waterproofing basement tips - protecting yourself

Basements are notorious for being damp, musty places. Waterproofing your basement can be done many ways. If your existing basement has a leakage problem you need to find the root cause. This will help you to do the least invasive procedure. Instead of replacing the walls and floor in your basement there are a few waterproofing basement tips to help find and repair the cause so you can keep your basement dry.

Most leakage problems are from water seeping through walls and seeping in the joints where the walls meet the floor. Cracks, chips, and other damage to the concrete can also invite water in. Clean and repair damaged areas by patching the concrete. Once all cracks are repaired seal the concrete. This can be done simply by painting the sealant onto the interior side of the concrete.

Waterproofing Basement Tips - Don't Forget Outside

Hydrostatic pressure can be a problem in some places even if you have sealed the concrete. If you don’t have a good drainage system in place you will likely have leakage. Drainage problems can be a bit more work than simply painting on a sealant; but when it comes to waterproofing your basement it is imperative that you have a drainage system in place.

Check to make sure that your rain gutters aren’t clogged and drainpipes are draining properly. All pipes and drains need to be checked routinely for blockage. The best tip to help with this is to remember to check your rain gutters, drainage pipes, and drain traps just before the rainy season (which varies by location). Extending your drain spout so that the water from your rain gutters is brought farther away from your home will help your basement waterproofing system. If you have a sump pump it needs to be checked to make sure it is in proper working order as well.

Lawns that slope toward the home invite water drainage problems. A good drainage system includes having your lawn properly graded. If your basement gets wet every time you water your lawn you don’t have the lawn graded properly. Water will flow into the direction of least resistance, if your basement is where water finds least resistance then that is where it is going to go. To solve this problem you need to slope the lawn away from the house by building the ground up toward the house and/or terracing the lawn so that the area closest to your home is the highest.

Putting a flower bed close to the house by adding soil that is raised and surrounded with bricks can also help. Seal the concrete in your basement to make it difficult for water to drain into the basement and build an area around the house that is built up higher than the rest of the lawn. This will make it easier for water to flow through the bricks and out into your lawn than it would be to flow into your home.

Another waterproofing system involves sealing the concrete walls in your basement except for the last three inches (the three inches closest to the floor) and putting in a drainage system to collect and channel water out of your basement. These systems aren’t difficult to install and can be hidden by sheet rock and other building materials.

Waterproofing basement walls can be frustrating if it isn’t done properly. These tips should assist you to find and correct problems you may be having with your current system.

Your foundation is probably the most important element of your home. After all, without it, there would be nothing for the home to stand on. It's like the Bible story that talks about the wise man building his house on the rock. Your foundation is your rock, and you need to make sure that it stays in top shape for as long as you own your home. Unfortunately, tiny cracks and holes in the foundation are constantly being forced bigger as water-laden soil presses against the walls. Water soaks into the concrete or stone that your home rests upon and seriously undermines its integrity. That's why foundation wall waterproofing is so vitally important to the continued well-being of your home.