What poses the greatest risk to your basement space? No, it’s not mice or spiders or ants. If you guessed water, you are right. Water and condensation can cause mold to grow and affect the health of you and your family. It can also affect the structural integrity of your home. Water damage emanating from a small, almost imperceptible foundation crack can lead to thousands of dollars’ worth of necessary repairs if you have to restore a finished basement. Even with an unfinished basement, cleaning and repairing the space still presents a huge hassle and time commitment on your part. While a dehumidifier will take care of some of the problems associated with moisture, you may have bigger problems that need to be addressed. With that in mind, let’s take a look at ways you can protect your basement this summer.
A sump pump is a chamber that rests below your basement. It is designed to collect any excess water and then pump that water safely away from your home, effectively getting rid of waste water in the basement. A sump pump is fed from drainage around the corners of the basement as well as slits and openings where water will naturally flow. A good quality sump pump installed will ensure that any existing water will be properly removed. However, with a furnished basement space, a sump pump may only be a bandage of a bigger wound. Sump pumps can fail or overflow and will not work without a backup power source (which can cause flooding in extreme weather events where the power goes out). With that in mind, let’s consider a true fix: exterior waterproofing.
Exterior waterproofing looks at the causes of how water is getting into your basement space and stops it at the source. There are many ways you can approach exterior waterproofing. The most comprehensive and effective solution is to install an exterior waterproof membrane and exterior drainage system. If your weeping tile has failed, it may be cost-effective to repair the system. Re-grading the slope is a popular way to approach exterior waterproofing, as it will push the natural flow of water away from the house. You can also look for cracks or openings, remove vegetation from around the foundation, and provide the lower exterior of your home with some much-needed TLC. If nothing else, you can hire a professional to look at what the problem might be and offer you suggestions.
Some sites may recommend that you focus on interior waterproofing. While their advice may seem all well and good, there are some things you should know about interior work. Designed to fill in cracks with injections, interior work is temporary at best. Ultimately, interior waterproofing will be a waste of time and money as the real problem is on the outside of the house. Often, the most visible crack is not the true source of water. Crack injection only corrects one location and does not make the basement waterproof.
Does your home need basement waterproofing, weeping tile replacement, foundation crack repair, perimeter excavation, window well installation, sump pump installation/repair, or concrete repairs? City Residential Foundation Repair is here to help – contact us to request an appointment!
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