Wicking, seepage and cracks are the three major ways that water finds its way into your basement.
Wicking is the process of water absorbing its way up an object. You can see this by cutting a small strip of paper and dipping it in a glass of water. As you hold it the water travels up the paper, filling up the gaps and creating a chain against gravity. The good news is it can only get so far without needing extra pressure to push it higher.
Seepage is a term to describe water that drizzles in through separations in the floor, footing and walls of your basement. Seepage is normally a sign of pressure or extreme separations.
Cracks tend to be more obvious. They can happen in the floor, the wall or the footing. Cracks are caused by settling, soil expanding against the wall, heavy impact, roots, or as the case is with floors typically, hydrostatic pressure (which is the pressure an amount of water has on an object; more water, more pressure).
Wicking can only be stopped by two methods:
1.) The entire foundation, footing included is wrapped in a non-porous material, such as plastic.
2.) The footing and the walls are made out of a non-porous material.
Typically, wrapping and damp-proofing the foundation is done at construction. So if you have water coming in your basement currently and it’s 5 years old, or older, chances are your home isn’t damp-proofed.
Seepage can be addressed by giving the water a place to go, rather than coming up on your floor. Typically this is where drains come in. It allows the water an easy route of passage and “tricks” it to following the drain into a sump where it’s removed by a pump. Easy, right? Large amounts of water can build up in these small separations between the floor and the footing and the wall, this can cause back ups and water can still jump up to your floor, even with just a drain.
Cracks, being caused by water under the floor, or pressure outside the walls can be repaired. The caused of the cracks can also be further addressed. Vapor barriers for the walls and a split channel design drain can handle both. It’ll remove water from under the slab and relieve pressure. The Vapor Barrier can stop the jumps of water in the seepage scenario and correctly direct it to the drain.
All three problems can be solved by one proper basement waterproofing system solution.
For more information on how to get GrateDrain in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, Contact Pioneer Basement @ 1-800-649-6140 or on-line http://www.pioneerbasement.com/
For all other states in the United States, Canada and the UK please direct your questions to GrateProducts LLC @ http://www.grateproducts.com/
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