The basement waterproofing systems and their working. Let’s take a look at the time and tested waterproofing of basement and how it works.
If you imagine how a basement is first built, when the house it is sited in was first conceived, then basically the following happens:
If you can see a home being built the contractor first surveys the lot using the blueprints for the home to be built; then he sights out the lot to find out the best place to start digging and grading the property, then he lays the footer or foundation and begins building the basement walls, lastly the balance of the home follows.
The important point to note is the first one in the list above – that big hole in the ground. The construction of basement walls invariably leaves a void on the exterior which requires backfilling. Loose backfill is used to fill in the gap. The problem here is that water looks for the path of least resistance, and you’ve just given it just that with a huge pile of loose backfill, no matter how well it’s been compacted.
Water will continuously seep into this area. The conventional basement waterproofing system provides some form of drainage pipe for this water to drain away, but the problem with this is that often these pipes get silted up. The water is naturally bringing all sorts of suspension with it. The system can overload if the pipes get over-filled and then the pressure of the built up water would be concentrated on the outer basement walls. Water will work its way through even the smallest gaps, even though basement walls are waterproofed in some way.
This type of problem doesn’t usually go away because the pipes that are supposed to take away the excess water gradually worsen over time.
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.
Basement waterproofing systems are reputedly a better system in that 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.
In conclusion, you want a basement waterproofing system that will deliver:
- usually be a permanent or long-term solution
-stop water through the floor and walls
- 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.
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.
This will simplify the use of basement waterproofing systems. Learn the essential steps and get a problem-free environment with minimal outlay by visiting a basement waterproofing systems website., a website describing the plus and minus points of a water proofing system.