Waterproofing Your Basement Walls

The most common response to the possibility of basement flooding is to install a sump pump. But your sump pump should only be relied on when other preventived measures do not work. To keep your proposed basement weight and exercise room from floating away, measures need to be taken to prevent the sump pump from being needed.

When it comes to dry basements, we’ve got the Chicagoland area covered. We are Reliable Basement Services and we are proud to be a full service Chicagoland foundation repair, basement waterproofing, and Chicagoland basement remodeling company specializing in basement waterproofing. We do what it takes to give you a comfortable, dry basement. For more information visit our website at ReliableBasement.com or call us at 630 777-0539.

The first step in protecting your basement from water damage is in the grading of the home site. If an existing house has slope problems correcting the grade may require a major project, but the resulting improvement of basement dryness will be worth the effort. Also, if gutters and downspouts are not kept in good repair or are improperly installed they can allow water from the roof to seep into the soil along the foundation and leak into the basement.

When it rains you get a lot of water falling down around your foundation directly from the roof. Clogged gutters or downspouts without sufficient tiling to drain water away from the foundation can cause severe dampness of basement walls. During severe or prolonged rainfall, it can even result in flooding.

A dry well serves as an outlet valve that directs water away from your foundation. This can be a simple alternative to tearing up existing landscaping and re-grading the whole lot.

Another method of handling poor drainage is a French drain. This consists of a graded trench filled with sand and gravel that leads water away from your foundation.

It should have a 1 or 2 percent grade in order to run water away from the house. It should be filled with gravel up to about 5 or 6 inches from the surface, then a few inches of sand and covered with topsoil or a layer of sod. Some experts also recommend using a perforated drain pipe in the trench to carry overflow more easily.

An interior drainage system can be used to channel leakage to the outside. This method involves breaking up the floor along the base of the basement walls, digging a trench, and installing drain tiles to carry the water to a sump pump or discharge point. This method does no damage to the room. The trench is then filled with coarse gravel and the floor replaced over the top.

Cracks in your foundation or basement walls can let water in too. When this happens you should contact a basement waterproofing company to repair the cracks with a waterproof caulking material. Then seal the wall with additional waterproofing coatings.

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