Defining Waterproofing a Basement.
How do waterproofing systems work in the basement and what exactly are they?
Let’s take a look at the time and tested waterproofing of basement and how it works.
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.
From this list the most vital point is the top one – the vast crater dug in the earth
The construction of basement walls invariably leaves a void on the exterior which requires backfilling. Loose backfill is what is used to fill this void. No matter how well the backfill is compacted, it is still backfill and water seeks the places of little resistance.
Water will continuously seep into this area. Sometimes, creating a problem is the drainpipe that gets full of silt contained in many systems when waterproofing a basement. The water is naturally 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.
This kind of situation is persistent because the tubes that should drain the excess water eventually deteriorate.
A lot of the time a huge mistake is made by not providing access to these pipes. 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
Choose a reputable basement waterproofer when protecting your home, remember it is economically foolish not to waterproof, because the increased value from waterproofing will definitely exceed the cost of the waterproofing.
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.