Basement Waterproofing

Information current as of

Basements need waterproofing for a variety of reasons. Water buildup can happen from cracks in the walls (noticed or not), condensation from pipes, leaky windows, or leaky bathroom fixtures if your bathroom is in the basement.

The buildup of water in a basement can lead to mold, mildew, foundation damage and termites if the water problem is left unattended.

It's important to keep your basement dry. The waterproofing methods are fairly common sense for most, but if you have no experience with this and are in a panic it can be easy to overlook something helpful.

Hopefully your basement was built so that water would drain away from the house. If the grade of your lawn slopes toward your house, then rainwater could easily run toward the foundation walls and accumulate against the house, putting extra moisture stress against the foundation. Over time that will cause foundation problems and leaks. If you feel the slope of your lawn has shifted or is going the wrong direction, you can hire a lawn care expert to regrade the yard and change the slope direction.

In our case we just have damp spots on the walls, we aren't to a full blown water problem. If you do get to that stage sometimes a sump pump can be installed. There are two options: water powered and submersible. The water powered sump pump is run by your home's plumbing pressure. They drain slowly but don't need electric power so they can work during power outages. The submersible pump is electric powered and put underground. They are more expensive but tend to last longer and run quieter.

If your house is just being built it can be well advised that you install a basement waterproofing system from the beginning. This can save you a lot of headaches later. Of course you would take all the other necessary precautions as well. Be sure whomever you have install the system is competent.