waterproofing methods

You want to be sure to choose a reliable waterproofer for your home, keep in mind that it will greatly increase the value by far more than what you initally paid.

In conclusion, you want a basement waterproofing system that will deliver:

 - a permanent or long term fix
- stop water through the floor and walls
- not disturb the exterior appearance of your home
- an approved method by home loan lenders
- more affordable than other methods

While you are getting the house made you need to realize that waterproofing is more of an investment in the value of your house rather then an expense.

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