Waterproofing Your Basement

Although it seems rather easy to waterproof a basement, there are many things that you must consider first. In fact, many of the things that you'll read about here are not discussed often. Before you buy you start, consider the following tips.

How does waterproofing work in the basement and what exactly needs to be done?

Let's take a look at the time and tested waterproofing of basement and how it works.

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.

That big hole in the ground, the first on the list above is important to note.

The construction of basement walls invariably leaves a void on the exterior which requires backfilling. This void gets filled with loose backfill. 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 way of waterproofing a basement 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. Allowing these pipes to fill up, can result in an overload of the system, which can be catastrophic to the basement's outside walls. If there are crevices in the walls, water will push through even if the basement walls are waterproofed.

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. To keep water out of a basement, waterproofing is also applied to the external walls. This is also called a tanked system.

A better basement waterproofing system, such as the drained cavity basement waterproofing, works by getting rid of the water pressure on the walls. To protect the property water is controlled, collected and then made to pass through hidden drainage channels which are either natural drainage or sump pumps.

Waterproofing a basement is a better system when they are installed internally and have easy access ports for removing the silt etc. It takes minimal disturbance to the original basement where traditional tanking or other methods have failed.

So to summarise, good basement waterproofing will:

• not disturb landscaping, decks, patios, driveways, etc
• usually be an approved waterproofing method for home loans
• often be substantially cheaper than other waterproofing methods
• usually be a permanent or long-term solution
• stop both ways by which water can enter through the walls and up from the floor

You want to be sure to choose a reliable waterproofer for your home, keep in mind that it will greatly increase the value by far more than what you initally paid.

In conclusion, you want a basement waterproofing system that will deliver:

• an approved method by home loan lenders
• not disturb the exterior appearance of your home
• more affordable than other methods
• stop water through the floor and walls
• a permanent or long term fix

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.

As you can see, the problem of basement waterproofing is not uncommon and there are steps that can be taken to make your life a lost easier when dealing with it.