How To Waterproof Your Basement In 8 Easy Steps
Many homeowners don't proactively
waterproof their basement until there is a leak or they find water pooling inside their basement. Well, here are a few things to look for and steps to take to make sure you do everything you can to protect your basement and your
homes foundation.
1) Evaluate the perimeter of your house. You must ensure that the ground next to your foundation slopes away
from the foundation, not towards it. Backfilled dirt around the
foundation will typically settle lower than the surrounding dirt causing
the ground to sink in and slope towards your house. If necessary, add
dirt up against the foundation to create at least a 2" per foot (that
is, a drop of 2" for each foot you move away) slope against the
foundation. Make sure that the top of the dirt is at least six inches
below the sill plate so that there is no ground contact which may cause
certain building materials to rot in the future.
2) On the ground right next to your foundation, you'll have problems.
Make sure your gutters are clean, and make sure your downspouts are
discharging their water at least 5 feet away from your foundation.
3) Watch out for shrubs and other plants that are too close to your foundation.
Rotted roots can create a path for surface water to flow down to your
foundation. You should keep plantings at least 12" away from the
foundation, and on a slight slope to direct water away from your
foundation.
4) Try to waterproof your walls with a product such as Drylok or Xypex if you have minor, intermittent leaks.
Drylok is a waterproofer not a water sealer. It expands as it dries to
become part of the wall. Xypex is more like applying a waterproof
concrete on the surface that will bond with it. Because Xypex relies on
the presence of moisture to form its water proof crystalline structure,
if a Xypex application does have small areas of water leakage they will
seal themselves as they cycle through moisture. Xypex is also 2-4 times
as expensive as Drylok. The problem with these solutions is that
groundwater which is underneath your basement floor or at the bottom of
the walls is under significant pressure, due to the weight of
groundwater above it pressing down.
5) Repair defects in poured
concrete walls such as cracks and the places where pipes and form tie
rods go all the way through the concrete. If you see a crack in a
concrete wall it goes all the way through the wall to the outside and is
a potential source of water. For cracks that will not experience any
thermal or structural movement, DRYLOK Fast Plug is very effective in
sealing cracks in the masonry. Another reliable way to repair a wall
crack is with an injection of construction-grade epoxy that penetrates
the crack all the way from inside to outside, bottom to top. Generally,
an experienced crack repair technician is the best choice for this.
Do-it-yourself kits of epoxy and polyurethane systems are available, but
are less reliable.
6) Consider installing a sump. This is essentially a
hole in your basement floor which contains a pump. When the water level
in the sump rises too high, a pump kicks on and draws the water out of
the sump, discharging it outside the house, 10 or more feet from the
foundation. Installing a sump requires a moderate degree of skill and
experience, since you will be jackhammering or otherwise creating a hole
in the concrete floor of your basement, excavating a hole, placing a
liner in the hole, wiring the sump pump itself, and plumbing an outlet
from the pump to the outdoors.
7) Try a French drain (or perimeter drain) for serious water issues.
A French drain consists of a continuous system of piping, running
beneath the floor of the basement and along the entire perimeter of the
basement. Installing a French drain is similar to installing a sump, but
requires cutting and removing an approximately 12" wide strip of
basement floor along the entire perimeter of the basement, digging a 12"
deep trench, filling it with coarse gravel surrounding the drain pipe,
then re-pouring a concrete floor to cover it all up. A French drain will
always include a sump and pump for removing any water which gets into
the drain system.
8) Have an installer inject Hydroclay around of your foundation.
Hydroclay is a waterproofing version of Bentonite Clay, known for its
ability to absorb large amounts of water. Usually pumped from the
outside, the clay fills in voids and follows the pathways water uses to
get inside your foundation permanently sealing the basement. This is the
same product used to waterproof tunnels, manholes, dumps, backyard
ponds, elevator pits, etc.
Waterproofing Your Basement Tips:
- Before beginning a serious basement remodeling project, observe your
basement carefully during heavy rainstorms. If you can last a year of
weather without any water leaks, you're probably going to be OK in the
future (so long as you keep those gutters clean and take care of your
foundation!).
- Note that salt & lime deposits form on concrete blocks as water
leaks through them (white staining). This MUST be completely removed
before any blocker is used. This is the most common reason why the
sealing fails. This is generally done by dousing the wall with muriatic
acid and scrubbing. Follow this by rinsing the area very liberally with a
water hose, then vacuum it off the floor. This will normally take
several applications. You will see the muriatic acid react with the
deposits on the wall.
- When installing a sump pump, be sure to refer to local plumbing
codes. Most installations will require a one-way valve to prevent water
from coming into the sump through the outlet.
- Regardless of what type of water protection you try to use, FOLLOW
THE DIRECTIONS. Common misapplications of Xypex come from not following
the directions, or more specifically, contractors being too cheap to do
the job correctly. Xypex is at least a two stage system, with the second
applications using a thinner, cheaper coating of different composition.
Many contractors are trying to offset the cost of Xypex VS Drylok by
only applying the FINISHING coats.
- When cutting into concrete, be sure to tape plastic drop cloths from ceiling to floor to enclose the affected area.
- Battery backup sump pumps are available. Search for "basement
watchdog." These are great for sumps that have a steady flow of water
into them since you'll know you have a backup if/when the power goes out
or the main pump breaks.
- The construction of a new house is the time to properly seal the
house for life. The old standby of plastic wrap and Styrofoam sheeting
to protect does work. But it is almost always destroyed during the
back-filling of the foundation, causing it to leak. This way of sealing
NO LONGER meets the international building code, along with many state,
country, or city building codes. The makers of DRYLOK suggest coating
the exterior of the foundation with DRYLOK Masonry Waterproofer.
Remember the waterproofer is only as good and as sound as the surface.
Protect the surface with a wrap before backfilling to protect from rocks
and equipment.
WARNINGS:
- Mold can be a serious health concern. Keeping your basement dry with a dehumidifier can help.
- If waterproof paints do not work then you need to first relieve the
hydrostatic pressure outside by letting the water in. You can then use
an above floor base board system without having to bust up the basement
floor.
- Always wear eye protection and a mask or respirator while cutting concrete.
Labels: basement waterproofing, steps to waterproof your basement, tips for basement waterproofing, waterproof basement tips, waterproof your basement
